Day 10 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Amber Smith)
*Give Away has Ended*
Thanks for taking a break from your day and clicking your way over to day ten of my 12th annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways! If you’re just joining in, be sure to start at Day 1 here.
Our guest today is someone I have gotten to know through social media after I discovered she’d read one of my books. Amber Smith is a Texas girl, an actor, a lover of baking and coffee, the wife of country singer Granger Smith, and the mom of three adorable kiddos—two here on earth and one sweet son, River, who went to be with Jesus this past summer. I can’t wait for you to meet her. She is an incredible woman with an astonishing faith and she is giving away a tremendous prize today. (Seriously. I may just comment under a fake name and win the prize myself!)
But first, here is the Christmas idea for the day—ways to make the nativity come alive!
Day 10: Making the Nativity Real & Remembered
The nativity scene and story of Jesus’s birth may be the most dramatized, reenacted, painted, composed about, and otherwise depicted event in history. But how can you write the story on your family’s hearts, not just plant it in their heads? These ideas help, and the moments experienced with the nativity can be living memories.
Tell the Story Over & Over
For a keepsake to treasure in years to come, film your children each year telling the nativity story. Toddlers will be able to articulate just the basics about the Christ child, the manger, the angels and the shepherds. As they grow, more details will be added to their narration. Once they are old enough to read, let them read the story from Luke 2 out loud to be filmed. It will be fun to hear how their voice changes from year to year. A great present to give grandparents!
Give the Nativity
When each of your children or grandchildren are young, purchase a nativity set for them to have when they are grown and leave your home. Figure out how many pieces are in the set. Then, each year, give them one piece in their stocking, timing it so that they get the last piece the year they are 18.
Live the Nativity
Take in a living nativity experience. Many churches reenact the first Christmas by having church members dress up like the characters found in Luke chapter 2. Usually barnyard animals are included and one live nativity near us even had wise men on camels! Children especially love to drive by and see the holy family, the angels, shepherds and wise men. Return home for some hot spiced cider or hot chocolate.
Build Suspense Along with the Story
Place your nativity set out piece by piece, telling the Christmas story as it is found in scripture in Luke, chapter two.
The first night, place Mary out all alone, as you come to the part of the Bible where she is mentioned. The next night comes the angel who appears to her. The following night, Joseph appears and so on.
You’ll soon be placing the animals, shepherds, baby Jesus, and finally the wise men, who arrived a few years after Christ was born. This is a great way to make the Christmas story last over several days and the kids will look forward to the new character put out each night.
Go on the Hunt for Jesus
Hide a baby boy doll and on Christmas morning crank up a yuletide tune to awaken the kids. Then hunt for baby Jesus, just like the Wisemen of old. After He’s placed in a makeshift manger, read the Christmas story from Luke 2, before opening your presents. Reiterate the point you’re illustrating: Jesus before ourselves!
Day 10 Giveaway
Amber is giving away a ton of goodies: a large sweatshirt, 2 small t-shirts, 1 medium T-shirt, two Granger Smith CDs (one is signed), 2 Yee Yee candles, and one Christmas wood sign. And in case you missed it, our Grand Prize includes Granger Smith concert tickets, and yep, that’s Amber’s husband!
Giveaway rules are listed below. Enjoy!
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Amber Smith is an actress whose work includes many national commercials and recurring roles on hit TV series including Dallas and American Crime. The Texas born mom of three loves to craft in her spare time making t-shirts and rustic signs. She also loves traveling with her husband, county music singer/songwriter Granger Smith. The pair tragically lost their youngest son, River Kelly Smith, in June 2019. While this loss has devastated their family, they have vowed to bring light from the dark, by creating the River Kelly Fund, designed to spread joy and help those in need, in his honor. To date the fund has raised over $300,000, including over $200,000 for Dell Children’s Medical Center, where their son received care, in Austin, TX. Learn more about the fund and the Smith’s mission here. Amber continues to share her faith-filled journey on her Instagram and on their family YouTube page The Smiths.
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12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Rules
- U.S. Addresses only please.
- You can comment on all 12 days (once per person) up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 22. Each day will be linked below for easy reference.
- One daily winner will be chosen from each day’s comments.
- To enter to win the Grand Prize (worth over $150 and includes a $75 Amazon gift card, and two admission tickets (with meet-and-greet) to a concert with award-winning country music artist, Granger Smith, comment on, and share all 12 posts. You can use the share buttons below or repost and share on Instagram (my fave!) and tag me @karenehman.
- All winners (including Grand Prize) will be announced here on the blog on Monday, December 23, and contacted via email. Please allow 4-6 weeks to receive your prizes.
- If you’re not already subscribed, click HERE and you’ll receive an email notification each day of our series, plus my Bless Don’t Stress devotional.
DAY 10 GIVEAWAY QUESTION:
Do you have a Christmas tradition that has to do with the nativity story? What is it? If you don’t, is there another favorite tradition you can share with us?
Let us know in the comments and you’ll be entered in today’s giveaway. Remember, if you want to enter to win the grand prize, you must comment on and share all twelve days.
Day 1 with Candace Cameron Bure
Day 7 with Phylicia Masonheimer
Each year, the kids picked a new ornament for the tree. The following year when decorating the tree, they would get excited seeing the ornaments that they picked out the previous years.
Putting out nativity
Putting out the nativity scene and talking about it
I love putting out a nativity scene every year.
My church displays their Nativity Scene. that’s always one of my favorites. (by the way, my husband and I love Amber & Granger!!)
This is my first Christmas with my little family, and we’ve decided to start a tradition of Christmas pillow case. It’s like the Christmas calendars but instead you put small gifts in the pillowcase, under the tree and everyday you pull out one thing, with your eyes closed. ??
My dad reads us “‘‘twas the night before Christmas” and “the polar express” every Christmas Eve… even though we are all above 20 years old now!!
My mom gave me a little nativity when I was maybe 10 or so and it’s always been my favorite part of decorating for Christmas – to pull that out and set it up. I just love it so much. 14 years later and I get to set it up in my own home every year and it’s one of the most special parts of the season for me.
We use a Jesse tree to spend time each night in December building up to the manager.
My family watches “The nativity Story” movie every year together. It just helps to make the story come alive!
We are at the age where the kids can better understand the Christmas story. We have a nativity set by Williowtree that we keep up year round. We are slowly developing a Nativity tradition. This year we had them help set up the Nativity scene in our front yard and talked about Mary and Joseph and Jesus.
Christmas eve candlelight service!
We don’t have a nativity tradition but one tradition that we have is a game night on Christmas night. Although, my daughter and son-in-law played Mary and Joseph in a live nativity scene. It was so beautiful! Two Christmas’s later…… they are expecting their first child! Due 04-04-2020!!! Praise God!!
My sister and I like to take a break on Christmas Eve together and go to church…. just her and I. It’s relaxing and fun for us both.
I have a special Nativity- my brother made the manger scene some 20 years ago.
For the kiddos we have the Fisher Price Nativity under our tree for them to play with.
We are going to read the nativity story from the Bible to the children this year & hopefully continue for years to come.
We do the Christmas story every year before presents on Christmas Morning
We give my elderly parents 12 puzzles every Christmas so that every month they will slow down , sit down, and do a puzzle together and then every month they send us a picture of the puzzle that they completed. It’s a gift they enjoy all year . The puzzle for December is a nativity scene.
3 of our traditions: 1. The tree goes up on Thanksgiving 2. We get a new ornament every year and 3. We go look at Christmas light on Christmas Eve.
The nativity set that we have is one that I made for our children when they were quite small. The pieces can be handled by small toddlers and adults alike. My kids, now adults, look forward to this set being placed on the center of the table. It always take precedence in all of the decor. Baby Jesus doesn’t always arrive before Christmas Day. This year, our son’s girlfriend was a little stressed when Jesus wasn’t there. While returning him to the manager, I spent time explaining the importance of that space.
My husband’s family reads Luke 2 every Christmas Eve.
We read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve, attend church together and then come home and make enchiladas.
Each Christmas Eve after going to the church service we read the Christmas story in Luke. On Christmas Day, we have a birthday cake for Jesus and sing happy birthday to him.
Every Christmas morning before we were allowed to open a single gift my dad would read the Christmas story in Luke chapter 2. It was to always remind us of the real reason we celebrate Christmas.
I guess you could say my tradition is being Mary in the church program. I have fond memories of being Jesus’s young mother and now that my daughter is old enough, she is Mary in the program at our church.