Advent Tradition Series: A Birthday Party for Jesus

I shared previously that we don’t give gifts to our kids on Christmas Day. So, what do we do instead, while most other American families are sitting around their Christmas trees, tearing into presents?

We throw Jesus a par-tay!

A Practical, Fun Tradition for Teaching Young Kids About What Christmas is Really About

Like so many other people, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I have lots of amazing and cherished memories attached to Christmas. But as wonderful as those memories are, very little of them have to do with the fact that Christmas was really about one thing – Jesus.

Once my hubs and I started our own family, we decided to raise our kids differently.

I learned about throwing a birthday party for Jesus party when I was still a young mom, looking for practical ways to be more intentional with teaching our kiddos that Christmas is not all about them getting presents.

Obviously, now that my kids are older (2 teens and 1 tween), they are clearly aware of that fact. But the tradition has continued, year after year, whether we are at home or on the road traveling.

How We Throw a Birthday Party for Jesus

Just like you would have with any other birthday party, we have:

DECORATIONS

On Christmas Eve, after the kids have gone to bed, I decorate the main living area the way you would any other birthday party. For the longest time, we simply used balloons and streamers. But if you have a Hobby Lobby nearby, they carry specific “Happy Birthday, Jesus” decorations and party supplies.

CAKE

There’s something fun and special about having cake for breakfast, LOL.

When the kiddos where younger, they liked baking & decorating Jesus’ birthday cake the day before (I would include it as part of our advent countdown activities).

But you can do whatever treat you like, really … cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, monkey bread … a couple years ago, we even ordered an ice cream cake ahead of time. And yes, that was breakfast.

Whatever you choose, put some candles in and sing the “Happy Birthday” song before digging in!

PRESENTS, OF COURSE

After breakfast, we open presents! For Jesus!

First, we gather up our Shepherd’s Pouches and talk about God’s presence and work in our lives during advent. Then, any financial gifts are tallied up and added to the bigger family contribution towards picking out items from the various giving catalogs.

A long time ago, I glued a bow on a gift box and addressed it to Jesus, from our kids. As the giving catalogs come in the mail during the holiday season, we put them in this box (which we store under the tree). There’s just something about having a physical present addressed to Jesus!

It really is that simple; nothing fancy at all!

And even if your family does open presents on Christmas, you can easily incorporate this tradition into your morning festivities. It puts a pause on running straight for the Christmas tree so that you can start the day off focused on why Christmas exists in the first place.

The Celebrating Doesn’t End on Christmas Night

And you know what? The celebrating doesn’t end when the sun goes down on December 25th … because that baby in a manger who we are so anxious to celebrate did not stay a baby. In fact, that first Christmas was just the beginning of an epic redemptive story that we are still in the middle of!

Let’s not forget:

His manger is empty.

His tomb is empty.

And He is preparing a place for those who recognize that He is not merely an extraordinary character in a feel-good story, but is – in fact – the powerful living God, creator of all, righteous judge, and slayer of evil to whom all glory and honor and praise belongs.

Teaching this to the next generation should not be limited to one day or season of the year. It is a calling of the Christian parent to work diligently, investing time in discipling their kids in the midst of everyday life.

I especially love what one blogger, Melissa Edgington, once asked:

While I hope this advent tradition series has served to give you practical ideas to keep Jesus at the center of your celebrating (especially if you are in a season of littles), I hope even more that you will be inspired to keep the spirit of Christmas going all throughout the year.