Christmas is, at its heart, about one thing: the birth of the Lord Jesus.
However, our culture has made it about a lot more than just that. Some things are good! Spending time with family, enjoying good food and sharing gifts with one another can help us to remember the gift of Jesus and the blessings that he brings.
But some Christmas traditions are a little less helpful. Santa, while fun, detracts from the main star of Christmas. Gift giving can become stressful or selfish. Families fight and relationships are stretched. We gorge ourselves on food and throw away wasted leftovers.
If you’re a Christian, you’ll want to spend Christmas enjoying the season with your family, but also spending time reflecting on Jesus. This can be hard to do if your family aren’t Christians. But even though this can be a challenging time, when your priorities are so different, it’s also a great time to show your family what you believe, and engage them in conversations about the gospel.
Here are four ways you can use this Christmas to share Jesus with non-Christians in your family
1. Be honest about what is important to you
This Christmas, make sure that your family knows that to you, this time of year is about Jesus and not presents. When they ask what you want for Christmas, offer suggestions then add something like “but really, I’ll love anything you give me – I’m just so grateful to be celebrating God’s gift of Jesus”. If you have a say in what happens on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, tell your family that you’d love to go to church, saying something like “to me, worshipping God at Christmas seems like the right thing to do, since it’s all about him sending Jesus”. By being honest about what matters to you this Christmas, you’ll open doors for your family to ask questions about your faith, and they’ll see how focusing on Jesus brings more joy than presents ever could.
2. Invite your family to get involved in your church Christmas celebrations
Is your church hosting a carols event? Invite your family! Are you joining a Christmas choir? Ask your siblings to come and sing with you. If you’re going to church over Christmas, invite your parents to join you. Rather than celebrating two different ‘types’ of Christmas, integrate the worlds. Your family will be able to build connections with people at church and hear the gospel message sung, preached and proclaimed.
3. Offer say grace at Christmas dinner
Lots of non-Christians feel slightly more comfortable with religion at this time of the year, so take advantage of that by offering to say grace at Christmas dinner. Thank God for food and family, but most importantly, thank him for sending his son to save us. When the prayer is over, you could even invite any interested family members to talk to you more about what you prayed.
4. Include Bible verses and nativity images on Christmas cards and gift tags
Rather than buying Christmas cards and gift tags featuring Santa, reindeer or elves, choose cards with Bible verses, images of the nativity and Christian images like stars, angels, shepherds and wise men. It’s a small choice but it may get your family thinking, particularly if you write something drawing attention to it inside the card or on the gift tag!
Christmas is a great time to share Jesus with your family and by doing some of these easy things you’ll open the door for wonderful conversations with your family about the true meaning of Christmas.