It’s Christmas time! Well almost, but oh my goodness – I cannot wait. One of the many reasons we are excited about Christmas in our home is that we get to have a long visit from our favorite little Elf on the Shelf, MAX! Max started visiting us last year, and our girls immediately fell in love with him. Max was a typical naughty little elf that found himself in some very sticky situations. He liked to swing from the light fixtures, hide in our blocks, get into our food, and so much more. But this year I started thinking about how Max can be even more involved in our Christmas celebration.
Growing up, some of my favorite Christmas memories involve the fun of Santa and the ‘magic’ of Christmas. Santa and Max have already brought this fun into our home and will again this year. But it is our goal to emphasize the real meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus. We also want our children to keep it at the forefront of their minds to think of others and show love this year.
So with this in mind, the letter that Santa sent with Max this year read a little different from the traditional Elf on the Shelf letter. We want our children to not just focus on being “naughty or nice” or what they are getting for Christmas…but to remember the true meaning that we celebrate.
A snippet from our letter ::
Max loves Jesus and gets so excited every year to celebrate His birthday, Christmas, with you! Just like we love to give presents every year, a very long time ago Jesus was born and was the very first gift given to us on Christmas.
So this Christmas season I have sent Max as a reminder for you. A reminder of Jesus and a reminder to show God’s love with others this Christmas season.
{read the full letter!}
So with this sweet letter from Santa challenging us to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and to show love to others, we have come up with a few ideas to do just this!
Giving to Those in Need
The morning after Max delivered our first letter, he showed up with another one! This letter was again from his big boss Santa. In this letter, Santa reminded the girls of all of the blessings they have been given. He also reminded them that there are many boys and girls that may not have all that we do. He encouraged Eden, Everly, and Elle to go through their toys and choose some that they do not play with anymore to give to some kids in need.
Sharing God’s Love with Others
Our goal is for our children to think outside of themselves and see how much the world around them needs to be shown true love – not only during the holiday season, but year round. Every Monday leading up to Christmas, Max will provide us with a ‘Candy Cane Challenge.’ Our CCC will be written on our chalkboard challenging our family to find ways that we can be helpful and show love within our family, to our friends at school, and to our community. His very last challenge will be for us to continue these acts of love throughout the year!
Daily Reminders of the True Meaning of Christmas
On the first day of December, Max will deliver a partridge in a pear tree…I’m kidding, he is bringing 3 books to our home. All of the books tell the story of the birth of Jesus, but one in particular I am very excited about. This year we will be doing the Meaningful Christmas devotional every day leading up to Christmas. Each day we will have a short story to read and Max will deliver an ornament to represent the story for that day. The girls will get to go on a scavenger hunt for Max and the ornament and learn the story of Jesus to go along with it. We are so excited for this to be one of our new Christmas traditions!
Whether you are a home with an elf of your own or you do not incorporate Santa at all – what are some of your favorite Christmas traditions and ways to get your family into the Christmas spirit?
I love this idea, Channing! And I’m totally stealing the letter idea about the real meaning of Christmas from you. I guess I need to go out and buy our own Elf!
Thanks Heather! I am so glad you liked it.
We are a few years out from doing Elf on a Shelf as my little will only be 14 months at Christmas, however these are sweet ideas on how to incorporate the Reason for the Season into every day activities! Lovely!
Thank you Sara! My girls are already having a blast!