Many of my earliest memories center around Christmas. I have always loved the Christmas season. For me, it was never just about getting presents, it was about Jesus and about family.
When I was six, we moved to Hawaii. I grew up there, thousands of miles away from my extended family. As a child, I missed them deeply, and because of that, family, and the traditions that bring families together, became very important to me.
The very first Christmas—Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus—began with a family.
My husband and I were married during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, creating our own family at my favorite time of year. As our children came along, we intentionally began establishing family traditions of our own.
As the world grew more commercialized, we wanted our traditions to focus on building family unity and celebrating the true reason for the season: Jesus. I recently saw a sign that asked, “Are you part of the Inn crowd or part of the stable few?” We chose to be part of the stable few.
We also chose not to overschedule our lives, especially during the Christmas season. Instead, we carefully selected traditions that foster peace and togetherness. There are so many wonderful opportunities this time of year, and it’s tempting to say yes to all of them. But when we simplified and focused on just a few traditions that truly mattered to us, Christmas became far more peaceful.
Discover Four Simple Ways to Enjoy a Peaceful Christmas
1. Daily Evening Christmas Devotional as a Family—
Each evening, we gather as a family for a Jesus-centered Christmas devotional. Friends and extended family often join us. Our devotional time includes::
- Classic Christmas-Themed Art
- Bible Verse
- Quote
- Poem
- Hymn
- Story
- The Spirit of the Season Challenge – a Christmas-focused activity to engage our hearts and hands in the spirit of Christ.
This simple evening ritual has become a cornerstone of our Christmas season. While we may enjoy secular Christmas music at other times, this devotional time is intentionally set apart to turn our hearts toward Christ.
One of the first stories we read each year is The Last Straw by Paula McDonald, which inspires us to serve one another and our neighbors daily. Other favorites, such as: Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, remind us of the importance of generosity, compassion, and joy.
On Christmas Eve, we read the prophecies foretelling Jesus’ birth, followed by Luke 2.
This simple evening devotional rhythm eventually became the foundation for A Classic Christmas Devotional Anthology, which we created to help other families experience the same Christ-centered peace during the season.
2. Car Caroling—
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." – Luke 2:13-14
If the angels rejoiced, we felt we should too.
One evening each December, we bundle up and go car caroling. As we drive through neighborhoods, we sing Christmas carols and enjoy the lights and displays. We usually start strong with the lyrics, but by the end we’re humming the parts we’ve forgotten, and then we find ourselves always promising to learn them better next year.
The lights themselves seem to whisper hope, and the messages in the displays lift our spirits. It’s hard to be weighed down by the cares of the world when you’re lifting your voice, and your heart, in song.
3. Christmas Gifts—
Whenever possible, we make gifts for one another. This tradition has taught our children creativity, resourcefulness, and the value of learning new skills. More importantly, it has helped them develop gratitude.
By focusing on giving rather than receiving, our children came to understand the love, time, and effort that go into each gift—and that lesson has stayed with them.
4. Birthday Party for Jesus—
On Christmas Eve, we celebrate with a birthday party for Jesus; a family tradition that has spanned more than three decades. Now our grown children bring their own families to join us.
We prepare a special meal and bake a red velvet cake with Heavenly Frosting, just as my grandmother did in the 1950s. After dinner, we gather to share our “gifts” of rededication to Jesus for the coming year. We read the prophecies of His birth and Luke 2, sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and the youngest child blows out the candle.
Less is truly more. You don’t have to do it all.
I invite you to find peace this Christmas by embracing simple, meaningful traditions that point your family back to Christ.
“If this blessed you, I want to share something I created—from our home to yours.”
If you’re longing for a Christmas that feels calmer, more meaningful, and more centered on Christ, you don’t have to start from scratch.
Our family’s simple traditions of daily evening devotionals, Christ-centered stories, hymns, Scripture, and hands-on ways to live out the season are the very heart behind A Classic Christmas Devotional Anthology. It was created to help families slow down, gather together, and keep their focus on Jesus throughout the entire Christmas season.
If you’d like to make a daily evening devotional part of your own family’s Christmas rhythm, you can learn more about A Classic Christmas Devotional here.
Click HERE to explore A Classic Christmas Devotional