The warm feeling of love, the snug feeling of togetherness and family, and the joy and excitement of celebration—all to be found in many American homes this time of year
From the preparation and celebration of harvest and Thanksgiving to the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas, there is a wonderful feeling of caring and sharing everywhere, and as homeschooling families, we can take this time to learn, prepare our homes and our hearts, and share with others throughout the year.
When our kids were young, we began planning for the holiday season by preparing unit studies on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This became a regular tradition here, and one that was eagerly anticipated year after year. With each year of holidays comes a new slant or area of interest for learning adventures, and we have never worked on any unit study in the same way twice! We use these holiday studies to help us grow in our knowledge as well as give the children more time to thoroughly prepare for and understand the meaning of the holidays—the history, literature, geography, science, and music represented within the holiday theme.
In this article, I would like to focus on studying Christmas as a family. What does Christmas mean to you and your family? Have you ever taken a close look at this celebration, asking them what they think? Write down their comments, without criticism or discussion. Then ask them what they like best about Christmas and what their favorite holiday tradition is, if they are old enough to understand. This is a great way to begin the Christmas season, and it is usually a real eye-opener! What significance do you give to the true meaning of Christmas?
I first wrote the Christmas unit study to meet this very need in our own home. We wanted to study this with the children, learning together and drawing us all closer in our own celebration. We were tired of the commercialism that had worked its way into Christmas and had to reflect very closely on what and how we had celebrated in the past, as well as find ways to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and the reason for the celebration: His birth. We worked with the children to define what Christmas means to our family and what we would like to change. How could we celebrate Christmas with our family, our church, our neighbors, and our community with the right emphasis? After all, this event we are celebrating was foretold in almost 400 different prophecies in the Old Testament; it was quite a fulfilling event when our Savior was born! Why shouldn't we celebrate it at least as much as we do the birth of one of our own babies?
Blessings,
Amanda B.
Come and share your Christmas JOY with us on our Facebook page as we celebrate the Christmas Unit Study together!
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