A couple years ago I read a little wisdom that if you want to help keep Jesus at the center of your Christmas season, you should read through a chapter a day in Luke. There are 24 chapters, so you will get through the whole book by Christmas. This felt simultaneously like an impossible task with 6 kids, and like a challenge I wanted to try. The first year was. . . rough. The kids were middle school aged down to Kindergarten. Lots of silliness. Resistance. Frustration. And nothing packs on the mom guilt quite like hearing your kids complain about Bible reading or finding yourself yelling at your kids during Bible reading. But we persisted.
We have done this for a few years now and I’ve learned some things I’d like to share if you’re up for taking this on:
Set the mood. Get the comfy pajamas on, have treats, turn on the Christmas lights, let people pick a blanket, light a candle or do a fire in the fireplace, help the kids settle in. If the kids think you’re rushing through it, they are going to push you to rush through it. If they think this is something we’re going to settle in and enjoy together, they might just enjoy it more than you think.
Do a candy advent calendar. We stumbled upon this idea last year when Aldi had cheap advent calendars, so I splurged and bought us each one. It was a great way to have the kids count down to Christmas while we were doing our Scripture reading. They were always excited about a little bit of chocolate, sometimes to the point that THEY were the ones pushing for us to sit down and do the reading.
Be flexible. The night of the Middle School band concert might make it tough to cram this in before the little ones need to get to bed. Sometimes you have to do two chapters in a night and that’s okay. Sometimes you need to listen to an audio version while you’re driving across town to an event and that’s okay. Mornings might work better than evenings, or you might need to double up chapters and do it every other day. This time of year can be so busy. Don’t give up on this, even if you have to tweak it to make it work for you.
Leave time for discussion. We’ve asked the kids questions about the passage and it’s been beautiful over the years to see their understanding deepen. This means we’ve asked them questions to gauge how much they’re processing and they’ve asked us questions when something was confusing to them. This is why we don’t want this to be a hurried process (although there will be nights when it is). It isn’t just about checking it off the list, but about helping them connect with what we’re reading.
Remind yourself that the word of God does not return void, even if the person receiving that word is choosing to sit on the couch upside-down. We want our kids to actually listen, not just pretend to listen while all of their energy is going towards holding their body still. This will look different for different kids and their ages and needs. Some kids need room to move. Some need silly putty to mess with or a fidget to play with. Some need gum to chew. Some need their own Bible to follow along. Some need their PJ Masks action figures to reenact the story while they’re listening to it. Try not to panic about what level of chaos is happening. This is why the discussion part is so important– you’ll get a better idea about how much is sinking in. It turns out you can lead a horse to the book of Luke, but you can’t make him listen and internalize it. Our job is just to create the right conditions.
Reward yourself. Parenting is hard. Adding this kind of intentionality during the season of the year that is already the busiest is kind of a ridiculous ask. Give yourself a ton of positive self-talk for each time you’re able to make it happen and avoid the guilt tripping we love to do when we can’t make it work or we think nobody heard anything. And maybe buy yourself your favorite Christmas candy you can have each night once you’re done.
Have realistic expectations. The first year might be rough. The second year might be better. If you make it through a week and quit, that’s still seven chapters you’ve read that you might not have read otherwise. Don’t set the bar so high that you decide not to try or you feel frustrated at the outcome. Kids are going to be squirrely. That’s their job. If you’re expecting angelic, adoring faces staring quietly up at you, insightful questions, and a request for hugs and a Christmas carol before they put themselves to bed, you are likely to be disappointed.
I hope this helps make it feel a little more doable! I’d love to know if this is something you’ve tried in the past or if you’re going to try it this year. And I’m always up for whatever tips have made it successful for you!