“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”: Preparing for the Nativity with Your Children and Family

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to Thee, O Israel.

In about 10 days, we will be celebrating the feast of Our Lord’s Nativity.  It is all too easy to be blown away with the secular celebration of Christmas, which essentially degrades this Feast to a December filled with frantic stressing and retail obsession.

Many of us wonder, pray and struggle (and perhaps you are among them):  how do we remove the focus from the secular goings-on from our day-to-day lives – especially for our children – and impart on them instead the true gift and joy of Christmas??  How do we remind ourselves and our families of our Lord’s incarnation and coming to earth, when the stores and television commercials entice us with gifts, and schools forbid the mention of Christmas, instead singing songs about Frosty the Snowman and Dreidels, as though they can be put on the same level with celebration the coming of our Lord, the Messiah??

Look at this season of Advent, or Philip’s fast, in preparation for Christmas in a new light.  Look at it as an opportunity to prepare yourself and your family for Christmas’ true meaning, to understand it from a historical and theological perspective, and to practice it by showing others God’s love through our actions.

Gift to Others

To give your children an understanding and appreciation of their many blessings, consider doing something new and different this advent to give back to others.  Many of us are blessed – not only with abundant material possessions like education, toys and electronics -  but also with such simple gifts like healthy bodies and minds, food, shelter, friendship and clean clothes.  Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ do not even have these seemingly basic, simple pleasures – and yes, they are pleasures.

Remember that our Lord tells us that “to whom much is given, much is expected,” and that our talents should not be buried, but rather shared.  To bring yourself and your family back to earth and bring perspective to appreciating your blessings, and using your blessings and talents to share with others, here are a few ideas for sharing your time and energies this Christmas season, and into the New Year.

• Support a homeless shelter.  There are many ways to do this, and some are outlined below.  There are especially a number of good ways for getting your children involved:

1. 1. Serve your brothers and sisters. Plan a day for you and your family to visit a homeless shelter together and serve soup/dinner.  This is something which you can do in a larger group,  by inviting members of your parish community.  Bake cookies in advance, or offer to contribute other donated food items to bring along to the shelter.  Or, you could even open up your church hall and prepare the food yourself, and welcome in those who need it.  Most importantly, in addition to serving the food, offer yourself and your friendship by opening conversation and spending quality time with those you are serving.  Research local facilities in your area.  For the greater New York City area, Emmaus House on the upper West side of Manhattan, accepts donations and serves the homeless on the streets by making “soup runs” at designated street stops.
   2. Make a monetary donation. If time is short for you and your family, prepare instead to make a monetary donation to a shelter.  To involve your children, have them sit with you as you prepare the check or other form of payment, and have them address and stamp the envelope.  Explain about tithing and the importance of giving and sharing with others.
   3. Toiletry Drive. This is a great way to get your children and others in your community involved.  Craft a flyer and an email distribution to let your friends and children’s friends know that you will be collecting toiletries and/or canned food items to donate to those in need.  Have your child ask for his/her teacher’s permission to put a box in their classroom to collect these goods.  (In fact, you can even work with them to decorate the box, or have their class do it as an activity!)  Hold the collection for one week, or one month, and when all items have been collected, gather them and have you and your child (and perhaps some friends) bring them to a shelter.

• Visit an elderly, lonely neighbor or member of your church.  Bring him or her some warm soup.  Bring him or her baked goods, made with love by you and your children.  Most importantly, bring this person company and the understanding that you are thinking about them and praying for them.  Bring your children – young faces do wonders for the spirit of a lonely person.  Have a gentle pet that might bring them joy?  Bring him or her along, too.
• Visit a home for infirmed adults or children. There are many facilities where adults and children with physical and mental disabilities live and receive round-the-clock care because of their needs.  Our brothers and sisters in these facilities benefit from the presence and stimulation of visitors and activity, such as the singing of Christmas carols.  Research local facilities in your area.
• Be moderate with Christmas gifts with your children. Even modest gifts for children in the United States are extraordinary and extravagant.  Consider this at Christmas:  Have your children pick two of their favorite gifts given to them by you, and donate all others to children in need, either at an orphanage or shelter.  This will teach your children to discern and understand what really matters to them or what they really NEED or will enjoy most, and also to share with others.
• Welcome someone to your dinner table.
• Buy dinner for a stranger on the street.  Sit with him or her as you eat.
• Remember St Nicholas! St Nicholas, whom we commemorate each December 6th, was the protector of children and those in need.  He secretly gifted those that needed it most, throwing coins into their windows and caring for them.  Impart this spirit upon your children and encourage them to be givers also.  Celebrate the sharing of gifts on December 6th, and focus on the Nativity and Church services of the Feast instead on Christmas day.

Jesse Tree

“A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots.” – Isaiah 11:1

Jesse was the father of King David, and David was many times the great-grandfather of Mary and Joseph.  Therefore, Jesus is the shoot from the stump and the branch from the roots of Jesse.

This year, make it a tradition in your home to learn about the Jesse tree – the lineage of Our Savior.  Each night, you and your children can read a story about a new person, and even decorate your tree with homemade ornaments of icons of the members of Jesus’ lineage, like those shown below.  This blog also has some great ideas for Jesse tree traditions:  http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/.

Advent Wreaths / Crowns

As part of your evening routine with your children, make and light and advent wreath.  This wreath has four candles that symbolize the four weeks of Advent leading up to the Lord’s coming.  Candles are often red and purple, with purple representing royalty.  This wikipedia article has more information about the traditions of advent trees.

Celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas

In our Western secular world, there is so much hype leading up to the Christmas holiday, and the moment December 26th hits, the season’s celebration ends abruptly.  Christmas lights are turned off, Christmas trees are thrown to the curb, and Christmas sales in the stores become the new focus.

Remember that Christmas, the feast, lasts for 12 days, until Theophany.  Celebrate these 12 days with your children by continuing your Christmas traditions.  Greet others with “CHRIST IS BORN!  GLORIFY HIM!” until the last day of the feast, and partake in the services at your Church.  Take each day of Christmas as an opportunity to do good for someone around you, and make it a concerted effort with your children.

Remember that Christmas is a time for love, through family and friends.  Show this love by taking the meaning away from shopping and Santa Claus, and remember Our Lord, whose Nativity we celebrate.  With the Church – the body of Christ – Chant joyfully the Troparion of the feast:

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God
Has shown to the world the light of wisdom!
For by it, those who worshiped the stars
Were taught by a star to adore Thee,
The Son of Righteousness,
and to know Thee, the Orient from on High.
O Lord, Glory to Thee!

CHRIST IS BORN!
GLORIFY HIM!

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