I just love the holidays… despite the hectic schedule, school dress-up days, money spent and chilly weather. I truly do love this time of the year.  

It just warms my heart to see all of the Christmas lights and decorations going up around town. (Most) everyone seems to be in a better mood. Plus, I love anything peppermint flavored. But my most favorite thing to see and experience is Christmas through my children’s eyes.  

They really make it magical. It IS magical. 

The girls are in awe of every decorated tree we come across, every Nutcracker we see guarding their post, every song we hear on the radio and every Christmas movie we watch.  

Oh, how I wish it could be Christmas all year ‘round.  

All of this is great right? But do you want to know what’s most important? Do you see where I am going with this?… 

Making sure my children grow up knowing the true meaning of Christmas.  

I know most of you reading this are thinking it may be too soon to be talking about Christmas. You all are probably still eating on Thanksgiving leftovers, but I have a reason to be bringing it up so soon.

One thing I am going to incorporate into our holiday traditions this year is reading the book of Luke in the Bible. There are 24 chapters, so if I dedicate one chapter per day every day of December, on Christmas Eve we will end with the birth of Jesus Christ.  

I will be honest, I attempted this last year, but I got discouraged and didn’t end up not finishing. With a pre-teen that would prefer to be locked away in her room on her phone, a 5-year-old who would prefer to sit on top of her head the whole time on the couch and a baby that has (still) hardly ever granted me a silent night… It was rough.  

So, I decided we are going to make a whole event out of it every evening before bed this year. I am determined to. My plan includes setting the mood… I am thinking comfy pajamas, a cozy blanket, maybe a little snack and of course the Christmas tree shimmering in the background. 

We will see how that goes.

I know some nights will be busier than others, so I may have to skip one night and double up the next on the chapters. Some days, mornings may work better than evenings and on other days we may have to listen to an audio version as we are trekking across town to a local event. There are plenty of ways to make it work.  

I encourage all of you parents to give it a try, even if you only make it through one week. That is still seven chapters that you or your children may not have heard before. Seven chapters of the Word received (even if one of them has to absorb it while standing on their heads). 

Kids will be kids. So, if you are expecting sweet, angelic faces looking up to you as you quietly read through, enthusiastic questions afterward or for them to join in on a Christmas carol before bed, you are going to be disappointed my friend.  

Don’t get discouraged. There will be nights that you question yourself on why you are even attempting to do this or whether any of them are hearing a word you say. That’s ok. You can’t make them listen or internalize it. It’s just our job as parents to set the right conditions. I really think if we delve into this and make this a yearly tradition, every year they will take more from the story and develop a better understanding. They may even look forward to it.

(Paige Gurgainers is a mom of three girls, digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)