How to make children understand the real meaning of Christmas

8 December 2017

After I became a Mom and after my son’s first Christmas, I started to wonder how children today really experience this holiday.

In an era of uncontrolled consumerism and the rush to do our Christmas shopping, what has happened to the real meaning of Christmas?

How can we teach our children the importance of simple things? The value of small acts of kindness, lovingour neighbour, and a sense of solidarity?

I’m sure that we have all seen, at one time or another, the children of friends, nephews and nieces or the children of acquaintances, frenzily unwrapping one gift after another. Totally engrossed only by the number of gifts, rather thanby the magic of such an important day.

Children who appear to have no emotions, whose only fun seems to be unwrapping yet another useless gift.

It’s horribly true. But why does this happen?

Probably the main reason for all this is that too often we associate happiness or the smile of our children to an object, something they really want. I think the biggest mistake is to give children everything they ask for, thinking quite wrongly, that in this way we are making them happy.

As a matter of fact, as many studies demonstrate, this is by no means true.

There is nothing more difficult than learning to say NO to our children. But everything, as a matter of fact, depends on us.

In a world where people live at an increasingly faster pace which leaves little room for emotions, where even Christmas gifts are nothing more than something on a “to do list”, how can we ourselves firstly recover the real meaning of Christmas to pass this on to our children?

I decided to read the story of baby Jesus once again, the one they read to children at primary school, trying to re-live the emotions I experienced when I was that age.

Because only putting ourselves in their place can we understanding what they feel.

I remembered how wonderful it was to make the nativity scene with my family, while they told us the “story” of a very special baby boy, that we were all waiting for so eagerly and with such love.

Once it was finished, the nativity scene seemed to come to life. As though all the figurines really felt the excitement of Waiting.

Placing those figurines who brought gifts to baby Jesus in the nativity scene, together with the animals, the Wise Men, waterfalls and fountains, and imagining the whole of Bethlehem going to the stable, was always a great emotion for my brother and I.

I have realised that the meaning of Christmas is about Waiting.

I have understood how important it is to teach our children what it means to desire something. Teaching them how to wait andappreciate things.

In a world that offers us much more than we need, the best gift will always be the one we most await, long for and imagine.

So, let’s give our children the chance to dream with “stories”, learning through their meaning.

Let’s not forget to teach them that happiness is found along the path, rather than the goal.

Every good thing, every change, every happy event should be prepared, expected,nurtured. With desire and heartfelt emotion.

In the hope that in this way our children will at least appreciate those gifts under the tree even more.

Priscilla

(Family Welcome)