How to Read Stories and Build Bonds That Last This Christmas

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Why make telling stories a part of your family Christmas?

We read out loud to the kids because books are a great way to connect us. Listening together , their minds are actively engaged in a way they are no when we watch a show. Christmas is a great time to take advantage of extra free time to slow down and really connect with your kids. There are a million Christmas books out there, so it is easy to find one that fits your child’s attention span. Make reading a fun and well anticipated activity.

Why Teach Through Story?

Stories are a strong way to convey a message we want our children to understand. As we share a story we commune with the characters, we are placed right there with them. We laugh and cry with them. Christmas is the perfect time to do all three of those things. After all what better message to connect with than that of a God who chose to be made a baby. It’s never too late to begin a new tradition in your house. Reading together is one you can look forward to for years to come.

When We Read, We Connect

As a family, when we read, we connect with characters and each other, piled on the couch with our blankets and snacks. When everyone is listening to the same story; everyone is being led down the same path. When the kids were little there was a lot of jockeying for position and peeking over my shoulder. I remember the picture book years, when it took twice as long to read because everyone needed to look at the picture twice before I could turn the page and read the next sentence.

You are laying a foundation for the future connection with books and stories. Those picture book years were sometimes frustrating and tiresome, but they laid the foundation for our reading habit. Looking back, they are such a treasure now. Those years taught our kids to listen with anticipation. Pictures kept them engaged, but it wasn’t long before the stories alone captured them. But it was our hearts that were knit together during those quiet story hours.

When we read, we convey specific attributes of the Christmas story that we want to emphasize

Stories are how we highlight attributes we want our kids to see in the Christmas story. I read the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke. It seems so small, yet there are a thousand lessons there. The good news is you don’t have to write all the possible lessons and teach them. Many creative and inspired people have already done it before us.

Jesus Was a Real Child, Like Them

Every year we read Mary’s First Christmas, which is an advent book. Before you get overwhelmed with making sure you read every weekend for four weeks, know that you can make reading fit your life. We tend to end up reading this book in the four nights before Christmas Eve. It is the story of the gospel account of the Christmas story, told from Mary to young Jesus. I love the glimpse of Jesus as a little boy my children can relate to. Young Jesus is getting tucked in and wants to hear the story of the angels one more time. Your kids have probably asked about their birth stories and love to hear it over and over, too.

We get to peek into this intimate moment between Mother and son and hear the story from Luke with a fresh perspective as it conveys the intentional love God has for us. I want my children to be able to picture Jesus as a human man, a playful little boy, loved son, a real flesh and blood member of history as well as the son of God.

True Giving Costs Something

A book I often give is O. Henry’s classic tale, The Gift of the Magi. This story shows more about giving than you could ever say and O. Henry does it so beautifully. The beautifully illustrated picture book captures both love and compassion. He conveys the excitement of gift giving and the struggle to give as much as you can. The tale closes with the story of the magi bringing gifts to the Christ child.

When we read, we commune with worldwide story

During the Christmas break we take time to read a longer book together. I don’t know about you, but the time leading up to Christmas is chaotic. The stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas tends to get filled up for me without even trying. Since we homeschool we try not to lose momentum before a break so our Christmas traditions tend to happen during the winter break from school. Reading a longer book helps us continue in the spirit of the Christmas season a little bit longer.

The Historical Narrative of the Expected King

Every year we try to read The King Nobody Wanted, it a story woven of the four gospels and much like the Jesus film, which focuses on the life of Christ. What makes this book unique is the emphasis on the expectation of the coming King. The world was not expecting a humble, servant Lord. The world at the time of Christ was crying out for a warrior, a victor and a champion. The plan of God was not anything anyone expected and this book helps us connect with the ancient world as they are hearing about Jesus for the first time. This book conveys the conflict the disciples worked through as they learned that the true plan for redemption was not a warrior for Jerusalem, but a lamb for the world.

The Classic Allegory of the Christian Journey

Another book I will highly recommend is Little Pilgrims Progress. This book is an adaptation of Bunyan’s classic tale, but the main character is little Christian, a young boy determined to find the Celestial City and the King who can remove his burden. Little Christian was so weary, alone and yet so brave. He quickly became the champion of our house when the boys were little. Fifteen years ago, we were all snuggled up during nap times reading this for the first time. Talk about a well-loved book, after the sixth reading chapter 11 fell out and I lost it. I just ordered a new copy because it is time for my younger children to meet little Christian themselves for the first time. I have a feeling that there will be more than a few teenagers lingering nearby during reading time.

Take Steps to Create a Reading Habit Now

Want to know how I became a reader? It might surprise you. Read more here. Whether you are in the picture book phase with kids jockeying for the most lap, or the chapter book phase, I hope that you can make reading one of these tales a part of the Christmas tradition at your home during the winter break.

Do you have a treasured book that you read over the Christmas season? I would love to add it to my list. Leave the title in the comments.

Have a very Merry Christmas from me and my 200 Fingers & Toes at home