Celebration Time - Come On!

Christ Centered Holiday Celebrations

Valentine’s Day

Not typically a spiritual day but why not turn it into a day of celebrating charity – the pure love of Christ. Find a way to serve someone. Make this a family activity and you will surly feel closer to the Lord as you help others.

Easter

Celebrate Holy Week. Start your celebration on Palm Sunday by reading in the Bible what Jesus did that day. Continue celebrating what Jesus did each day during the last week of his life. A great reference book is “A Christ-Centered Easter: Day-By-Day Activities To Celebrate Easter Week” by Janet and Joe Hales. (Can be purchased at Deseret Books)

Memorial Day/ Independence Day/ Veteran’s Day

Spend time giving thanks for the great freedoms we enjoy in this country (freedom that made the restoration of the gospel possible). As a family you can write a solider (one website you can go to for info is http://www.anysoldier.com/); place mini American flags on veterans headstones at local cemeteries; or you can contact our local VA and find other ways to serve those who helped to protect our freedom.

Labor Day

Turn this day off as a day to help a neighbor or the community as a whole. Organize a massive cleanup effort at a local park or creek.

Thanksgiving

A great time to give thanks. You can create a thankful tree that includes different colored leaves that family members write the things they are grateful for on and then tape them to the tree. You can also make a gratitude book where each family member lists those things they are grateful for as well as the things they appreciate in each family member.

Christmas

Bring the Savior into your celebrations. Here are some ideas on ways to simplify and focus on what is most important.

• Be intentional – Make it a priority to add the Savior
• Pray and renew – Pray to find ways to transform current family traditions
• Study and learn – Use a spiritual advent calendar as a way to draw closer to the Savior each day
• Create – Do fun things together
• Share the work – Split the different things that you would like to do. EX: One person writes and copies the Christmas letter, another family member addresses the envelopes and another can stuff envelopes and put stamps on them.
• Slow down – Be sure to schedule down time. Time to spend at home
• Serve someone – A great thing to do as a family
• Holiday gifts – Make simple gifts but be sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete those projects. It’s not a bad idea to start planning for gift giving in the summer time. You can use a simple chart to keep track of what you have already purchased or plan to make for a gift!

Happy Celebrating,