UTAH families

Christmas Learning Ideas

Christmas Around the World
Learn about Christmas in other parts of the world. Try recipes used in other countries in association with Christmas. Learn what other holidays are celebrated close to or instead of Christmas in other cultures.

Attend Christmas Programs with Friends of another Faith
Attend Christmas Mass or Christmas celebrations from other faiths. This could include a Christmas pagent at a local Protestant church. Be sure to have each member of family have change to contribute to the collection plate of the church you are visiting. After watching a Christmas Pagent go home and read "The Best Christmas Pagent".

Sub for Santa
Find a family in need and make a family project of doing a Sub for Santa.When this becomes a personal endeavor it means much more. Take time with your children to make the gifts personal. Give them a budget. Plan purchases, take your children with you to shop and have them wrap the presents.

If You Visit Temple Square...
plan to stop in at the Church History Museum. Every year they have a display of nativities from all around the world made from all different materials. Observe the media used in this art as well as making it a cultural lesson.

Sing in Other Languages
Learn Christmas songs in other languages. "Stille Nacht", the German version of "Silent Night" is a great place to begin. Go caroling as a family. Take cookies that you baked together...of course. Learn the history behind the writing of your favorite carol.

Help Others
If the kids are old enough they could volunteer to sort food at the food bank or to help serve a Christmas meal.

Include Others
Find a widow, widower or other single in your area to include in your family activities.

Gather Stories
Gather stories from the older folks in your area. They generally love to tell stories. Type the stories up into a booklet and give them to the people who contributed..

Handel's Messiah
Attend or participate in a Messiah sing-along.

Write Your Own
Read the different versions of "The Night Before Christmas". There are many versions such as the "Cajun Night Before Christmas" and the "Cowboy Night Before Christmas". Try writing your own version. Create your own Christmas ABC Book.

Decorations
Make ornaments for the Christmas Tree.

Themed Christmas
Celebrate a themed Christmas, i.e. colonial, pioneer, Christmas in other lands, World War II,

Take a Break
Have a Christmas-special watching marathon. Pop a bowl of popcorn and see how many Christmas specials you can watch. Or watch a different version of the Christmas Carol every weekend.

Resources:

The Best Christmas Pagent Ever by Barbara Robinson

Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti

The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell

Check with your local librarian for what's new in the Christmas section.