How to explain Christmas to children. Practical tips
And suddenly Christmas comes and you see how your son who is 3 or 4 years old lives it for the first time more conscious than ever. His face of wonder and happiness is priceless. The lights, Santa Claus, the Wise Men from the East , the reindeer and camels, the thousands of Christmas trees, the colored balls, the gifts, the family, the Christmas carols, births everywhere and everything full of people … I cope with so much visual and sound stimulation and at some point you will ask what all this means or why it is done: What exactly is Christmas? And the truth is, we don’t know where to start or how to approach it because everything is already so confusing that sometimes you don’t even know it yourself.
First, as always, let’s use naturalness and simplicity to talk with the child. They do not want complicated answers that are difficult to understand, they prefer simple stories that capture the first time and calm their doubts.
Leaving aside the religious beliefs of each one, we can convey the beautiful message of love that these dates enclose . In a world full of negativity, Christmas can be a nice time to pause to love each other, remember family and friends who are far away and communicate with them to convey our affection.
So we already have the key to the message of Christmas that will surely delight our little ones: it is a party in which the love of family and friends is celebrated. And if we have them close, let’s try to get together to eat, laugh and sing a lot of Christmas carols.
To explain why we receive gifts, we can tell you that because many, many years ago, the baby Jesus was born in a stable and the Wise Men from the East brought him his first gifts on camels. So we explain little by little who are the figurines of the nativity scene. It is recommended that the story is told as a story, with words that can easily assimilate.
If it is Santa Claus who visits the house, we can tell you that he is a very kind Finnish man who is dedicated to bringing gifts to children on the night of the 24th.
Christmas is also the ideal excuse to speak of peace to our children and that we must be in solidarity with all the people around us not only in December but throughout the year. Helping others in what we can will make the world better and everyone a little happier.
Decorating the house with your help will be a lot of fun, as well as spending an afternoon making a Christmas craft that you will proudly place in a corner of the room. Enjoy their illusion and get involved with it, it is very healthy to smile and be filled with the energy that floods the smile of the little ones.
Everything happens … so take advantage of it. Merry Christmas!
