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Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Christmas Traditions with Little Ones :: Jacki Rucksdashel [Ep 142]

Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Kids & Family, Leisure, Parenting, Education

5 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 November 2016

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I know, I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet. . .and seeing the word “Christmas” may trigger a mix of excitement and terror.

My goal in this episode is to help prepare you. To empower you in sharing with your kids the good news of God taking on flesh and dwelling among us. To help you create meaningful family traditions that your kids can pass on to the next generation.

Today’s guest is my good friend, Jacki Rucksdashel, author of the Jesse Tree Project. She is a mom to two amazing kids, a former classical education teacher and a darling, godly woman.

Jacki and I chat about the value of creating Biblically-based Christmas traditions. Fortunately, there are lots of options these days for families to celebrate Advent. We’re gonna help you sort through them so you can stay sane in the holiday cray-cray.

Jacki & I encourage you to pick one (maybe two) of the options. And to consider your family’s interests, ages, and values when choosing. We also share personal stories of our “less-than-perfect” attempts at memory making. And how to be realistic when celebrating the holidays with little ones.

Loved this from Jacki, sharing the heart behind this conversation:

Am I teaching my children that Christmas is about busyness? Or am I teaching my children that Christmas is about sitting at Jesus’s feet, and resting, and enjoying his birth and the fulfilling of the promise? It can get so easy so forget that, even in doing all the good things.

What we chat about:

  • Choosing a few, enjoyable traditions for your family, instead of ALL of them
  • Why are Christmas traditions such a big deal, anyway?
  • You can be your family’s first tradition-starter
  • The Jesse Tree Project, and how it’s made especially for families with young children
  • Using children’s anticipation for Christmas to mirror the Bible’s anticipation for a Savior
  • Our own funny stories of how “perfectly planned” traditions turned out…um…less than perfect (i.e.: being realistic)
  • Why it’s a good thing Jesus is NOT like Santa or the Elf on the Shelf
  • Other great tradition starters for young children: Shepard on a Search, Star from Afar, The Giving Manger, Light ‘Em Up
  • How to “mix and match” to find the right fit for your family
  • Setting priorities by reverse-engineering from Dec 26 and what you would consider a (realistic) successful holiday.

Links Mentioned:

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to episode 142 of the God Center Mom podcast with me, Heather McFadden,

0:10.5

and today I'm chatting with my good friend Jackie Ruckstashel about Christmas traditions

0:15.2

with little ones.

0:16.2

Well, I was just going to, you know, echo what you were saying because when the angels

0:22.7

appeared to the shepherds, you know, it says that they, I mean, they ran to find where

0:28.5

he was.

0:29.5

I mean, they were, they were so excited to see him and just, I think that's a great encouragement

0:38.8

for us.

0:39.8

Are we going to run to find Jesus' Christmas?

0:42.4

You know, I mean, that's what I want to be doing.

0:48.3

I know, I know.

0:49.3

It's not Thanksgiving yet and don't shoot me, but I also know that sometimes when you're

0:55.8

in the little years and you're raising lots of little kids or maybe you have older kids

0:59.4

and you're busy, busy, busy taking time to be intentional and think about what you want

1:04.0

the holidays to look like that just doesn't happen if you wait until after Thanksgiving.

1:09.3

So I thought this would be fun.

1:11.6

Have my friend Jackie.

1:12.6

She is the author of the Jesse Tree Project, which is a devotional kit tool ornaments that

1:18.8

you can use with young children.

1:20.4

Have her on.

1:21.7

We talk about Christmas traditions.

1:23.4

We talk about a lot of different options.

...

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