As Christmas approaches, Christian parents around the country are busy decorating their homes,

shopping for that perfect present, and planning the family road trip to visit grandparents.

And yet, despite all the busyness of the season, we also want to be intentional with our kids,

helping them appreciate and even cherish the true

reason for the season.

In our interview today, my guest, William Smith, offers parents simple advice for viewing

the holiday season as a special opportunity to point our kids' hearts to their savior.

William is a father, a pastor, a former professor,

and the author of,

Parenting with Words of Grace,

building relationships with your children

one conversation at a time from Crossway.

Let's get started.

Well, Bill, thank you so much for joining us today on the Crossplay podcast.

Matt, it's my privilege.

Thank you.

So, Bill, maybe before we get going, obviously Christmas is right around the corner and we're

going to be talking about ideas, ways that parents can think about helping their kids to appreciate Christmas for

what it really is, the real significance there in this really a glorious season for us as Christians.

But before we get into that, I wonder if you could tell us a little bit about yourself and

your own kids and family.

How many kids do you have and how old are they now and kind of what's your

...