A Purposeful Christmas: Christmas Past and A Silent Night Challenge

My childhood Christmas experience was fairly unique. Almost every year, we headed for my grandparent's ranch down in the Texas hill country. The small house was built by my great-grandfather. It had one bedroom, one living area, one bathroom, a sleeping porch and a kitchen with the original stove. In this tiny house, we celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family. As we grew, so did our family. We got married and started having kids. However, for as long as we could, we all crammed into that tiny house. There must have been 16 of us there that last year along with 6 or 7 dogs.

Our last Christmas at the Ranch (2001)

Things were simple. We took walks, cut firewood, played games, talked, read books, worked puzzles and ate lots of my grandmother's food. We strung popcorn and cranberry garland. On Christmas Eve, we rode around in the back of the old pick up truck and sang Christmas songs while we waited for our stockings to be filled. What fun memories!

There were no TVs, phones or other electronic gadgets. There was no internet or cell coverage. It saddens me that, in our current culture, so much of our time together involves sitting in front of the TV--including during the holiday season. People are so busy and time with extended family is limited. Yet, when everyone is together, technology makes it easy to be physically present without spending any quality time with others.

I honestly think that some of this stems from people being worn out by the time Christmas actually gets here. It takes energy and effort to invest in others. Let's face it, it is easier to turn on the TV than to entertain preschoolers with an activity or game, and it is a lot more fun to play on our phones rather than to talk to someone who may have had a hard year.

This year, I would love to see families implement some aspects from Christmas past and take the "Silent Night Challenge"--a night with no cellphones, tvs, laptops or video games. It might feel strange at first, but I don't think that it will be a quiet night for long. I would hope to hear lots of happy chatter and laughter. At the end of the day, our kids are going to remember time with family when they were laughing or an activity that touched their hearts.

The "Silent Night" activities can be as simple or as complicated as you want. Charades, Christmas pictionary, Christmas Bingo, Pin the Tail on Rudolph are easy, easy things to do even with young children. You can play traditional card games like Spades, Hearts, or Canasta. If you are feeling more creative and plan ahead, you can play Christmas Minute to Win It, or go on a family scavenger hunt. Of course, not everyone likes to play games. If this is the case, set out a Christmas puzzle, munch on yummy snacks, drink hot chocolate and have Christmas music playing in the background. You could also go on a Christmas light walk. This is so simple, but it is one of my kids favorite things to do each year. The possibilities are endless--just find something that works for your particular family.

Is your family up for a Silent Night challenge? If so, I would love to know what you have planned for that evening!