Even though my oldest is 32, I’m still evolving our Christmas traditions in my family of 7 children, 3 children-in-law, and four grandchildren. Here’s one I tried out yesterday that went well, which I’m going to keep and do next year.

After all the gifts were opened yesterday, and the little grandsons had retreated to a room to play with their new toys, I gathered the 16 year-old-and-ups to hear me read two books aloud, to generate reflection, writing, and discussion. We had pulled out the food for brunch as well and some people were done eating and others were still eating.

First we lit all the candles in the Immanuel Wreath plus a big fat candle in the center. Sorry, the photo above is from Christmas Eve and doesn’t show the center candle lit. It was on Christmas Day that we lit the big center candle. Anyway, then we sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. The two grandsons may have wandered in at that point to see what was going on.

Then I read aloud this book below:

It is a beautiful book featuring the artwork of Carl Bloch, and two other classical artists: Frans Schwarz and Heinrich Hofmann. Their artwork has been featured or is currently featured at the BYU Museum of Art. The book emphasizes all the holy gifts that Christ has given us. It is sold by the BYU Museum of Art Store, over here. (It’s only $9!) I’ve been blessed to find this book at a thrift store, not once, but twice. (The recent one I found I gave to a friend in a gift basket of books.) It’s a lovely book printed in board book format so it’s even suitable for tiny hands to flip through and not damage the pages.

Depending on the age of your children you might not read all the words just say a few words for each double-page spread.

Each spread mentions one gift from Jesus: a body, sight, wisdom, immortality, etc. Then each spread also has the refrain of “What gift will you give Christ?” This question is the perfect segue for the next book which I read aloud, below, by Kathryn Gordon Jenkins.

This book has gorgeous layouts of color, text, and design highlighting one gift you can give to Jesus on each two-page spread. Gifts like: studying the scriptures daily, forgiving others, keeping the Sabbath Day holy, being honest, being kind, attending the temple more often, etc.

Each gift idea is accompanied by quotes from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the facing page. So you probably will want to just read the gift suggestion and tell people they can read the rest on their own. I also found this book when thrifting. I love finding books that I end up using in family traditions!

Then I shared what they had written down as their gifts to Jesus from years past. This is something we’ve done off and on through the years. I have totally been SO imperfect/inconsistent at this, and that’s OK. Every mom gets to plead some kind of insanity for pulling off Christmas each year, overcoming invisible obstacles and hurdles that only fellow mothers recognize. For years I have forgotten where I put the envelope with the slips of paper. Does anyone relate? I finally found many of these envelopes this year, all the way back to 2000 (!), in the box of our porcelain Nativity set. I don’t know why it was so hard to remember where I put the envelopes, I just have a lot to keep in my brain and inevitably, I forget things.

So this year, I set the envelopes out on top of the piano next to the Nativity set so I would see the envelopes every day when I sat down to play the piano for Christmas carols. The visual reminder helped me keep it in my mind to share them on Christmas Day and ask my family members to write new gifts. So yesterday I remembered! Can I get a “Hooray!” for that!? I passed out the previously written on folded slips of paper, asked them to read and reflect on what they wrote, and write down a gift for 2026.

I invited people to share their thoughts. I can always count on my son-in-law to share something wonderful, and he did, which I loved. My married daughter shared as well and so did I. Then I put the slips of paper away in each person’s envelope to save for next year.

I had completely forgotten what I wrote. It was interesting to read what I wrote back in 2000, when I was a young mom of 3, and then we skip decades, ahem, to 2020. then 2022, 2024, and 2025. I’m excited to be more intentional on what I wrote yesterday and create my my gifts for Jesus in 2026. I decided to give three, not just one.

It’s not too late to start this tradition in your family! You don’t even have to have the books, although they help. You can see more of the pages from the Gifts to the Savior book over here.

Another idea is to make lists on a white board or big piece of a paper, first, those of gifts Jesus gives to you, then make a list of what you can give to Him. This works if your crowd is good at brainstorming and being verbal. Not all families are like that. So if your family is one of those, which is totally OK, just go look at the pages of the book here.

Make it extra special by lighting a candle, or all the candles of your Immanuel Wreath, playing your favorite Christmas carols in the background (like from over here), and serving some herbal tea or cocoa, with or without a treat. Do it this coming Sabbath Day, or for New Year’s Eve, or even All Kings’ Day, which is in January. After all, that’s the day that traditionally has been celebrated as the day the Wise Men gave their gifts to Jesus. Have an envelope for each person or each year, whatever works for you, then put each little envelop in a big envelope. Then remember where you put it! Putting it with a Christmas decoration you use every year, like the Nativity set, or your stocking are my suggestions.

I found a pad of this pretty scrapbook paper when thrifting earlier this week, right before Christmas. I just might get a manila envelope and decorate it with this paper. I love that it is so Christ-centered.

Next year I’m going to remember to have the last name of Christ on the Immanuel Wreath that we talk about be “Gift,” to be talked about on Christmas Day. Concluding with “Gift” as the name of Christ will be a great prelude to discussing the Savior’s gifts the next day. I love experiencing Christmas and continually refining it to be extra meaningful and life transforming. I’ve always wanted to make Christmas Day be more of a birthday party for Jesus, and this little ceremony definitely helped with that.

If you want more ideas about traditions, for seasons and holidays all year round, go to my companion website here.