A Peek at the Anderson Family Christmas Program
May I share with you my favorite Christmas tradition? Listen as I share with you a little about our Nativity program that we act out as a family every year on Christmas Eve. Bonus: You can even get a copy of the program in the show notes.
Christmas Nativity Program
Years ago when I was a little girl we began acting out the nativity each year and have kept the tradition each Christmas Eve with our family.
I share what this looks like and even give you a peek into what our simple program looks like.
Download a copy of my Bible-Based Nativity Christmas Program here.
Remember, acting the Nativity out can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
The purpose is to have fun and to point us to Jesus Christ during the holiday season. He is the reason for the Christmas season after all.
I testify that Jesus Christ lives and loves each of us! Merry Christmas!
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #nativity #christmasprogram #holidaytraditions #christmastraditions #nativity #bible #christmasstory #JesusChrist #BirthofChrist
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
May I share with you my favorite Christmas tradition? Listen as I share with you a little about our Nativity program that we act out as a family every year on Christmas Eve. Bonus: You can even get a copy of the program in the show notes.
Christmas Nativity Program
Years ago when I was a little girl we began acting out the nativity each year and have kept the tradition each Christmas Eve with our family.
I share what this looks like and even give you a peek into what our simple program looks like.
Download a copy of my Bible-Based Nativity Christmas Program here.
Remember, acting the Nativity out can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
The purpose is to have fun and to point us to Jesus Christ during the holiday season. He is the reason for the Christmas season after all.
I testify that Jesus Christ lives and loves each of us! Merry Christmas!
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #nativity #christmasprogram #holidaytraditions #christmastraditions #nativity #bible #christmasstory #JesusChrist #BirthofChrist
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
Tamara Anderson 0:03
How would you like to know what one of my family's favorite Christmas traditions is? I'm going to share it with you today, and also give you a copy of it so that you can implement it with your family If you want to do it. Stay tuned.
Tamara Anderson 0:23
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson, join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
Tamara Anderson 0:48
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Holiday Stories of Hope. And guys, it's almost Christmas. Oh, my goodness, I can hardly believe we're at the end of the year already. And it's almost time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Tamara Anderson 1:04
And so I thought I would share with you what our family does every Christmas Eve. And it's something that I did as a young child. And so I guess my parents probably started it, I don't know where the tradition actually started. But what we do every Christmas Eve is we have a big Christmas eve dinner.
Tamara Anderson 1:27
And then we gather around our living room. And I bring out all my scarves. And we bring out graduation gowns, and jewelry and stuff like that, and terry cloth robes and stuff like that. So any dress ups, and our living room just kind of cut becomes this cacophony. And we all dress up in our own little way. And we each get to play a part in acting out the nativity story.
Tamara Anderson 2:01
And there's been times when we are totally decked out with like Burger King crowns for the wise men and there's times that we've been made Burger King crowns out of tin foil, and the scarves end up being you know, over and around and tied around heads for shepherds and Mary ends up, we've had marries in all different shapes and sizes and decorations. Sometimes it's been a niece or sometimes it's been my daughter, my daughter's probably gotten to play Mary a lot more often than I did, because I was one of five girls. And we had to rotate each year when I was growing up.
Tamara Anderson 2:40
But we all dress up somebody's the narrator and Nathan is usually a wise man or a shepherd, our dog has often been the sheep. And we always have an angel who has like a white shirt on backwards and they go on a stand up on the balcony that overlooks our living room. And we shine a flashlight on um, you know. And so it is probably very comical to watch. And it's not pretty or beautiful or anything like that. But it is our own little way to celebrate the Nativity. And to help us remember that the reason that we have Christmas is because we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
Tamara Anderson 3:30
And so after we get all our props and all our decor on our costumes, we get together. And then I have these big poster boards that I've made. And it has the words for the songs. And so we sing and then we do a little narration and we sing, and we're doing a little narration, when Nathan was little, we would always give him a flashlight, and he would shine the flashlight on the words. And that's how he was able to participate. And so that makes it fun.
Tamara Anderson 3:58
But there's now even apps that kind of have a bouncy ball. And he loves that he even sings when he has the bouncy ball apps. So I'll link that in the show notes so that if you want to try that you can do that. Anyway, so we usually kick it off with a rousing first verse of the first note while and then I will read the narrated parts for you.
Tamara Anderson 4:20
And this is straight from the Scriptures. And I have this all printed up on a program which I'll share with you in the show notes in case you want to try it with your family this year. Just remember, it doesn't have to be perfect, and it probably won't be and will probably be hilarious, and there will be guffaws and that's part of what makes it memorable. So don't expect perfection. And just do it to have fun and help your kids remember the real meaning of the season.
Tamara Anderson 4:45
So First Noel and then the narrator says, it came to pass in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the worlds should be taxed. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea unto the city have David which is called Bethlehem to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife being great with child.
Tamara Anderson 5:07
Then we hold up the poster board and we seeing a little town of Bethlehem, you don't have to sing the whole thing, just the first verse. And then the narrator speaks again. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a mane in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Tamara Anderson 5:32
And then of course, every time the narration is going, the people are acting that out. And sometimes there's a little bit of hay, you need to go over there. But it's good. And so Mary has the baby, usually we have a baby doll, and we put them in a little manger that they've made, and it's really sweet.
Tamara Anderson 5:48
And then we sing Silent Night. Then the narrator says, and they're we're in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them, and they were sore afraid.
Tamara Anderson 6:07
And the angel said unto them, and then we have the angel read this part, while shining a light on them, or you don't have to do that part, but we kind of do it. Fear not for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And then the narrator picks back up. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.
Tamara Anderson 6:51
And the narrator continues, and it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherd said to one another, Let us now go even to Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.
Tamara Anderson 7:11
And then we see angels we have heard on high, and it's great, because the whole time the angels there, the shepherds are acting afraid. And then they go and they find and they see baby Jesus in the manger, and it's really sweet. And so all those Scripture so far been from Luke two and now we switch into Matthew, after we see angels we have heard on high that's
Tamara Anderson 7:31
And then the narrator says, Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born king of the Jews, for we have seen his star in the east and our come to worship him. And lo, the star which thy son east went before them, kill it came and stood over where the young child was, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were coming to the house, they saw the young child with marry his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Tamara Anderson 8:12
And then we close by singing We Three Kings. And that is our Christmas program. And it's short, and it's sweet. And it's fun, and it helps us all remember, the reason that we celebrate Christmas was the birth of our dear Savior, He who came to point us and show us the way back to God, who who can blot out all of our sins that though they beat Scarlet, there'll be as white as snow.
Tamara Anderson 8:45
And it is my hope that as you approach this holiday season, whether you act out the Nativity with a family, or whether you read those verses to yourself, that you will remember the miracle of the Savior's birth, which was sung about by angels, and was prophesied of by prophets, all throughout the Old Testament, that his name would be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Oh, how thankful I am for Jesus Christ and for this time of year when we can remember him. When we can remember the gift of a father, to the world of giving His only begotten Son, and whosoever believeth in him will not perish but have everlasting life. That is my testimony. Merry Christmas.
Tamara Anderson 9:47
My friends, are you looking for a meaningful Christmas gift this year? If so, you need look no further I have a fantastic sweet short story. I am So excited to share with you my new booklet it's called A Broken Down Holiday. This is the story of a widowed young mother trying to travel home for the holidays soon after her husband dies, and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. And some of the hard things that she experiences and some of the miracles that you wouldn't think are miracles that she had happened. But it is based on a true story that happened to my mother in law. It's great for those friends that you're just like, what do I get them something simple. That's under five bucks to great stocking stuffer. So if you want to share this message of hope with your friends or family members, check it out a broken down holiday on Tamara K. anderson.com.
Tamara Anderson 10:49
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you like what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time, and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website stories of hope podcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote or a scripture verse that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you are struggling with hope to carry on and have the strength to keep going. When things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, Remember God loves you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai