"Mom, Why do we celebrate Christmas?"
- Shelby Leigh Kizer
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Andi—my four-year-old—and I spent some time this week coloring the dogwood flower sheet and learning about its symbolism and how it points to the cross.
While she was coloring, she suddenly looked up and asked, “Mom, why do we celebrate Christmas?”
At first, her question didn’t faze me. I simply told her it was Jesus’ birthday and that we celebrate that. She nodded and went back to coloring.
But the more I’ve reflected on that moment, the more I think her question came from genuine confusion. We’ve already decorated our home, watched Christmas movies, listened to Christmas music nonstop—Frosty and Rudolph are basically on repeat—and we’ve talked plenty about what we want for Christmas.
Not one thing we’ve done so far has pointed to Jesus.
We spend so much time doing all the things—shopping, decorating, rushing from one event to the next—and then maybe pause for a quick prayer or read the Christmas story once before opening gifts.
Lately, I’ve been learning more about the Holy Spirit and how anything “Christ-like” in me is not from my sinful nature. It is only because the Holy Spirit lives in me that I even desire the things of God.
I recently listened to a sermon where the pastor said, “We don’t do anything we don’t want to do. Our desire always wins.”That really struck me.
If I don’t desire the things Christ desires, I will never naturally do them. And if I can’t change my own desires, then it must be the Holy Spirit who transforms them.
So it is my prayer that this project not only creates space for more conversations about Christ and the true meaning of Christmas, but that the Holy Spirit would awaken a new desire in us—a desire to do what is most pleasing to the Lord.
To celebrate Christmas in a way that may look completely different from the rest of the world, but that brings the deepest satisfaction to our souls and the greatest glory to Him.
You can download the coloring page below!
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