Great Ideas and Helps to Teach Come Follow Me Christmas "Good Tidings of Great Joy" (December 18-24)
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How wonderful it is to study the Christmas story this week in Come, Follow Me Christmas "Good Tidings of Great Joy" (December 16-22). There are so many great ways you could approach this week including all the traditions you already have. Look below for more ideas!
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Remember! Keep scrolling! These posts are long and full of resources. The Weekly Recap and all the Questions to Ponder are at the very bottom of this post.
Matthew 1:18–25; 2:1–12; Luke 1:26–38; 2:1–20
The Christmas story!
Additional Study Suggestions
“The Reality of Christmas” by Elder Gary E. Stevenson
“Celebrating Jesus Christ This Christmas” by President Dallin H. Oaks
“The Fulness of the Story of Christmas” by Elder Craig C. Christensen
Videos to Share
Elder Craig C. Christensen (about 10 minutes)- From the 2016 First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional
The Christ Child: A Nativity Story (about 18 minutes)- There are even questions and answers about the video
The Nativity (about 8 minutes)- Bible video
A Gift to the World (about 9 minutes)- Bible video
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (about 5 minutes)- Music video
He Is the Gift (about 2 1/2 minutes)
Jesus Christ Is Born (about 1 1/2 minutes)- Illustrated scripture story
The Wise Men (about 1 minute)- Illustrated scripture story
Questions to Ponder
How would you retell the story of Christ’s birth? If you don’t want to write it all out, what are the key points you would include?
How does the story of Christmas and Easter affect the way you live your daily life?
Why do you like to celebrate Christmas? How do you manifest that?
How can you honor the Savior this Christmas?
What is something you can do to share the Christmas story this year?
How do you think you felt about Jesus Christ before you were born? How do you feel about Him now?
What can you do to strengthen your testimony of the Savior this Christmas?
How can you come unto Christ?
Teaching Activities
Play a fun Christmas game! Print out the clue cards above to play. Read one clue aloud at a time. If you guess the person on the first clue, you get one point. If you guess it on the third clue, it’s three points and so on. The person or team with the FEWEST amount of points wins! After you guess the person, discuss their role in Christ’s birth story. How does understanding them a little bit more help us understand the importance of Christ’s birth better?
If you have little ones, this article, “What the Christmas Story Can Teach You”, is full of images and quick truths we can learn from the Christmas story. Cut it apart and review one a day. There is also a visual scripture story from The Friend this month, “Jesus Was Born.”
If you like having a script to act out the scripture story of Christ’s birth, try these ones from The Friend:
Merry Christmas (each letter represent something)
Two Witnesses of Jesus’ Birth (includes shadow puppets)
Have some coloring fun! I made three coloring pages for you to enjoy this Christmas. One refers to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional so you can review some of the messages from that as you color too.
Discuss the Nativity story with your family as you see how different groups of people shared light at the first Christmas with my Nativity Gift Set. Whichever chocolate the person gets is the one they research and share about. Then make more wrapped chocolates and share them with your neighbors!
Print out some Christmas cards to share and some Christmas coloring pages as you discuss the Christmas story in my Primary 3 Lesson 47 handouts (includes a scene for the Nephite Christmas). There is the Nativity scene to color in my Primary 1 Lesson 46 handouts. You can use the Christmas cards to invite your friends with you to church this Sunday, December 22.
See how many acts of kindness you can do this week with my Christmas Challenge page from my Primary 6 Lesson 46 handouts. There is also a Guess Who game you can play. Place the cards on each other’s backs and see if you can figure out who you are.
Make gifts for one another with Christmas coupons. You can use the free handout in my Primary 2 Lesson 46 helps.
Use the Church’s Family Home Evening lesson centered on the new Nativity video, “The Christ Child.” Then invite your neighbors to church or to watch the movie too with my free printable tag and gift idea!
Make a list of reasons you know Jesus Christ came to earth (see the manual for a list of scriptures and questions to ponder while doing so).
You can also head back to my Come, Follow Me helps for these chapters. There is a shadow puppet show for when the angel visits Mary plus a Mission Impossible activity.
For Luke 2, there is a handout that helps you review your own birth story as well as Christ’s as well as a make your own Nativity scene activity. PLUS, go through the many witnesses of Christ’s birth with a fun mapping activity.
There are also some fun paper bag puppets you can use to tell these stories including the birth announcement of John the Baptist as well. You can also make a family necklace and review the scripture in Luke 1:37 about how nothing is impossible with God (even finals).
Review some of the prophecies of the Savior’s Birth or how much you’ve grown since the beginning of the year with my additional Luke 2 helps too.
1 Corinthians 15:21–26; Colossians 1:12–22; 1 Peter 2:21–25
Jesus Christ completed His mission on earth and allowed us all to have eternal life.
Additional Study Suggestions
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ” by Brother Tad R. Callister
“Four Gifts from the Savior” by President Russell M. Nelson
“The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas” by President Gordon B. Hinckley
Videos to Share
For God So Loved the Word (about 5 minutes)- Bible video
To This End Was I Born (about 4 1/2 minutes)- Bible video
Why We Need a Savior- A Christmas Message (about 2 minutes)
Because of Him (about 2 1/2 minutes)
Who Is Jesus Christ? (about 1 1/2 minutes)
The Greatest Gift (about 1 1/2 minutes)
Questions to Ponder
Beyond being perfect, why was Christ the only one who could fulfill this mission?
How is Jesus Christ key to every piece of God’s plan of happiness?
Why do you think Jesus Christ kept going to the bitter end even when it was so painful and hard? Why do you keep going?
What is something that you felt was hard to accomplish? What helped you? How did you feel once you did it?
What is your mission on earth right now? How will you accomplish it? What goals and other talents might you develop to help you?
Teaching Activities
Take time to share what you have learned about Jesus Christ throughout this year as you have studied the New Testament. Was there a particular story that stood out to you this time? Flip back through your scriptures and the markings you have made this year and review some of your notes. How has your testimony of the Savior grown this year? How have you changed?
Go back to the Plan of Salvation and show again how Christ is key to all of it. If Jesus hadn’t died and been resurrected, the first part wouldn’t have mattered. What was Christ’s mission? How was He able to accomplish it? Then take time to ponder and pray about your mission on earth right now. What is it that God wants you to accomplish? How can you find out? What goals can you set to help you accomplish those things? Make a plan and some New Year’s Resolutions.
Because Jesus Christ was resurrected and He completed His mission on earth, we all can live with Him again. Go back to the Easter lesson and review some of the teachings from then. There are some great handouts you can use at Christmas again as you discuss the important role of the Savior.
Write on several strips of paper all the gifts you have in your life because of Jesus Christ. Put them all in a box and wrap it under the Christmas tree. Open it again on Christmas morning and read through them all together as you remember what makes Christmas so great!
The Living Christ
Study the “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” and ponder what it means to you.
Additional Study Suggestions
“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles”
“Am I a ‘Living’ Member?” by President Howard W. Hunter
Videos to Share
Excerpts from “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” (about 3 minutes)- This is the one where they are in Rome.
Living Apostles Testify of Jesus Christ (about 2 1/2 minutes)- Apostles and President Nelson’s testimonies
Special Witnesses of Christ (about 1 hour and 5 minutes)- This is the one President Gordon B. Hinckley put out- filmed in Jerusalem
Jesus Christ Lives Today (about 4 minutes)
Questions to Ponder
Do you have a testimony of the Living Christ?
Do you believe Christ can make all things right again?
How can you continue to strengthen your testimony of the Living Christ?
How does the word “Living” make a difference when we use it to describe Jesus Christ? What does it mean to you? Do you view Christ as a living person today?
What would your declaration of a Living Christ look like?
How are you inviting Christ into your Christmas?
Teaching Activities
Read a part of The Living Christ every day leading up to Christmas. Use my free printable countdown and pull out one excerpt a day to read and discuss. You can try to memorize it too.
A Year of FHE has a whole Family Home Evening lesson you can incorporate into your week.
A Lively Hope has a copybook you can use if you want to help your children memorize The Living Christ. If you simply want to study it more, try Prickly Pear's study journal.
- Looking for more? The Red Headed Hostess has a fun "Walk the Road of the Nativity" and more!
- Love Pray Teach has a fun Christmas tree ornament activity you can do plus more ideas.
