Christmas Morning Tradition

I blogged briefly about the Christmas scavenger hunt my family does on Christmas morning.  My kids are all excited on Christmas morning to open presents.  We have always waited to open presents.  We first eat breakfast, read the Christmas story and find baby Jesus – not particularly in that order. 

As I am always trying to incorporate Jesus into all things Christmas, it seems fitting to have created a scavenger hunt based on the Christmas story.  This way my kids can read the story of Jesus’s birth while hunting down our baby Jesus to add him to the nativity scene. One Christmas my husband and I stayed in bed and handed them the first clue, just to buy a couple more sleeping moments.

Here is an example of one of our Christmas scavenger hunts.  The clues change each year, but the story stays the same.  The only rules for the kids are that they must go in order and they have to stay together. 

To prepare the scavenger hunt, I print out the clues and cut them into strips. Then I hide them in the right spots being careful to number them so I don’t get confused.  I save the first clue to give to the kids and make sure that at the last clue, baby Jesus is there also.  I instruct the kids to put the baby in the nativity scene and sometimes I hang around and take pictures.

1. Luke 2: 1-3 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  And everyone went to their own town to register." Clue: Caesar was a famous Roman ruler with a salad dressing named after him.  Where do we keep the dressing?
2. Luke 2:3-5 “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” Clue: When Daddy pledged to Mommy, he gave her a ring. Where is the box it came in?
3. Luke 2:6  “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” Clue: If you were a baby in this house, where would you sleep?
4. Luke 2:7 “She (Mary) wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Clue: We have a manager we are adding straw to each day.  Where is that manger?
5. Luke 2 8 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Clue: Daddy has a “field” he tends to day and night.  Where do you water that “field”?
6. Luke 2:9-10 “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” Clue:  We have many angels in the house.  Which one has the clue?
7. Luke 2:11-12 “The angel said ‘Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” Clue: There is a small town in our house.  The clue is in someone’s house.
8. Luke 2:13 - 15 “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’" Clue:  Find Bethlehem on the globe.
9. Matthew 2: 1-2  “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem  and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” Clue: When we listen to worship music, where are we?
10. Matthew 2:9-10 “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed”. Clue: There is a lighted star on the house.  Where is it?
11. Matthew 2:11 "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." Clue:  If we were going to diffuse Frankincense, where would we do that?
12. Matthew 2:19-20 “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds (and the wise men) returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Clue:  What gift does God want us to give from OUR HEARTS?  In what Princess Parables book do we find the treasure box?

Hopefully this inspires you to do a scavenger hunt for Baby Jesus! 

What other fun traditions do you do Christmas morning?

Merry Christmas everyone!

~Jeanna Young

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!