One of the great things about Christmas is the opportunity it gives us to spend time together with family and friends.

This Christmas our family has been looking for ways we can celebrate Christmas together.

Here are 5 quick things we've done or will be doing this year:

1. Watch Christmas movies together.

This year we've watched or will be watching movies like: Elf, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation (I recommend the tv edit), The Muppet's Christmas Carol, Meet Me in St. Louis, and It's a Wonderful Life. It's been a ton of fun laughing together, and sharing classic films with each other.

2. Make homemade Christmas cards together.

A couple of weeks ago we spent about 3 hours together making homemade Christmas cards. While we can't do this for everyone of our friends, we did it for neighbors, co-workers, family, and for several soldiers from our church who are stationed overseas this Christmas. It was a a blast to see how creative our kids could be, and fairly inexpensive too!

3. Take a night to look at Christmas lights together.

This past Tuesday night, we loaded the mini-van and headed out to look at Christmas lights. We stopped at the local Starbucks (and by local I mean 15 miles away), and picked up some spiced caramel apple cider. Then we road-tripped to East Peoria to view the display at the East Peoria Festival of Lights "Folepi's Winter Wonderland". A great display, and only $5 on weeknights. If you live in the central Illinois area it's a must see.

4. Read the Christmas story together.

It's easy to get so caught up in the consumerism of Christmas that we forget about the Christ of Christmas. Before you open the presents this year, or maybe on Christmas Eve, read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 together. Take a minute to pray together, and thank God for the gift of Jesus, and the gifts that you've experienced as a family in the last year.

5. Worship together.

The entire month of December is a great time to set the tone for your Christmas celebration by beginning each week with worship. It's a reminder that this season (and really any season for that matter) isn't really about us. Nothing will help you to keep your focus on Christ at Christmas like worship. If your church is having a Christmas Eve worship service, make it a priory to worship together on Christmas Eve. If you're looking for a service to attend and you live in central Illinois, you should join us at BridgeWay this year.

Finally, if you're looking for some other great ideas check out a post Mark Driscol did earlier this month directed specifically at dads.