Christmas is a time of joy, wonder, and reflection, and there's no better way to capture its true essence than by seeing it through the eyes of children and young people. Their perspectives on Christmas are often filled with excitement, heartfelt wishes, and what I’ve found to be a unique understanding of the seasons deeper meaning. To some children and young people this meaning is rooted in Jesus, but to others the significance of the season lies elsewhere. This blog post shows a snapshot of what Christmas means to the children and young people in our area, drawing from a Christmas questionnaire and some great conversations.
We sent out a series of questions to some of our schools, churches and youth groups (both Christian and secular) and got some great responses. Have a look at a selection of their thoughts:
What are some of your favourite things about Christmas?
- Family
- Presents
- Decorating the tree
- Celebrating Jesus
- Food
The resounding response to this question was how important family time is at Christmas. Emi (13) said “I love the precious time you get to spend with family and friends” and another shared that “spending time with multiple of my family members is special”.
The Donkey was the favourite nativity character by far, here are some of the reasons why:
- “he does things without complaining”
- “he carries Jesus”
- “he’s funny”
Some other stand out comments were:
- "Joseph looks after Mary and has unwavering trust in God"
- "Jesus is the GOAT (greatest of all time)"
- "The cow is great because he shares his hay with Jesus"
- "The Kings were rich and cool, they were committed to finding the King of the Jews"
- “The angels are my favourite because I was one"
- "Mary because she was patient, kind and obedient"
The keen eyed of you might have spotted that Mr Poppy was thought to be one of the best nativity characters; even above Mary! This brings a smile to my face as I think about why that might be. Perhaps it’s his childlike enthusiasm and boundless energy or maybe more than that, his kind-hearted spirit. Personally, I think his unconventional way would have slotted in quite nicely in the stable and I for one am going to try and bring some Mr Poppy energy to sharing Jesus’ love this Christmas.
There was a fairly even spread in the responses to whether or not the children and young people go to church at Christmas time. Those that do tended to say that it was because they or a family member was a Christian, that it was a nice way to connect with the community and to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Those that don’t attend church at Christmas time shared reasons such as not believing in God, that they would be opening presents, celebrating at home with family and not caring about it.
The question of whether Jesus is important at Christmas was very insightful. Some believe that Jesus is significant for the season because it’s about His birth, but He’s not important to them personally. As one young person said, “I’m not really religious so he’s important but not to me.” Others think that Jesus isn’t important at all, with one 8-year-old saying, “No, Jesus isn’t important. We don’t think about him on Christmas day.”
In contrast, for some, Jesus is at the heart of their Christmas. A 14-year-old shared, “Jesus is very important to me at Christmas because he came at Christmas to save us every day.” What I find fascinating is that quite a few responses indicated that they do think Jesus is important at Christmas, but they don’t have anything to do with church. I wonder what we could do to bridge this gap.
What is the most important thing about Christmas?
The word cloud below represents the responses to this question, the larger the word, the more times it was mentioned. One thing that I find poignant both from the questionnaires and conversations that I had, is that children and young people seem to put spending time with people that they love right at the top of the list. What a good reminder for us this Christmas. Take a moment to read some of the smaller words, and why not think of a child or young person you can ask this question to. Listening to what’s important to children and young people at Christmas can help us create more meaningful and inclusive celebrations that resonate with their values and experiences, making them feel more welcomed and engaged with the heart of Jesus.
The insights that these children and young people have shared through these questionnaires and conversations reminds me of the joy and magic that Christmas brings, but their candid responses also offer a necessary reflection on how effectively we’re reaching the ones who Jesus says the Kingdom of heaven belongs to (Matthew 9:14) at Christmas. By growing in our understanding of what Christmas means to them and reflecting on how we can best share the love and message of Jesus with them, we can find new ways to serve and support them during this special season.