You’re Invited! A Birthday Party for Jesus
For many years when our kids were little, we invited all the neighborhood children over in December for a “Birthday Party for Jesus.” It was a fun and easy way to share the gospel with the youngsters who lived nearby — many of whom were unchurched.
So… are you ready to stage your own birthday party for Jesus? I have some free resources to make doing so easier. Here’s how we went about it.
What to do at Jesus’s birthday party:
1. Play Fun Games
Play “Put the Baby in the Manger” (as opposed to “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”). Blindfold the kids, turn them in a circle three times, then have them try to tape baby Jesus to the center of the hay. Closest attempt wins the game!
2. Break Open a Piñata
Using cardboard, flour paste, newspaper, and yellow tissue paper, make a homemade piñata in the shape of a star. Have the kids follow it all around the house — like so many wise men — and then outside where they can take turns hitting it with a “shepherd’s staff” until the candy spills out.
3. Read the Nativity Story
Next, read the Christmas story aloud. Depending on the age of the kids, this may take the form of a children’s picture book about the nativity (I’ve linked a few favorites below). Or you can simply read the biblical account straight out of Luke 2.
4. Color the Manger Scene
Let the kids color a picture of the nativity scene — maybe even while you are reading the story aloud to them (especially if you choose to read an account without pictures.
5. Act out the Story
When guests are really small, then colorful, oversized T-shirts make great tunics. You can use rope, scarves, or even fabric scraps (gold lame’ for angels, wool or muslin for shepherds) for belts and head coverings and a baby doll for the holy infant.
Feed the kids their lines as they act out the story — an angel appearing to Mary, she and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and looking for a place to stay, the angels announcing Christ’s birth to the shepherds, the wise men offering their gifts, etc.
6. Sing and Serve Cake
Afterwards, you can bring out the birthday cake and ice cream and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus!
As our kids got older, we eventually replaced the neighborhood birthday party with a “Shoebox Stuffing Party.” We’d ask all the guests to bring goodies for Operation Christmas Child, then we’d all wrap and stuff the boxes together.
Since most of the children who will receive our boxes live in countries where rice and beans are staple foods, that’s what we usually serve for dinner at that party (although, more often than not, we’d still have birthday cake, as well).
Once the boxes were filled, we’d gather around them and pray for the kids who‘d be receiving our gifts. This makes a great service project for the entire family.
No matter how you choose to celebrate, keep your focus on CHRIST this Christmas. He’s the original birthday boy — the reason we celebrate Christmas to begin with. And He’s also the best Christmas gift any of us will ever receive!
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