Christmas Programs
"Do Not Be Afraid: A Virtual Christmas Pageant" - from Illustrated Ministry, Centered on the narratives surrounding Jesus’ birth from the gospels of Matthew and Luke, this is like your traditional Christmas pageant but designed to be an expandable, shrinkable, pre-recordable, Zoom-able, intergenerational pageant that can be adapted to your setting, no matter what is happening in the world.
Christmas Pageants 2020: Recorded, Zoomed, Live Outside - MANY options from Building Faith
No Stress, No Fuss Christmas Pageant - It's crunch time and you need an interacive, intergenerational, theologically sound pageant and/or worship service. Here it is in two parts, Part 1 and Part 2, from Presbyterian Pastor Theresa Cho, a second generation Korean-American whose blog includes several artfilled worship resources.
Cathy's Music Christmas Musicals & Songs for pre-school and children’s Christmas programs – there’s lots to pick from! Arranged by size of group, with engaging motions and spot-on theology for children.
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Family Music for Christmas is a 5-week, ready-to-use music curriculum designed for children up to age 8. The curriculum follows the four weeks of Advent and the week of Christmas. Stream the classes live with your choir on Zoom or project them onto a large screen if gathering in person.
Interactive Lessons & Carols Liturgy for Children - offers liturgy and hands-on creative elements to keep wiggly ones engaged throughout. Structured as a worship service, the liturgy provides scripture scripts for telling the story of Jesus' birth with multiple voices and includes an option for recording a video of children answering questions about Jesus' birth.
Drive-Through Journey to Bethlehem - We set up the Journey to Bethlehem along the exterior of our church building. Cars paused to hear recordings of the stories of the Star of Bethlehem and the closed Inn at Bethlehem (which looked strikingly like the entrance to our Fellowship Hall), then stories of the Shepherds, the Manger (at the front entrance to the church, beautifully framed by the two large Christmas trees we usually had inside), and the Three Kings. From there, we invited folks to park and share in Holy Communion or take Communion kits home to celebrate.
Sensing Christmas - Use all of your five senses in the Christmas story.
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Living the Questions Christmas Pageants:
"'In That Starry Night' the music is catchy, and the story has a great message." |
From DWELL (Reformed Church) Child of God: A Christmas Play for Children
This program looks at people in the lineage of Christ to help children (and adults!) understand that we're part of God's family too. By Laura Keeley and Robert J Keeley Also from DWELL, More Than a Story, What Did I Miss? and The Very Best Gift of All. |
Worship & Ministry Resources:
Illustrated Children's Ministry Advent Resources - Worship resources, ornaments, coloring pages/posters, devotionals... what else do you need?
Bible Project: Four free animated videos covering Hope, Peace, Joy and Love,
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Bethel Lutheran Church, CA used the "llustrated Advent for Families in Light and Darkness." (these four pics of children leading, speaking, praying, lighting and playing music.
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Longest Night Liturgies from The Many - Bringing together the ancient and modern, the liturgies we create take some of the traditional elements and practices of Christian worship and infuse them with the voices and concerns of our current headlines and heartbreaks.
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Illustrated Christmas Children's Worship Bulletin -This bulletin is created with younger congregation members in mind as they engage in the Christmas Eve service full of anticipation, excitement, and wonder (it could also be used for Christmas services). Formatted to print on 8.5" x 14" paper.
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Multiple varieties of coloring posters available:
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Esperanza, Gozo, Paz y Amor Coloring Posters - From Illustrated Ministry, these are 5 unique, hand-drawn coloring posters, for people of all ages. Each poster has a word in the middle that corresponds with the four weeks of Advent: Esperanza, Gozo, Paz, and Amor. There is a fifth poster that has the word Emmanuel in the middle. These designs can be used at any time of the year - they're not just for Advent.
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From GenOn Ministries: All God's Children: The Church Family Gathers for Christmas
Choose the full collection or a single session. These intergenerational gatherings are intended to allow all ages to eat together, play together, study God's word together, pray together and worship together during Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Includes: St Andrew, St Nicholas, St Lucia, Mary and Joseph, Birth of Jesus, Magi. |
Great O Antiphons - FREE from visual artist Linda Witte Henke. The collection includes designs for banners, post cards, bulletin covers, social media posts, and projection graphics that can be adapted for each faith community's context.
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From A Sanctified Art:
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Free Recommended list of Advent/Christmas songs- Hold on to Advent as long as you can! Give this list to your community. Why not? It's Free! And they will appreciate blending sacred and secular into their Advent season.
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"FREE LITTLE DREAMERS: CHILDREN'S LESSONS FOR ADVENT THROUGH EPIPHANY - Following our Those Who Dream Advent" theme, we've compiled simple lessons for children, including story books, prompts, messages, and prayers for each week. Use these in worship or share them with the young families in your community.
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Lectionary Year A (2018)
This is a bundle of 9 multimedia resources for you to use in your worship and ministry this Advent & Christmas season. |
CREATIVE RESOURCES FOR ADVENT–EPIPHANY
RCL | YEAR B |
Lectionary Year B Advent - Playing with the concept of "light" as both a verb and noun, we're treating Let There Be Light as: a statement of God's acts in the world (Genesis 1, birth of Christ, John 1). This bundle encompasses 9 multimedia resources.
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Lectionary Year C Advent Year- This Advent, let us draw near to the One who leans down to earth to beckon us closer. This is a bundle of 8 multimedia resources for you to use in your worship and ministry.
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Lectionary Year B Christmas -Light has come. This bundle includes three different resources for an interactive and artful Christmas season. Bundle includes visual art, creative liturgy, written reflections, and graphics.
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Lectionary Year C Christmas -This is a small bundle to provide you with resources for Christmas Eve and the Christmas season. Bundle includes liturgy, a colorable illustrated foldable, and branding for the Love Drawn Here theme.
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Advent at Home
A Sanctified Art - Need simple action prompts for your children to embody the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love? Print our Advent Action Calendar on 11x17 paper and hang it on your fridge. Starting on December 1st, count down the days of Advent by moving a magnet to mark each day. Then, complete the daily action prompt together as a family.
Praying in Color Advent Calendar - The free, downloadable calendar templates below provide spaces for your daily prayers, words, and doodles.
Families Celebrate Advent & Christmas 2018-2019 - by Melissa Bills and Anne Edison-Albright and illustrated by Claudine Gevry is a colorful deck of cards that is full of rituals, prayers and reflections. Endlessly flexible for busy schedules, you can create a new after-meal ritual, use them as decorations, or carry them on the go.
The Birth of Jesus Advent Calendar and Nativity Scene by Sparkhouse, Agostino Traini
Build your very own nativity scene as the calendar unfolds to become a diorama. Experience Architect - Dr. Dawn Rundman lends a few practical examples of how parents play the role of "Experience Architect" for their children around Christmas.
GenOn Ministries includes intergenerational curriculum. Check out sample resources here, including an Intergenerational Advent, Christmas and Epiphany resource introducing us to not only Biblical characters but saints appropriate for the season.
ELCA World Hunger Advent Resources for 2019 focuses on the theme "Nearness."
Advent Resources - FREE from the Episcopal church.
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Advent in a Box - from Presbyterian Traci Smith comes a hands on activity for the whole family.
Advent Coloring Prayer Beads from LEAD. FREE Weekly bulletin with liturgy and prayers. Video instructionsfor creating your own prayer beads; ideal for individuals, families, small groups, or multi-generational event.
Flame:Creative Kids - 25 Creative Advent activities The Gift of Presence Advent Jar - Portico offers a free Advent tool for discovering the gift of presence this season.
An Advent devotional, God With Us - a free devotional compiled by Beca Malmgren, Coordinator for Economic Diversity from practitioners in our Homeless and Justice department.
Hard copies (FREE and FREE Shipping) can be requested via the ELCA Resource Store. Blessing of the Home Nativity - by Pastor Maren Hooper
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Love Life, Live Advent - provides a simple prayer activity for children and families to do together, every day of December until Christmas Day. Brightly illustrated throughout, it is designed to heighten a family’s anticipation of Christmas and to enrich everyone’s understanding of this season of waiting and preparation.
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The Christmas Story Composition: Advent, Christmas and the Day of Epiphany Devotions for Kids and Their Families - edited by Lutheran Pastor Heather Roth Johnson this FREE resource (available in Spanish and English) makes the entire Christmas season even more spiritually accessible to families. Get your free download in English here.
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Christ the King Lutheran Church, Nashua, NH -
*felt Advent Wreath kits *felt Nativity kits (DIY). |
Reverse Advent - Instead of a "want list" make a "need list" for someone in your community. Includes a good tie-in to Epiphany. |
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Advent & Christmas Books:
Reading to baby Jesus. Early Learning Center in FL.
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Five Simple Ways to Use Picture Books for Advent - Traci Smith offers ideas for how to use books for ministry and outlines some of her favorites. |
ADVENT
Wait - using repetition to invite readers to be mindful, and the example of a rushed parent and a child who wants to stop and look at everything. Only uses two words in the whole book to emphasis the dominating pictures, "Hurry!" and "Wait," so could be responsive during a children's message. Written and illustrated by Antoinetter Portis
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Miracle on 133rd Street - Author Sonia Manzano (of Sesame Street) captures the angst of the holidays and the miracle of community coming together. Great for an intergenerational Advent event. Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman.
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If You Want to See A Whale - words by Julie Fogliano and pictures by Erin E. Stead This children's book is great for Advent, setting up the need for keeping focus while waiting.
Waiting for Goliath by Antje Damm - Beautiful simple illustrations and words about waiting actively with joy.
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BLUE Christmas |
Blended Holiday |
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Eight Candles and a Tree - by Simone Bloom Nathan writes with adjectives and adverbs to capture young children's attention around two friends sharing their religious traditions for Hannakuh and Christmas.
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CHRISTMAS
The Birth of Jesus: A Christmas Pop-up Book - by Agostino Traini (Author). Each page of the story comes to life with charming illustrations and intricate pop-ups, from the angel’s visit to Mary to the moment she lays baby Jesus in the manger.
A Child is Born - by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This lyrical celebration of Christmas offers a fresh perspective on the Holy Family and the birth of Christ.
Prairie Christmas by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. A great take on the nativity story, rounding out who might have been there with a Southern imagination.
'Twas the Evening of Christmas - by Glenys Nellist (Author), Elena Selivanova (Illustrator). It echoes the familiar language and rhythm of Dr. Clements' poetry, but instead of focusing on Santa, it focuses on Jesus.
Home by Another Way: A Christmas Story
Barbara Brown Taylor Illustrated by Melanie Cataldo Follows the three wise men on their world-changing journey to Bethlehem and shows readers that sometimes the most valuable gifts are the most unexpected. 
The Night of His Birth by Katherine Paterson Illustrated by Lisa Aisato
A poetic picture book that recounts the night of Jesus’ birth from Mary’s perspective. Captures the intimacy between a mother and her newborn and is an ideal gift for children as well as mothers and grandmothers. 
Candle Walk: A Bedtime Prayer to God by Karin Holsinger Sherman. In this bedtime book, join in a candlelit wander through the woods, listening attentively to the river, trees, stars, and moths singing verses from scripture.
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That Baby in the Manger - by Anne E. Neuberger and Chloe E. Pitkoff. Catholic in nature this book reminds us of seeing Jesus in all skin colors.
The Newborn Child - by Jackie Morris uses enaging verbage and illustrations to depict Mary's becoming the mother of Jesus.
Listen to the Silent Night by Dandi Daley Mackall, illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. Useable for a Children's sermon. Great for young kids because of the noises associated with the "silent" night.
The Donkey's Christmas Song - by Nancy Tarfuri. With lots of animal noises, rhyming and simple words this makes for a good children's sermon.
This is the Stable - by Cynthia Cotten (Author), Delana Bettoli (Illustrator). Wondrous things are happening in this humble little stable. The animals are gathering round. Shepherds and wise men and angels are coming from afar. All of them are flocking to see the Christ child, born this night in Bethlehem.
The Worst Christmas Ever by Kathleen Long Bostrom Illustrated by Guy Porfirio. Matthew’s Christmas in his new home state of California is bound to be the worst ever—especially after his beloved dog goes missing.
However, an unexpected event on Christmas Eve might just change everything and remind him of the real meaning of home. The Worst Christmas Ever offers themes of faith, family, and home. It’s a great pick for children who are navigating an array of emotions during the holiday season. |
Sunday AFTER Christmas |
Epiphany |
Refuge - by Anne Booth and Sam Usher. Tells a simple story of Christmas from the donkey's perspective. It emphasizes the kindness of strangers and follows the story all the way to Egypt, so an excellent book for a children's message the first or second Sunday after Christmas.
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Intergenerational Epiphany Pageant - Epiphany pageants, those that happen after Christmas and always include the journey of the magi, are becoming increasingly popular. This pageant tells the breadth of the Nativity story, from the angel appearing to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s great joy all the way to the Presentation in the Temple and the joy of Anna and Simeon. *Script below.
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