Sharing This Week's Gospel Theme at Sunday Church School

Teachers: Much of the children's natural conversation today will be focused on what they got for Christmas. You may want to steer it to a discussion of where they went during vacation, where they stayed, where they slept, which will follow along with the children's message. This will give each child a chance to share their own excitement with their classmates. Discuss feelings of coming home. Some may not have really wanted to come home. The change in routine is harder on some children than others. Some may have wanted to stay in their homes instead of traveling. Feelings are the key issue for this lesson. If time allows, they may want to draw pictures of what they liked best about coming home. While they are drawing, ask them to consider what Mary and Joseph might have liked best about coming home.

Parents: Parents' feelings and their children's feelings may differ greatly on the issue of holiday traveling. Their level of adjustment to new surroundings may also differ. Take a few minutes discussing this with your children before and after you travel or have guests in your home. Holiday tensions are stressful for many!