Last fall, I found THIS post and fell in love with the idea of a birthday party for Jesus in a box (wait…nobody puts Jesus in a box!) We were looking for something to give to all of the children in our church’s weekday preschool prior to the beginning of advent that would 1) create excitement about the Advent season, 2) connect the families of the preschool to the ministries of the church 3) equip families with tools for faith development as they teach their children about the coming of the Christ Child and 4) serve as an invitation to participate in the Advent season with Central Christian Church.

I found the adorable gabled boxes from Papermart.com. Give yourself plenty of shipping time, though, because ours sat on a FedEx truck for 2 extra days since our FedEx guy supposedly attempted delivery after our offices were closed. We got our boxes the night before we were to hand them out!  Yay for extra help in filling the boxes!

Each box contained a box of cake mix (we used vanilla and also purchased “gluten free” cake mix for children with allergies), a container of vanilla or cream cheese frosting, some green and red Christmas sprinkles, a Central Christian Church Program Guide, and a card specifically listing Advent opportunities for children and families.

Tied to the outside of the box was a card with an explanation. It was our hope that families would take time on or around Christmas day to host their own Birthday Party for Jesus. We attempted to promote the hashtag #CCCJesusbday, but only a few used it, or privacy settings on facebook and instagram limited the number of posts we could actually see. I know that I tagged each of my photos, but only one showed up when I searched via the hashtag.

We also gave a box as a party favor to each family that attends Central on Sunday mornings. We have an annual Birthday Party for Jesus (going on 20+ years now!) during Children’s Church on the Sunday before Christmas, so the CCCKidCentral children got their boxes as they left church that morning.

My family enjoyed Christmas morning at home and then at my parents’ home later in the morning. That afternoon, the children and I gathered in my mom’s kitchen to bake our cake together. We made a memory and I also had the opportunity for my children to remind me of the real reason we celebrate Christmas! Emmanuel, God with us.