As Christmas draws near, what song is on repeat in your heart and mind? One that often comes to mind for me is “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Go ahead, sing along:

🎵 It’s the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you be of good cheer!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Such a joyful tune, right? But if you’re leading in kids’ ministry this season, maybe your lyrics sound a bit more like this:

🎵 It’s the most BUSIEST time of the year!
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you, “I can’t be here!”
It’s the most BUSIEST time of the year.

🎵 It’s the cra-CRAZIEST season of all!
With very long meetings and multiple services
And families come to call,
It’s the cra-CRAZIEST season of all!

🎵 There’ll be classrooms for hosting,
Volunteers for the roasting,
And shoveling snow if it falls.
But there’ll also be stories
Of truths and the glories
Of Jesus, the Savior of all!

Sound familiar? Christmas in kids' ministry is a beautiful whirlwind of preparation, and at Bethel Church, we’re deep in it! Here’s a glimpse of what’s on our plate this December:

-Organizing a Kids’ Christmas Choir for multiple services (that’s 100 kids—cute, singing, and secure!).
-Prepping Christmas lessons for every classroom.
-Prepping Christmas activities for every classroom.
-Selecting Christmas songs to be used in the classrooms throughout December.
-Planning crafts, snacks, and activities that celebrate Jesus’ birth.
-Creating a festive Old-Fashioned Christmas Photo Station.
-Decorating our space with Christmas trees, nativity scenes, and more.
-Staffing extra classrooms for the additional Christmas Eve services.
-Sending out Christmas cards to all our volunteers
-And more!!!

Oh, and let’s not forget—Sunday still happens every week! Feeling the weight yet?

Finding Focus in the Chaos

So how do we stay focused on the awe of Christmas amid the busyness? How do we lead our teams, serve families, and still make space to celebrate with our own loved ones? After 20+ years in kids’ ministry, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that focus doesn’t happen by accident—it takes intention. Here are three simple tips to help us keep Christ at the center this season:

ASK

Start each day with prayer and ask God to fill you with joy and perspective. Surrender your to-do list to Him and invite Him into your weakness. He delights in helping us when we admit we can’t do it all alone.

ADVENT

Use an Advent devotional to prepare your own heart, not just the hearts of the families you serve. If you gave one to your families this year, use it yourself. If you’re looking for a recommendation, I love “Come, Let Us Adore Him” by Paul Tripp. Whatever resource you choose, let it draw you into worship and reflection this season.

ABIDE

One of my favorite words! To abide means to be all in or dwell deeply. Let’s abide in the wonder of our Savior’s birth. Let the truth of Jesus’ coming anchor your soul as you prepare crafts, lead meetings, and staff classrooms.

The True Wonder of Christmas

This is the most wonderful time of the year—not because of the busyness or traditions, but because of the greatest gift ever given: Jesus Christ. The perfect baby was born to rescue us from our sins. That’s the good news we get to share every single week, especially during this season.

Let this truth be your motivation for all you do this December. And don’t forget to take a moment—pause, breathe, and remember the awe of Christmas.

Merry Christmas, friends. You’ve got this!

Melissa Anderson has had the joy of serving as the Director of Kids Ministries at Bethel Church in Crown Point for 20 years. She is passionate about ministry leadership, shepherding parents, and loving kids. Melissa has been blessed to be married to her husband, Jeff, for 42 years. Together, they have raised three wonderful children, who are now married and have given them eight adorable grandchildren. Her family and ministry are the heart of her life, and she is grateful for the opportunity to pour into both every day.