Christ Centered Christmas by Hal & Melanie Young



Christmas is one of the most special holidays of the year. Of course, it celebrates the birth of Christ, which is important to all Christians. However, it’s also a day to connect with family and give to one another. The weeks leading up to Christmas also offer a chance to be diligent in our tasks to create life-long memories for our kids. If you would like to enrich the holiday season in your home, Christ-Centered Christmas by Hal & Melanie Young offers excellent suggestions.

About the Youngs


Hal & Melanie Young are Christian authors and speakers who have raised eight children of their own. They seek to encourage parents and Christians in their journey, which they do with this book and many other books they have written about family and parenting. Since Hal was in the military, the Youngs have spent many Christmases away from family, so they had to create their own traditions, which they share in this book.

About Christ-Centered Christmas


The main sections of the book are
  • Introduction
  • Decorating
  • The Ornament of the Year
  • Granny’s Christmas Tea
  • The Advent Season
  • The Christmas Story
  • Caroling Parties
  • Christmas Baking
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Even Menu
  • What about Santa Claus?
  • Christmas Gifts
  • Christmas Day
  • Christmas Feast Menu
  • Old Christmas
  • Other Great Resources
This book is an all-encompassing guide to creating a special, memorable Christmas for your entire family.

The Food


What is any holiday celebration without delicious food? The Youngs share so many recipes in this book for Christmas cookies, to Christmas Eve parties, to Christmas Day celebrations. I love that almost every recipe has a picture to go with it.

The Traditions


They also share their thoughts on developing Christmas traditions such as how they even make decorating the Christmas tree a special celebration for the whole family where they drink the first cup of eggnog for the year and eat a platter of snacks rather than a full meal.

One tradition I love is that each year, they have an ornament of the year. This tradition started the first Christmas the Youngs were married and far from home. Two of their relatives sent them a box with Christmas ornaments from their childhood as well as a new ornament for the two of them together. Because this meant so much to them, the Youngs developed a tradition of keeping ornaments for each of their kids so they may also bless them with this tradition when the kids move out of the house.

The Giving


This book is also inspiring, especially if you’re struggling financially during this season that is all about giving. The Youngs share how they’ve blessed other families when they had the means to do so, and how they in turn have been blessed when they themselves were struggling. The underlying message is to trust God and his providence.

Final Thoughts


While I enjoyed the Youngs’ Christ-Centered Thanksgiving, I enjoyed this book even more. The Youngs have covered all aspects of the Christmas holiday in this book and have shared the rich traditions that their family has. This book is part memorable Christmas manual, part inspirational in your journey with God. I highly recommend this book.


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