Give students a writing prompt that will help spark their imaginations. Begin by discussing the holiday with students. Talk about the origins of the holiday and what is associated with it. Tell students that they should begin a journal entry with "If I Were . . ." Go on to tell students that the next word might be Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, Frosty or another Christmas related character. Encourage students to write openly and to discuss how things might change if they were that character. Students find this assignment to be exciting and they will enjoy listening to their classmates' journal entries.
Ask students what this special holiday time means to them. Talk about how the holiday brings some families closer, what is really important and how their family members would view Christmas. Encourage students to sit down and talk with their grandparents about how the festivities have changed over the years. Finally, ask students to write a journal entry about the holiday and how it is special to them. Tell the students to honestly reflect on the time that they have at home. This often leads the children to a greater appreciation of this unique day.
Begin this lesson by reading a children's Christmas book to the class. If time allows, read several books over a period of days. Then explain to students that they will write a journal entry with the prompt, "If I wrote a Christmas story, it would be about . . ." Encourage students to be creative and to take time to plan the story before they begin to write in their journals. Allow students to write about any Christmas related topic they would like. Walk around the room giving guidance where needed and monitoring their progress. Later instruct students to draw a storyboard with pictures and present their Christmas story to the class.
Pose a thought provoking question to students. Ask them if they wish that they could celebrate Christmas everyday of the year. At first, many students will enthusiastically shout that they would, but after spending some time reflecting on this question, many change their minds. Lead a discussion about the positive and negative points of celebrating Christmas every single day. Tell the students to write a journal entry describing whether or not they would change the rules to celebrate Christmas everyday of the year.