Christmas Table Topics: 4 Conversations to Build Lasting Family Values

When your family gathers around the Christmas table, the conversation will probably ebb and flow across dozens of subjects; it may be the perfect opportunity for you to introduce conversation topics about family values and goals. These moments at the Christmas table are a time to engage your family in a discussion about the legacy you are building together. The questions and topics below will help to integrate family values like generosity into your discussions and help you pass on lasting values:

Christmas Table Discussion Topic 1: Discuss causes you enjoyed supporting. What made that generosity meaningful?

Whether you generously support the same causes year after year or tend to give broadly, make space to evaluate how your generosity aligns with your values. Make sure all your family members are still in agreement about what matters and why it matters. Are there things you have learned this year that you may want to apply to next year?

Christmas Table Discussion Topic 2: What does legacy mean to you? How do your family values fit in?

At The Signatry, we talk about legacy as the social, emotional, spiritual, and financial capital you pass on to the next generation. What does this mean to your family? As you look back on your generosity from the year, what insights does it give your family into the legacy you want to leave? Make sure you are making real progress toward your goals by taking time to clarify your vision, purpose, and family values. Legacy is shaped through intentional action. So why not intentionally discuss your family values at the Christmas table this year?

Christmas Table Discussion Topic 3:  What would it mean to have a reputation of generosity?

In his book Genius of Generosity, Chip Ingram says, “Giving money and time are the training wheels of generosity.” Time and money are the basics that God calls us to lay down, and these sacrifices are only the first steps in a life oriented around generosity. In your family, how did you grow in generosity this year? Where was your faith stretched as you were more generous with your plans, your future, and your heart? Beginning to cast vision around what it means to be generous as a family may make us uncomfortable at first. However, we are later rewarded with an incredibly joy-filled, Kingdom-led life, and that is a life worth pursuing.

Christmas Table Discussion Topic 4:  Create a family giving statement for next year.

With generosity, it is all too easy to slip into routines and comfort zones. Use this time at the end of the year to renew your family values, purpose, vision. Pray together about where God is calling you to grow. Invite all your family members to contribute their ideas, priorities, and insights into a collective purpose statement.

As your family gathers around the Christmas table, our prayer is that celebrating the ultimate generosity of God inspires you to further reflect Him. Chip Ingram describes us as mirrors of God’s generosity:

If you could stand outside our world and look into it, you would see a stark picture. The world operates on principles of getting and keeping and controlling, with everyone competing against each other for pieces of the pie. But if you look at the Incarnation through the lens of generosity, you would have to conclude that the Kingdom of God operates on different principles than the world does.

We become small mirrors of the generosity of the King. That’s life in the Kingdom. That’s pure genius. And it can radically change not only your life but also your world. – Chip Ingram

You and your family were created with purpose. Together, you can leave lasting family values that will impact the world in the unique ways God created for you. Lean into the conversation this Christmas.

 

This article was originally published on December 17, 2021.