Faith and prayer

40 Christmas Journal Prompts

These Christmas journal prompts are for Christians who want to keep the birth of Jesus at the center of a full and busy month. You might write them as prayers, as notes beside your Bible reading, or as a few honest lines at the kitchen table before anyone else is up.

They cover the whole season: the wonder of the nativity story, the gatherings and traditions you love, giving and receiving, and the parts that ache. If this Christmas comes with loneliness, grief or strain, you will find prompts that let you say so plainly.

Use them gently. There is no right number to write and no wrong answer to give. You do not need to feel festive to begin. Come as you are, with whatever the season has brought you, and let the page be a place to pray.

All 40 prompts

Each prompt is marked quick (2 to 5 minutes), reflective (about 10 minutes) or deep (20 minutes or more).

  1. Describe a Christmas decoration you love and the story of how it came to you. quick

  2. Which Christmas carol or hymn is staying with you this year, and what line do you keep humming? quick

  3. What smell takes you straight back to a childhood Christmas? quick

  4. Write a short prayer of thanks for one ordinary comfort of the season you noticed today, like a lit window or a warm mug. quick

  5. If you could keep only one tradition this Christmas, which would it be, and why? quick

  6. Who sent you a card, a message or a kind word this season, and what would you like to tell them in return? quick

  7. What does the word wonder mean to you this December? quick

  8. Picture the manger scene. Which figure do you find yourself standing closest to this year? quick

  9. What is one item on your Christmas to-do list you could let go of without losing anything that matters? quick

  10. Describe the best gift you have ever received that cost almost nothing. quick

  11. Write down three things you hope to notice on Christmas Day, so you can watch for them. quick

  12. What Christmas food do you make or eat every year, and who taught you to love it? quick

  13. Read the first twenty verses of Luke 2 slowly. Which moment in the story holds your attention, and why do you think it does? reflective

  14. The shepherds were out working at night when the news came. Where in your ordinary work could you watch for God this season? reflective

  15. Mary held the events of that night close and thought them over. What from this year would you like to hold close and ponder? reflective

  16. How did your family celebrate Christmas when you were young, and what have you kept, changed or set aside since? reflective

  17. Think of a gathering you are looking forward to. What do you hope to give the people there besides presents? reflective

  18. Think of a gathering you are dreading. What would help you walk in with a little more peace, and what would you like to pray before you go? reflective

  19. Write about a time someone gave to you generously when you could not give back. How did it feel to receive? reflective

  20. Who in your life might find Christmas hard this year, and what is one simple way you could reach toward them? reflective

  21. If you are raising children, what do you hope they remember about Christmas in your home years from now? reflective

  22. Which Christmas traditions came from each of your families, and which ones are the two of you building together? reflective

  23. Where do you feel the pull between the busyness of the season and the quiet it is meant to hold? Write honestly about both. reflective

  24. The name Emmanuel means God with us. Where have you sensed that nearness this year, even in small ways? reflective

  25. What would it look like to give a gift this Christmas that no one will ever know came from you? reflective

  26. Write a prayer for the people you will see this Christmas, naming each one and one thing you hope for them. reflective

  27. Jesus was born into a crowded, uncertain place. Write about a part of your life that feels crowded or uncertain now, and pray about it in your own words. deep

  28. If Christmas is hard for you this year, write honestly about why. You do not need to tidy it up before you bring it to God. deep

  29. Who is missing from your table this Christmas? Write a letter to them, or about them, sharing what you wish they could see this year. deep

  30. If you will spend much of Christmas alone, write about what you need from the day and one small way you might honor the birth of Jesus in your own company. deep

  31. Write about a Christmas that did not go the way you hoped. Looking back, what did you learn, and what are you still carrying? deep

  32. The wise men traveled a long way following a light they did not fully understand. What are you following in your faith right now, even without all the answers? deep

  33. Is there someone you need to forgive, or ask forgiveness from, this season? Write what you would want to say and what holds you back. deep

  34. What expectations about Christmas, your own or other people's, weigh on you? Write which ones you want to keep and which you want to lay down in prayer. deep

  35. The birth of Jesus came as a gift, not something earned. Write about how easy or hard it is for you to receive grace without trying to repay it. deep

  36. Describe the Christmas you most want, not the perfect one but the true one. Who is there, what happens, and what would make it holy for you? deep

  37. Imagine yourself at the manger in the quiet after the visitors have gone. What would you want to say or bring? Write it as a prayer. deep

  38. How has your understanding of Christmas changed since you were a child? Write about what has deepened and what you miss. deep

  39. Write a prayer of hope for the coming year, beginning with what this Christmas has stirred in you. deep

How to use these prompts

Pick any prompt that catches your eye, or start at the top with the lighter ones and move toward the deeper ones as the season goes on. Quick prompts take two to five minutes. Deeper ones may need twenty minutes or more, so save those for a quiet evening or a slow morning. Many people like to write a little each day from early December through Christmas Day. If you feel stuck, copy the prompt at the top of the page and answer it in one plain sentence, or turn it into a short prayer that addresses God and says what is true for you right now. You can always skip a prompt and come back to it later.

Questions

Do I have to be in a festive mood to use these prompts?

No. Several prompts are written for people who find the holidays hard, and you are welcome to bring tiredness, sadness or mixed feelings to the page. Honest prayer belongs at Christmas too.

Can I use these prompts with a small group or youth group?

Yes. Many of the reflective prompts work well as discussion questions. Give everyone a few quiet minutes to write first, and let anyone pass on sharing.

How are these different from Advent journal prompts?

Advent prompts focus on waiting and preparing in the weeks before Christmas. These center on the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the season around it, so they fit well from mid December into the first days of the new year.

What if Christmas brings up grief for me?

Many people find that the holidays stir up loss. Write as honestly as you need to, take breaks when you want them, and reach out to someone you trust or a counselor if the weight feels like too much to carry alone.