It sounds a bit blunt, but James 1:22 says the same thing:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” 

Dr. Wood went on to share an example in his own life. He grows his hair long because of his theology. I know you’re thinking, “like Sampson or something?” It started that way as a vow while he finished his doctorate. When that finished and he went to cut his hair he found out he could donate it to make wigs for people who have lost their hair, whether they be cancer survivors or people dealing with alopecia, etc. Often these people have suffered much, and losing hair on top of that is quite demeaning. His theology that people are made in the image of God and that wigs can restore dignity to those image bearers, informed his decision to keep growing, cutting and donating his hair. His theology of humanity informed a simple thing like how he wears his hair.

It’s easy to look at this and say, “good for him,” and move on with our lives. Maybe we don’t have to grow out our hair and periodically chop it off, but if our theology impacts our lives, we can think about how we might approach our holiday traditions. What connections are our current traditions building in our children? What is informing those connections? What ought to inform those traditions to build the right connections in our children? Are there any traditions we need to stop to make room for the ones we want?

A simple thing like lighting the Advent candles at home each week while reading scripture can build strong connections in our children of waiting for and anticipating Jesus’ coming. It can reinforce our theology that Jesus is the center of Christmas, and that just as they waited in the Old Testament for his first coming, we wait for his second. Try following the Jesus Storybook Bible Advent schedule, or reading related scripture in the International Children’s Version, or even the NIV or ESV.

If we truly believe that God is abundance and that he provides all that we need, like the manna in the desert (see Exodus 16) that there is always enough, then we can give to others without feeling Scroogy or focusing on wanting and getting. A simple thing like taking goodies to our neighbors or packing a Thanksgiving bag for Manna Center, or bringing coats for Bright Futures can build strong connections to our theology of God’s abundance and provision and our theology of honoring and bringing dignity to those fellow image bearers. Or not going through that giant Walmart toy catalog to stir up feelings of discontentedness and scarcity can redirect us to God’s abundance.

We also have to say it out loud, though. Living it is good, really good. We want our kids to see our example, but we also have to explain that we’re not doing these things just because they’re nice things to do, or good activities, but because what we believe actually changes the way we live. Anyone can do good things, but when we explain how our theology informs our daily living, we are teaching our children to articulate their faith in a deeper, more meaningful way. They can connect our belief and our action, and see how what we believe changes who we are.