There is a reason we celebrate holidays; they're more than just eating, seeing family and getting time off work. Holidays are created to help us remember. We remember the grateful Pilgrims, the birth of Christ, and the passing year. But too often, people forget the real reason for the celebration, or have never understood it from the beginning. Here are 20 fresh ideas to help you make the most of the upcoming holidays. Use the calendar to start conversations about Christ.

Many of the ideas require ordering information or suggestions on how to apply them, which wasn't included in the printed magazine. This information is included in italics after the appropriate idea.

Thanksgiving > November 24

1. Take leftovers to a non-Christian co-worker and tell that person why you're thankful for him or her. Include a brochure published by Priority Associates (a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ) called "The History of Thanksgiving," which includes an invitation for the person to begin a 21-day "faith experiment" by reading through the Gospel of John.

Give away an evangelistic holiday brochure about Thanksgiving.

2. Invite a friend or neighbor to join your Thanksgiving meal. You can show the love of Christ in a tangible way and have a meaningful conversation over dinner. Talk about what you're thankful for . . . and Whom you're thanking.

3. For people far away, send the book Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember, by Campus Crusade staff member Barbara Rainey. Available as an audio book or a hardbound coffee-table book, it tells the history of the Pilgrims' journey, and how faith played a role in almost all their actions. Take the audio book along for the busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving). The book includes a CD of hymns like For the Beauty of the Earth.

Create new family traditions with Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember (available in audio book or a hardbound book.)

Advent > begins November 27

4. Advent marks the beginning of the church year, and starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The word Advent means "coming," and it is a time to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Many churches make Advent devotional books with short passages to read every day, and even non-Christian neighbors might enjoy lighting one candle a week on your Advent wreath. Help them see past the symbolism to the reality of Christ in your life.

5. For families with children, consider a gift called Adorenaments™, produced by FamilyLife. A set of 12 cardboard ornaments helps children and adults learn more about Jesus through short devotionals about the 12 names of Christ. Starting 12 days before Christmas, hang one ornament on the tree per day.

Give someone Adorenaments™ to help bring Jesus into focus during the Christmas rush.

6. You're almost guaranteed to be standing in line during December. Meet the people in front of you. Talk about the season of hope instead of complaining about the crowds.

St. Nicholas Day > December 6

7. Most people have no idea about how the real story of St. Nicholas became the legend of Santa Claus. As you send Christmas cards, tuck a brochure about St. Nicholas inside. Published by Priority Associates, the brochure includes personal applications and an invitation to begin the same 21-day faith experiment mentioned in idea No. 1.

Uncover this evangelistic opportunity using a holiday brochure.

Pearl Harbor Day > December 7

8. An often-forgotten holiday is Pearl Harbor Day, remembering the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the United States' involvement in World War II. Some people may respond to this holiday with more emotion than to Christmas. But do your patriotic friends know the story of Mitsuo Fuchida, the lead Japanese bomber into Pearl Harbor, who later in life became a Christian and spent time traveling and teaching about peace and forgiveness? His story could lead to some interesting conversations.

Read the redemptive story of Mitsuo Fuchida.

Christmas > December 25

9. Send Christmas cards. When Mary Jane Morgan became a Christian in 1962, she began inserting a gospel tract like the Four Spiritual Laws into her Christmas cards. "They just had pretty cards back then," she says, "but nothing with the gospel. So I just put the gospel in." As a child, Mary Jane's neighbor Patti Hallberg remembers talking to her mother about the gospel because of the tract Mary Jane had sent. As you send cards, pray for the people as you sign the cards. Pray also for the people you get cards from.

Order tracts and booklets to include in your Christmas cards.

10. Give out JESUS videos or DVDs. Based on the Gospel of Luke, the JESUS film tells the story of Christ from His birth to death and resurrection. Give it out in a fruit basket, with cookies and hot cocoa mix, or by itself.

Purchase gift copies of the JESUS movie.

11. Have a party. Invite people to your house for a Christmas coffee or dinner. Ask people to remember a Christmas tradition and talk about what Christmas means to them. Invite people to a Bible study after the holidays are over.

Read tips on how to host an evangelistic Christmas coffee.

12. Invite everyone to church with you. People are most open to attending church during Christmas and Easter, so invite everyone you know. Also invite them to special church programs like a children's pageant, live Nativity scene, or Christmas cantata. Engage them in conversation afterward. Ask questions like: "Did your family have any religious traditions during the holidays?", "Where do you see yourself on your spiritual journey?" and "Would you like to know God personally?"

13. Invite the neighborhood children over for a birthday party for Jesus. Have a cake, play birthday and Christmas games (like Pin the Tail on Mary's Donkey), tell the story of Jesus' birth, and talk about His life.

14. Volunteer. You never know whom you might meet. Ring the bell for the Salvation Army, play Santa Claus, or serve in a soup kitchen. Visit prisons, hospitals or nursing homes. Talk about the reason for the season.

15. Go caroling. Invite neighbors, friends and co-workers to join you. Even invite the people who hear you singing to join your group. Talk about the meaning of the songs between houses.

16. "What God Wants for Christmas," the latest outreach tool from FamilyLife, tells the story of Jesus' birth through a book and seven gift boxes. Six boxes contain hand-painted figures for kids to place in the pop-up manger scene; the last box contains a mirror to reveal what God really wants for Christmas: you!

Give someone this interactive nativity set for kids.

17. Do something nice for a neighbor. Shovel someone's sidewalk or offer to help put up Christmas lights. It's not just about giving gifts; it's about giving of ourselves.

Hanukkah > December 26

18. "Without Hanukkah, there wouldn't be Christmas," says Campus Crusade staff member Laura Fels. She uses resources from Chosen People Ministries, a Christian outreach to Jewish people. Find out the history of Hanukkah and talk with your Jewish friends about it.

Chosen People Ministries can help you connect with your Jewish friends and neighbors.

New Year's Day > January 1

19. New year, new start, new life in Christ. The new year offers a bridge to talking about starting fresh with God, and how we have that opportunity every day. Use the occasion to talk about what a new start with God looks like.

20. As everyone makes resolutions, talk about why people want to change, and how change really happens. Offer to start a Bible study or prayer group.

Many Bible studies have been written specifically for those seeking answers about Christianity and those that are new believers in Christ.

Priority Associates (Campus Crusade's outreach to businessmen and women) produced a seven-session evangelistic discussion series that can be used in offices over lunch, focusing on the subject of success. They also offer a four-session study presenting a challenging look at what the Bible says about Jesus Christ, aimed specifically at people who have made no Christian commitment or who are spiritually uncertain.

LifeBuilders, another ministry of Campus Crusade, also has Bible studies available for both seekers and new Christians. InterVarsity Press also sells several Bible studies for seekers, used by some Campus Crusade staff members.

For people who have just become Christians or want to understand their faith, consider these studies:

• Life Concepts is a five-session series explaining the basics of the Christian faith, including salvation, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit.
• God: Discover His Character Bible study discusses the attributes of God in a 13-session video series.
• Five Steps to Christian Growth helps new believers discover five cornerstones of Christianity.
• Campus Crusade for Christ offers many more Bible studies discipleship materials.