Dec 8, 2013
Advent Wreath
A new tradition our family is starting this year is a personal advent wreath. We bought candle holders and candles from Christian Book Distributors and we are taking the time to light each candle and discuss it's meaning each week. Along with this we are reading Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide - "In this widely popular, exciting story for the advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel Bethlehem Arnold
Dec 7, 2013
Traditions - Why Do You Do What You Do
This isn't hard because most Christmas traditions already have a spiritual meaning. The problem is we take the time to DO our Christmas traditions, but a lot of times we don't take the time to explain why we're doing them to our children. A GREAT book for helping children find Jesus in our holiday traditions is The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel. There are 25 different sections, so you can cover a section a day starting on December 1st. For example, did you know that an English missionary was the first person to use the evergreen tree as a symbol for God? He referred to it's triangular shape and said that it represented the trinity. Also, we know that Jesus died for us on a cross (from a tree) - remind your children of that.
From Lisa's book - Have you ever noticed that the boughs of your tree extend out like the arms of Jesus stretched upon the cross as He offered His life to anyone who would come to Him in faith? And your Christmas tree is very definitely pointing toward heaven and, as Jesus did with His words and His actions, drawing our attention to the Father who loves us.
Take some time with your traditions and find a spiritual lesson for each one. Your children will remember why you do the things you do for Christmas and they will remember that each one reflects Jesus!
From Lisa's book - Have you ever noticed that the boughs of your tree extend out like the arms of Jesus stretched upon the cross as He offered His life to anyone who would come to Him in faith? And your Christmas tree is very definitely pointing toward heaven and, as Jesus did with His words and His actions, drawing our attention to the Father who loves us.
Take some time with your traditions and find a spiritual lesson for each one. Your children will remember why you do the things you do for Christmas and they will remember that each one reflects Jesus!
Dec 5, 2013
Camping Under the Christmas Tree
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is sleeping under the Christmas tree. Ok, well not actually UNDER the Christmas tree. One night during the Christmas season we put sleeping bags in the living room by the Christmas tree and have our camp out there. We also watch The Polar Express together on this night (this can be the day you set up your tree, December 1st, the first weekend in December, whatever you decide as a family).
After watching The Polar Express we talk about how we also can miss so much in life (just like the boy can't hear the bells or the music) when we don't believe in Jesus. Faith is just believing!
After watching The Polar Express we talk about how we also can miss so much in life (just like the boy can't hear the bells or the music) when we don't believe in Jesus. Faith is just believing!
Dec 4, 2013
Marvel at God's Majesty
Taken from Have a Mary Christmas by Karen Kingsbury
Author Robert Ketchum tells of a Sunday school teacher who asked her students if anyone could quote the entire 23rd Psalm. A girl - not quite 5 years old - raised her hand. Doubting the child's ability, the teacher asked the girl if she could really recite the entire Scripture. She smiled, nodded and walked to the front of the room. With the joy of the Lord shining in her eyes, she said, "The Lord is my shepherd, that's all I want." And she sat back down.
If only we could spend more of our Christmas hours holding tight to that single thought. The Lord is everything to us. He is truly all we need, all we could ever want. For only God can give us the best gifts of all - the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
As Christmas draws near again, I am reminded once more of Kelsey's precious card: a Christmas tree, a cross and the two of us holding hands. What else could anyone want? I will spend the rest of my Christmases determined to experience December in a way I will remember. I will mend relationships, make time for traditions, and marvel at His majesty - and I will teach my children the same precious habits. By doing so, I can always be sure to do what Kelsey wanted me to do so many years ago - Have a Mary Christmas.
Author Robert Ketchum tells of a Sunday school teacher who asked her students if anyone could quote the entire 23rd Psalm. A girl - not quite 5 years old - raised her hand. Doubting the child's ability, the teacher asked the girl if she could really recite the entire Scripture. She smiled, nodded and walked to the front of the room. With the joy of the Lord shining in her eyes, she said, "The Lord is my shepherd, that's all I want." And she sat back down.
If only we could spend more of our Christmas hours holding tight to that single thought. The Lord is everything to us. He is truly all we need, all we could ever want. For only God can give us the best gifts of all - the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
As Christmas draws near again, I am reminded once more of Kelsey's precious card: a Christmas tree, a cross and the two of us holding hands. What else could anyone want? I will spend the rest of my Christmases determined to experience December in a way I will remember. I will mend relationships, make time for traditions, and marvel at His majesty - and I will teach my children the same precious habits. By doing so, I can always be sure to do what Kelsey wanted me to do so many years ago - Have a Mary Christmas.
Dec 3, 2013
Make Time for Traditions
Taken from Have a Mary Christmas by Karen Kingsbury
I recently tried an experiment with my kids. During a family dinner I asked them to tell me about the Christmas presents they received last year. The kids - all 6 of them - drew a blank. They looked at me and then at one another, and panic appeared in their eyes.
"Ok," I said, "what do you remember?"
Their faces lit up.
"Our gingerbread house competition!"Austin
"Baking cookies and caroling," EJ and Sean cried out.
The conversation that followed was on I'll always remember. We talked about our favorite family traditions. Every year our kids form teams of two and decorate gingerbread houses. EAch team is awarded a prize - something like "Most Creative," "Best Effort," and so forth. We play Christmas music, laugh a lot, and take a ton of pictures. The gingerbread houses remain a part of our Christmas decorations for the entire season.
We also love baking our favorite Christmas cookies, placing them on decorative trays, and delivering them to friends and family. We wear Christmas hats and bring along others who want to join us. Then we stand at front doors and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and "Deck the Halls." Sometimes my husband, Don, brings his guitar. It's always a wonderful night.
In addition, we have an old fashioned wooden Advent calendar - complete with little compartments and tiny painted wooden doors. We fill the 24 hiding places with Scripture verses, notes detailing a kind thing that one child can do for another child in the family, and candy. Each of the kids opens four doors throughout the month of December. We also read aloud The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever, and we have a handful of Christmas movies we watch. Family traditions are a great way to take Christmas slowly and make the days count.
I recently tried an experiment with my kids. During a family dinner I asked them to tell me about the Christmas presents they received last year. The kids - all 6 of them - drew a blank. They looked at me and then at one another, and panic appeared in their eyes.
"Ok," I said, "what do you remember?"
Their faces lit up.
"Our gingerbread house competition!"
"Baking cookies and caroling," EJ and Sean cried out.
The conversation that followed was on I'll always remember. We talked about our favorite family traditions. Every year our kids form teams of two and decorate gingerbread houses. EAch team is awarded a prize - something like "Most Creative," "Best Effort," and so forth. We play Christmas music, laugh a lot, and take a ton of pictures. The gingerbread houses remain a part of our Christmas decorations for the entire season.
We also love baking our favorite Christmas cookies, placing them on decorative trays, and delivering them to friends and family. We wear Christmas hats and bring along others who want to join us. Then we stand at front doors and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and "Deck the Halls." Sometimes my husband, Don, brings his guitar. It's always a wonderful night.
In addition, we have an old fashioned wooden Advent calendar - complete with little compartments and tiny painted wooden doors. We fill the 24 hiding places with Scripture verses, notes detailing a kind thing that one child can do for another child in the family, and candy. Each of the kids opens four doors throughout the month of December. We also read aloud The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever, and we have a handful of Christmas movies we watch. Family traditions are a great way to take Christmas slowly and make the days count.
Dec 2, 2013
Mend Relationships
Taken from Have a Mary Christmas by Karen Kingsbury
Matthew 5:23-24 tells us, "If you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
The same is true with the people we love. Why race through the mall to find the perfect gift for a sister or a parent when the relationship with that person is strained or neglected? Christmas - more than any other season - is the perfect time to take stock of the people God has placed in our lives. Do we owe someone an apology? Should we take someone out for coffee and let them know we care? Is there a letter we could write or a phone call we could place? These are beautiful gifts, and they should be given before we spend a moment's thought about buying commercial present for these loves ones.
Matthew 5:23-24 tells us, "If you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
The same is true with the people we love. Why race through the mall to find the perfect gift for a sister or a parent when the relationship with that person is strained or neglected? Christmas - more than any other season - is the perfect time to take stock of the people God has placed in our lives. Do we owe someone an apology? Should we take someone out for coffee and let them know we care? Is there a letter we could write or a phone call we could place? These are beautiful gifts, and they should be given before we spend a moment's thought about buying commercial present for these loves ones.
Dec 1, 2013
Countdown to Christmas
December 1st - can you believe it? Where has this year gone? There's no better gift we can give then to give God this month - set aside to reflect on Him and worship Him.
There are so many things you can do to make sure you're keeping Jesus at the center of Christmas and I will be sharing some ideas with you for the rest of this month.
Because this is the first day of December, a lot of families will begin using their "advent" calendar to count down the days until Christmas. Our family has a little different take on this. Instead of opening a door or untying something and getting a piece of candy, we will do the following:
Make a linked chain with construction paper. Cut out 24 strips of construction paper for your chain and before linking them together have the family write on each strip a different name of somebody they love. This can be family, friends, schoolmates, coworkers, whatever (we've had the children's pastor, family members, and yes, even Tony Hawk on our strips). Once you have a name on every strip of paper go ahead and link the papers together to make a chain. This will be your countdown to Christmas chain. Every night at dinner (or whenever it works best for your family), take a link off of the chain and pray together as a family for the person who's listed on that link. The chain will give the kids a visual of how many days until Christmas, but instead of just getting candy (you could give candy each day too if you wanted), they're being reminded to pray for these people.
Also, when talking about the countdown to Christmas, be sure to talk to your kids about why we're counting down. It's just like when somebody special is coming to visit us and we count down the days until they get here - that's what Christmas is! The day that Jesus came and visited us! So, we're not counting down the days until we get presents, we're counting down the days until our very special visitor came to earth to visit us, to live for us, and to die for us.
What an exciting countdown!
There are so many things you can do to make sure you're keeping Jesus at the center of Christmas and I will be sharing some ideas with you for the rest of this month.
Because this is the first day of December, a lot of families will begin using their "advent" calendar to count down the days until Christmas. Our family has a little different take on this. Instead of opening a door or untying something and getting a piece of candy, we will do the following:
Make a linked chain with construction paper. Cut out 24 strips of construction paper for your chain and before linking them together have the family write on each strip a different name of somebody they love. This can be family, friends, schoolmates, coworkers, whatever (we've had the children's pastor, family members, and yes, even Tony Hawk on our strips). Once you have a name on every strip of paper go ahead and link the papers together to make a chain. This will be your countdown to Christmas chain. Every night at dinner (or whenever it works best for your family), take a link off of the chain and pray together as a family for the person who's listed on that link. The chain will give the kids a visual of how many days until Christmas, but instead of just getting candy (you could give candy each day too if you wanted), they're being reminded to pray for these people.
Also, when talking about the countdown to Christmas, be sure to talk to your kids about why we're counting down. It's just like when somebody special is coming to visit us and we count down the days until they get here - that's what Christmas is! The day that Jesus came and visited us! So, we're not counting down the days until we get presents, we're counting down the days until our very special visitor came to earth to visit us, to live for us, and to die for us.
What an exciting countdown!
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