Protestant families now incorporate it as part of their Advent traditions. One of the oldest versions of the Jesse Tree can be seen in Chartres Cathedral,.
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Copyright © 2014 Vibrant Homeschooling
All rights reserved. This series originally ran on VibrantHomeschooling.com from November 21 through December 25, 2014. No portion of this e-book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior permission of Vibrant Homeschooling Owner/Editor Alicia Kazsuk except as a free resource for contributors to the “12 Days of Christmas Teachable Moments” series to share on their websites.
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Table of Contents Series Contributors and Acknowledgments
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Series Introduction: Do All (Christmas) Things In Love 5 Day 1: How (and Why) We’re Doing Christmas Differently9 Day 2: Practical Ways to Teach Kids About the Persecuted at Christmas 16 Day 3: How to Celebrate Advent with a Jesse Tree
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Day 4: How to Pray the Scriptures Through Advent
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Day 5: Crafting True Christmas Magic: Our Family’s Simpler Approach to the Holidays 34 Day 6: Counting Down to Advent with 25 Random Acts of Christmas Kindness 44 Day 7: Family Craft Project: Easy Christmas Wrapping Paper
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Day 8: Why I’m So Glad We Made Time for Christmas Memories 64 Day 9: 10 Candy Cane Activities That Keep Christ in Christmas Day 10: 10+ Ways to Learn with Christmas Baking
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Day 11: Short Term Missions: What My Daughter and I Learned in Mexico This Christmas 79 Day 12: Learning History Through Christmas Hymns and Carols 91 Contributor Biographies
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Series Contributors and Acknowledgments A huge thanks to all the wonderful women who contributed their time, talents and resources to this series! You can learn more about them in the “Contributor Biographies” section at the end of the book.
Bonnie Rose at WriteBonnieRose.com Jenn at SimblissityCottage.com Candace Crabtree at MercyIsNew.com Melissa Camara Wilkins at MelissaCamaraWilkins.com Penny Rogers at OurCrazyAdventuresInAutismland.com Connie Albers at ConnieAlbers.com Kristi Clover at RaisingClovers.com Kim Staten at LifeOverCs.com Angie Mosteller at CelebratingHolidays.com Alicia Kazsuk at VibrantHomeschooling.com
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Series Introduction: Do All (Christmas) Things In Love by Alicia Kazsuk of VibrantHomeschooling.com
I write these words with hopeful anticipation. Not for all the awesome ideas from the bloggers in this series. But because of the potential here—a potential for a great returning back to what this holiday season can mean for homeschool families. One point I want to make clear: this series is not about asking you to do more. It’s also not asking you to give up your time-honored family traditions. 5
Nor is it’s purpose to make you feel guilty for what traditions you may not be doing. It is simply to say—in the voice of each family represented by each blogger—this is how our family will use the next 5 weeks to allow us to focus back to the true life found only in Christ. These families are saying that Christmas provides so many valuable, muchneeded lessons outside the school books… and they’re desiring to dig in and discover those rich treasures. In short, this series is a call for families to discover the true definition of God’s love at Christmas. And there are no two families that will do that in the same way. I do want to caution us (myself being the first in line here) on a critical aspect of this discovery of Christmas love. This caution can be best summarized in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7: If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
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Our Christmas activities—even our well-intentioned, Pinterest-worthy ones —are empty and meaningless if they are not in every shape and form about honoring Jesus. That means that I could put together the most beautiful craft project for my kids… and yet, if I am a insufferable, inflexible grouch during the project (“No, we can only do it this way and in this timeframe, kids!!”) then the entire experience is meaningless! Better to step back and let the project just come together (misplaced shepherds in the manager scene and all) or even to stop the project if it cannot be done in a calm, honoring manner to God and to each other (please know that I am speaking to myself on this one). What are we really trying to communicate in this season anyway? That more activities and more stuff is better (no matter how much those activities or things may drain our time, energy and resources)? Instead, what if we simply stuck to a few core, meaningful activities… and did those with great meaning, calm spirits and loving intention? Wouldn’t this (at least attempt to) communicate the depth and height of God’s great love—a message that the world is very open to hearing at Christmastime? Christmas doesn’t have to be a season of busy-ness but instead a season when we let His business rule in our hearts. A time when we drop our own agendas, slow
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things down a bit and let His Spirit lead us on a wondrous discovery of His love through the story of the birth of His Son, Jesus. None of us can or ever will perfectly do any of the activities we’ll mention. We will mess up this season in one way or another. And yet, even this imperfection points us back to what the manger so clearly reveals: We are all sinners in desperate need of a Savior. Therefore, it’s my prayer that each of these posts would give you practical tools and examples of just a few ways that we can guide our families on a discovery of Christmas love. Read each one prayerfully, asking God if this is one avenue He wants to use to lead you closer to Him this Christmas. I leave you with Hebrews 12:28, which I read this morning afresh with the Christmas story in mind: Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. Yes, let us bow down and worship Him anew this Christmas season. And may many be blessed and encouraged when they see His light—His true, unmistakable love—shining in our hearts.
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Day 1: How (and Why) We’re Doing Christmas Differently by Alicia Kazsuk of VibrantHomeschooling.com
The last few months have been pretty stressful around here. Many of the kids are going through some big life-adjustments, and honestly, it’s taken a toll on our relationships and quality time together. So when my husband and I began talking about the holidays, we knew instantly that we didn’t need an over-done, frantic season of never-ending activities. 9
This Christmas, we decided that we wanted to focus our family’s teachable moments around things that would replenish and refuel. We asked ourselves some hard questions like: •
What things would strengthen our family and, most of all, bring glory to Christ in this season?
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What areas do we want to challenge ourselves and our kids to grow in?
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In our family’s particular life season, what key mindsets do we each need to develop in order to fall more in love with Jesus?
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What do we really want Christmas to be about?
Honestly answering these questions meant that we’d need to change things up a little from previous years. It meant perhaps saying no to some good things (if they didn't support our overall vision); and being willing to try some new ideas (some that could be a little uncomfortable to implement). But it also meant a commitment to re-focus more intently on other concepts, such as approaching the Christmas story with new awestruck wonder and simple reverence; and asking God to truly show us how to love each other deeply in unique and practical ways. Using these answers as our plumb-line, here’s how we’ve decided to approach the holidays this year.
1. We’re putting the books away at the beginning of December. 10
We’ve always continued plowing through our subjects until around December 18 or so. But this year we’re taking advantage of the fact that our co-op ends on December 2. On December 3, we’re going to step away from our learning plan and just give ourselves space. Space to create. Time to show genuine love where its needed. We’re going to make some simple projects together. We’ll try a few decadent Christmas cookie recipes. A few of my kids want to learn to crochet. I may do some sewing with my daughter. We’ll see what Christmas crafts we can get into trouble with. I’m clearing our days during these weeks to make these sort of things happen. Because these things take LOTS and lots of time. I’m praying for healing and restoration in some areas of our family relationships. I’m praying for crafting opportunities, serving opportunities and giving opportunities. I’m begging God for deep rest and restoration for our weary bodies. “Rest, grace and peace” are the words that keep echoing through my mind. Honestly, I have no idea how these days will play out… and that both scares and invigorates me! But it will be a good challenge for me to let go of the reigns and step back a little. To trust that not all learning needs to come from a regular school routine, and that not all that God wants to teach us right now has to come from a book.
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2. Our days will start (and be founded around) God’s word and scripture. We’ll use Grapevine’s “Birth of Jesus” study as our core Bible teaching method this Christmas. We’ve been working through another Grapevine study this school year and I’ve been pleased at how it allows kids to not only read Scripture but to respond to it by (what they call) “stick figuring through the Bible.” Along with the five weekly or twenty-four daily lessons, there are timelines, maps and memory verses. Plus the study is designed to be taught to multiple levels and allows for additional Scripture digging for older levels (and traceable activities for the preschool set). You can check out a free e-lesson of the "Birth of Jesus" study here. I was also introduced to another resource that we’ll be referring to: More Than a Holiday. I really like that this book consists of a 25-day devotional, talking points with kids, all-family activities and prayer prompts. The book is flexible enough for families to use some parts or all parts of the book. We will probably pull this book out in the late afternoons or early evenings, specifically focusing on the family activities that our brood would enjoy. You can learn more about the book here on Amazon. 12
3. We’ll still practice a few of our family’s core Christmas traditions… within reason. I tend to go a little overboard with things like Christmas activities (maybe you probably picked up on that). So it’s easy for me to say we’ll practice a few core traditions such as “we will decorate the house for Christmas” and then find myself locked into 20 different crafting projects that never get finished and leave me a stressed-out mess. I’ve asked my husband to keep me accountable to what I will commit us to, and to what extent we’ll get involved. Simply because I can let my ideas and expectations spin out of control and then, when I’m faced with reality, ruin everyone’s fun with a not-so-nice attitude. Ahem. Reading Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent every night during December is a fun tradition we like to do (I think I can handle reading a book together once a day). We may also read a few other books such as The Legend of the Candy Cane: The Inspirational Story of Our Favorite Christmas Candy . Setting up and opening our advent calendars is something the kids and I greatly enjoy (we may not set up all 5 of them, however). And we may try a few other really awesome traditions/activities that you’ll read about in the rest of the series (I don’t want to spill the beans)! 13
But overall, I’m really being brutal about what we do and don’t include. If the atmosphere of the home begins with me, I need to do what’s necessary to keep myself in a relatively low-stress zone because this is how I can truly teach my kids about the rich treasures found in the Christmas season. I can’t teach about peace, love and joy from a frustrated, overwhelmed spirit.
4. We’ll do our best to stay open to God’s plans. We’ve already seen this happening! Just recently we learned of an amazing opportunity for my daughter and I to serve with our church at a school-for-the-deaf in Mexico. The timing of trip is right after Thanksgiving and right before the height of the Christmas season. I never expected to be able to serve on the mission field with my seven-year-old daughter! And yet, in a few short weeks that’s exactly what we’ll be able to do. What’s even more incredible is that I have recently seen in her a desire to love and to serve others in a missions-minded way. Clearly God has been preparing my sweet girl for this opportunity. Yes, it will be out of both of our comfort zones (mission trips usually are). But I’ve found that when we choose to embrace the opportunities for growth, He is faithful to do in us and through us more than we could ever hope or imagine. (You’ll hear about our missions adventure on Day 11 of the series).
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These are the unique ways we’re looking at Christmas as a “teachable moment” for our entire family. Isn’t God so good that every year we have new things to learn and discover in his Christmas story? Isn’t it incredible that He can show us what facets of the Christmas message to focus on each year? And isn’t it awe-inspiring that we can trust Him to provide unique and beautiful lessons—even things we haven’t thought of?
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Day 2: Practical Ways to Teach Kids About the Persecuted at Christmas by Bonnie at WriteBonnieRose.com
What would you do if Christmas cards were illegal? That probably sounds like a strange question, doesn’t it? I mean, who would ever think Christmas cards could be against the law? However, did you know that in more than sixty nations, Christians risk harassment, abuse, discrimination, prison, torture, or even death for their faith?1 16
Can you imagine living in a place where singing a Christmas carol or even mentioning the name of Jesus could take you from your family and put you in prison? How can we, as Christians in a free nation, respond? And how can we share this great need with the children in our lives without burdening them with details too graphic for their age and maturity? The first thing we must do is pray. It’s the one thing persecuted Christians ask for the most, before food, clothing, blankets, or even freedom. You can find stories of Christians in need of prayer at many sites such as Gospel for Asia, The Voice of the Martyrs, and Open Doors. Read their stories and decide how much is appropriate to share with your children. The Voice of the Martyrs also has a site called Kids of Courage. It is written specifically for children and very sensitively shares the stories of children and their families, prayer requests, and ways children can help. Does your family send Christmas cards or letters to loved ones? Would you consider sending a special letter to a Christian who is in prison for his or her faith? Through the Prisoner Alert ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, your family can write letters in English from a long list of pre-selected phrases and Bible verses that are immediately translated into the prisoner’s native language. You print and mail the letter, which typically costs just over $1. Sometimes the prisoners receive the letters and are encouraged. Sometimes God uses the letters to speak to the guards in the prison. And sometimes, He uses the letters to get the prisoners the help and care that they need. 17
But what about the Christians who must remain anonymous to us, who live in places where ministries are underground and cannot share personal stories or details? Is there a way we can remember to pray for them? There is, and there is a special way we can do it at Christmas time. A few years ago, I made a craft called a Silhouette Prayer Card as a way to remember to pray for the Christians whose suffering is known only to God. It’s a simple craft that can easily be adapted into a special Christmas project.
Silhouette Prayer Card
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Scissors
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Black construction paper
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White pencil
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Glue/tape
Step One: Have your child draw a picture of the outline of his/her face on a piece of black construction paper. Or, have the child cut out just his/her face from a printed photograph. Then, using the white pencil, trace just the outline of his/her face on a piece of black construction paper. Step Two: Have the child cut out the outline of his/her face. Step Three: Glue the silhouette picture onto the front of the Christmas card. Step Four: Display these Christmas cards with the other cards you receive this Christmas. Use them to help you and your children remember to pray for the Christians whose names and faces we may not know. As a family, pray faithfully for all the people who are suffering because they love Jesus.
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If we seek God’s face and ask for His help this Christmas season, we can find ways to be a blessing to the persecuted Church now and throughout the coming year. If you’d like another free way to learn about the needs of the persecuted Church, I’d love for you to download my free unit study, A Martyr’s Christmas. It’s written for elementary-middle school aged children and is a simple way to explore Colombia, India, Turkey, and Algeria while meeting men and women who have suffered for their faith in Christ at Christmastime.
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Day 3: How to Celebrate Advent with a Jesse Tree by Jenn at SimblissityCottage.com
Before the Thanksgiving turkey is even cold, it seems the Christmas season is underway. It flies by quickly, leaving us grasping at moments in an effort to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and to make memories with our families.
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Hoping to avoid the feeling of striving, my family celebrates Advent each year, stopping our regular homeschool studies and incorporating what we call Christmas School. This Advent tradition helps us to be still and know, to remember, and to treasure. Hoping to share our family's traditions and activities with others, I compiled them into a website called Advent Idea Box. This includes tons of free unit studies, geography studies, crafts, and more to last each day of Advent.
The Jesse Tree One of the activities that we do every year is the Jesse Tree. It is a special way to tell the redemption story, beginning with Creation and walking through the Bible all the way to the Resurrection. It illuminates how the Bible, from the very beginning, directs us to Jesus Christ. The idea of the Jesse Tree begins with Isaiah 11:1, which says: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit." Jesse was the father of David, the famous giant-slayer-turned-king. From that lineage, Christ the King was born. Many of the traditions stem from Catholic roots, but many Protestant families now incorporate it as part of their Advent traditions. One of the oldest versions of the Jesse Tree can be seen in Chartres Cathedral, in a stained glass window dating back to 1150 A.D.
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Photo by TTaylor
Traditionally, the Jesse Tree represents the genealogy of Christ, though modern versions more commonly represents Bible history, anticipating the coming of Christ. The last week's celebration of the Jesse Tree is known as "O" Antiphons, or the Golden Nights. This focuses not on Bible history, but promises and prophecy. The most common way to celebrate with a Jesse Tree is to read a verse each day, summarizing a Bible story chronologically from Creation to Christ. An ornament representing that verse is hung on the Jesse Tree. 23
Verses The verses vary from family to family and resource to resource, but the general idea is that they begin with the creation story, the fall of man, the flood, and so forth until the birth of Christ. There are Jesse Tree devotion books that you might find in your library or Amazon like this one and there are many websites that share verses and devotional readings, such as Southwest Lutheran Church, Reformed Church in America, Life in Skunk Hollow, and Advent Idea Box. I like to use verses that are short and sweet, and easy to remember. We try to study our new verse each day, and to recite the previous days' verses. Memorizing a verse a day is a bit challenging, but I'm amazed at how many we are able to remember as the years go by. Often, the ornaments we use to represent the verses help prompt the memory a bit.
The Tree Anything representing a tree is fine. You could place a branch in a vase or coffee can, use felt cut into the shape of a tree and hang it on the back of a door, or even use just a miniature Christmas tree. My family prefers a branch displayed horizontally on the wall, using removable 3M or Scotch hooks at each end to support it. These allow for the curved shape of the branch and they don't leave residue on the wall when we're finished. 24
My kids love hunting for the perfect branch to hold our ornaments each year. We like to find one that has plenty of little twigs and knobs on which to hang the ornaments.
The Ornaments
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The ornaments can be as unique as your family. I prefer paper ornaments that we can draw or print, with the verse references written on the back. My favorite paper ornaments come from Homeschool in the Woods' study: History of Holidays which are just beautiful. These can be printed out and decorated with scrapbooking paper, placing the image on one side and the matching Bible reading reference on the back.
However, my kids prefer the dinky little ornaments that we drew and colored in many years ago. I used Metal Rim Key tags to draw simple pictures in pencil. I traced my drawings with an extra-fine point Sharpie marker and then let the kids take turns coloring each day's ornament with colored pencils. Some families make their own ornaments with various toys and craft supplies to represent each verse. For example, the fall of man can be represented with an apple or a snake (which aren't necessarily accurate, but they get the point across.) You could draw or print an apple or snake on a paper ornament, or you could tack string to a plastic apple or even hang a fake snake straight on the tree. The Mac & Cheese Chronicles shares some incredibly creative ideas for making your own 3dimensional ornaments. I've also seen ornaments stitched in cross-stitch and sewn or glued in felt. 26
Each family will create their own beautiful, unique creations! Here are some that a friend of mine did:
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Here are just a few sources for Free Downloadable Ornaments: The Jesse Tree by Erie, PA RCD Free Jesse Tree Advent Patterns by Healthy Family The Jesse Tree Advent Study by Confessions of a Homeschooler The Greatest Christmas by A Holy Experience Jesse Tree Ornaments by Life Your Way Free Printable Jesse Tree Ornaments by Nicole at Tired Need Sleep Jesse Tree Printables by`1 Plus 1 Plus 1 Equals 1 The Jesse Tree by Michele Quigley
Flexibility While the Jesse Tree is a staple of our Christmas celebrations each year, my family hardly follows the traditional method. We only add ornaments and read our 28
verses on weekdays, as part of our morning Christmas School routine. This means we leave out several verses that other sources might share. Our sideways tree is the only one I've seen of its kind, but it's pretty and we like it. We only hit a few of the "O" Antiphons because we're limited on time. Some days, we go over many verses all on the same day if our schedule gets too hectic to pace them out. Perhaps your family would even like to only do the Jesse Tree verses on Sundays, coloring all of that week's verses during an afternoon devotion reading. Most of all, don't feel pressure to recreate anyone else's traditions! Enjoy personalizing this precious tradition with your family. If it directs hearts to Christ the King, you're doing it right.
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Day 4: How to Pray the Scriptures Through Advent by Candace Crabtree of MercyIsNew.com
Each year, I long to make Christmas about Jesus. I long to point my children to worship the Father who sent His son instead of creating long wish lists.
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I don't always succeed, we are, after all, human. And there is fun in Christmas, for sure. But, I've found that praying the Scriptures through this special time of year is very meaningful, and keeps our hearts focused on the right things.
How to Pray the Scriptures Now before you run off all scared because you have no idea what "praying the Scriptures" means...let me reassure you, don't make it harder than it needs to be. For me, there are times when I have no words...and that's when His Word gives me words to pray. There are times I don't know WHAT to say... and that's when His Word gives me the words to pray. There are times I have no idea what God's will is... and that's when His Word gives me the words to pray. There isn't one magical way to do this: I read a passage of Scripture, I speak it aloud to God, I rephrase it into my own words, I add in the names of my children or family members. Just take the words of God and make them your prayer. Re-phrase if you like, but you don't have to! Let me give you an example. I love praying the Psalms. Many times you can find me praying, "Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in You truth and guide me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day." Psalm 25:4-5. "You are my shepherd, I shall not want. You lead me beside quiet 31
waters, You restore my soul." Psalm 23:1, 3. "I will bless you at all times, Lord, Your praise shall continually be on my lips. My soul will boast in You alone, Father. I seek You and You hear me, You deliver me from all my fears." Psalm 34:1,2,4. We know that God's Word is powerful. We know that prayer brings peace. So, when we pair those powerful two components together, God can truly work miracles in our hearts. In fact, I first learned about praying God's Word when the Lord took me through periods of depression and taught me to pray His word. I believe that this simple activity is what sustained me during those darkest moments.
How Does this Apply to Advent? Maybe you're like us and December gets crazy on the calendar. Here's one way to incorporate praying the scriptures: Light a candle at the dinner table, read one verse of Scripture, discuss and pray. It doesn't have to be difficult or long. Sometimes the most powerful lessons are not in the longest sermons! Or maybe you'd like to spend a few minutes before bed. Or in the morning for a devotional time. Whatever fits this season for your family...with a little bit of intention, you can make it happen.
Light of the World: Praying the Scriptures Through Advent
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I have put together 31 verses, each one pertaining to LIGHT, from the Bible. I have written very short, little devotions for each day and put it together in an ebook called Jesus, Light of the World: Praying the Scriptures Through Advent.
Included in this guide are ways to use this resource and ideas if you would like to turn it into a full-blown unit study on "light," or maybe a word study on "light" from the Bible. There are also journaling lines to write out your own prayers. I would love for you to join us on this journey of praying God's Word through the Advent season! Let's focus our hearts on Jesus, the light of the world!
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Day 5: Crafting True Christmas Magic: Our Family’s Simpler Approach to the Holidays by Melissa Camara Wilkins at MelissaCamaraWilkins.com
I love Christmas magic. The smell of pine needles, the glow of candles, the hot cocoa and gingerbread and secret gift planning. Snowflakes and twinkle lights? Yes please! But there’s a fine line between “magical” and “exhausting.”
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I want our season of celebration to be sustainable, not to be a time that we run ourselves ragged. I want a season filled with music (making a joyful noise!) and story (THE story). I want to decorate in ways that remind us of what we’re celebrating. I want to gather with others to remember together. I want our Advent observances to be marked by hopeful anticipation. And I want to include plenty of time for making—making gifts, making cookies, making decorations, making dinners, making time for friends and family. Lots and lots of MAKING.
Live what you want them to learn. 35
In this season and always, I think our kids learn more from how we live than from the lessons we teach. It would be easy for our kids to absorb the idea that Christmas means being overburdened, rushed, busy, and stressed. They could easily pick up on the suggestion that to "do Christmas right," they need to try harder, to do more, to push themselves. That message is everywhere. But that’s not what Christmas is about. I want my kids to know instead that Christmas is a time of wonder and beauty, a time for reflection and thanksgiving, a season for honoring the God who made them and is making them still. That’s how we want to live in every season, but Christmas is a good time to reorient ourselves. We can think about both teachable moments, and creating a lifestyle that teaches as we live.
Christmas can be a season of creativity, to honor the God who creates. If our lifestyle is teaching our children, I want it to teach truth. I want our lives to speak of love and beauty and connection and compassion. I want our ways of living to reflect the truth of who God is, and who we are.
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We spend the season making things, as a way of celebrating the Maker. Since God creates, we think that creating things is one way of following after Him. We see it as a form of worship, all on its own. Whatever we make—music or cookies, gatherings or gifts, dinner or decorations, or a home that feels like Christmas—we can make those things as a way of honoring the Maker.
We provide opportunities for our kids to take part, too. Our kids make avalanches of tissue paper snowflakes every year. They make gifts for the neighbors, gifts for each other, and, if we let them, gifts for pretty much everyone we’ve ever met. (I can’t tell you what they’re making right now this year, because that’s a secret.) 37
As we create gifts, we think about and pray for the person who will get that gift. We talk about how our gifts don’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. There’s only ever been one perfect gift, after all, and that was Jesus. Our little gifts are just reminders of that one. There’s so much goodness to be found in creating. I want my kids to be able to take part in it without being overwhelmed by it. So how do we include creating as an inviting, organic part of our days?
Prepare the environment. We simply shift the perspective of what we already do, to turn our days toward the celebration of Jesus’ birth. We want to inspire, not require, our kids to create at Christmastime. Inspire. Gather ideas for gifts your kids might like to make, decorations they might like to create, or treats they might like to try. Pinterest is my favorite organization tool for this, and my kids know they can check my boards for ideas any time. Another option: check out the craft book, cookbook, and holiday book sections of the library. Here are some of our tried-and-true favorites:
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Invite. Set aside other work to cut paper snowflakes or string popcorn garland or bake cookies yourself. Invite your children to join in. Even if they don’t want to create alongside you, seeing you in action can inspire their own creativity later.
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Provide workspace and tools. If there’s a clear space available with tools and supplies handy, it’s easy to create in little pockets of time throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be a big production, necessarily. (Though, okay, yes, we often get carried away. But if the space is ready for creating anyway, why not?)
Leave time. We need time to think up creative projects, time to explore our options, time to choose materials, time to learn any new skills involved, and time for the actual making. Whether we’re creating gifts or cookies or music, making things takes time—and it’s worth the time it takes. Leaving plenty of free, open time in our schedules makes that possible.
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When kids have time and space and tools ready, they can create as they’re inspired. And if they don’t, that’s okay, too. Some other aspect of celebrating might resonate with them more. That's fine. We don’t have to designate “craft time” and “baking time” and “decorating time.” We don’t have to be stressed, trying to get things done. We can each do what we’re drawn to, and not worry about the rest.
What we’re learning. And the kids, when they do choose to create, are learning so much more than how to knit scarves.
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They’re learning how to identify their resources, as they figure out who can teach them new skills. (Because I do not know how to knit that scarf. Sorry, guys.) They’re learning empathy, as they consider what another person would like or need in a gift. They’re learning kindness, as the older children help the younger ones brainstorm gift ideas and work on projects. They’re learning the value of practice, as they see their own work improve, but they’re also learning that perfection is never the goal. They’re learning that the heart behind gift-giving matters more than the gift itself. They’re learning that their gifts will be loved not because of their skills but because of their relationships. The gifts we give don’t have to be perfect. They’re never going to be perfect.
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We don’t do perfect. We do love. Our gifts matter because of the love and relationships they represent. They remind us that Jesus gives us the gift of love and relationship with God the Father. We create as a way of pointing to our Creator. And really, that’s the Christmas magic we want to share.
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Day 6: Counting Down to Advent with 25 Random Acts of Christmas Kindness by Penny of OurCrazyAdventuresinAutismland.com
Christmas is my favorite time of year. Everyone is in a happy mood not to mention the opportunities to talk about Jesus are everywhere which makes sharing the Gospel extraordinarily easy. With that in mind, I like to use this time of year to teach my children how to serve others while sharing the Gospel. Why this time of year? People are simply 44
more receptive to it. I’m trying to teach my children the hows and whys so I want them to be successful in their attempts. This, in turn, will make them more willing to do it as a daily habit throughout the rest of the year. As part of my Christmas decorations, I make a set of 25 envelopes. Depending on when I make them is how fancy they look. Some years, I paint on them then put the countdown numbers. If I happen to get an early start then I’ll even get some pretty decorative envelopes. Oops, I forgot means that it’s just envelopes with numbers on them. There is no right or wrong way here. Don’t get so caught up in the envelopes that you forget why you are making them. You are counting down to the birth of our Lord and Savior. One of the holiest days of the year! In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35
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Each envelope gets a slip of paper with a random act of kindness printed in it. These are all designed to teach the children to be the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth. To love others because He first loved us. To do what we can to advance the Kingdom.
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These acts can be simple or advanced. I try to look at the calendar while I am putting the slips in the envelopes. The easy acts go in days that I know we are super busy. This guarantees that we will get it done regardless of our activities. Anything we need to complete it goes in the envelope too.
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Don’t get me wrong. This is a non-negotiable activity for our family. We simply open the envelopes at breakfast to see what our activity is for that day. Then we brainstorm ways to make it happen. Finally, we decide if we are going to be anonymous or take credit for our actions. Regardless of what we decide, we always leave a Gospel message.
A great place to get a leave-behind tag to go along with all these is Simply Living For Him. Take a look at her beautiful "Christmas Acts of Kindness" tags.
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Love her version because it talks about Jesus. Since we are doing all this for Him, we want to be sure to give Him the Glory.
Our activities: 1
Distribute blessing bag meals for the homeless.
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Host an annual cookie decorating party for service personnel.
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Ring the bell for the Salvation Army.
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Pay for the person behind you in line at the drive thru.
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Set up a free wrapping table outside a major store for a few hours.
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Go caroling at a nursing home.
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Do a mobile food drive for a local food pantry. Simply announce that you
are picking up donations if people want to leave them on their porch then drive around to pick them up. Deliver to the food pantry. 8
Hand out words of encouragement at a local mall while people are bustling
about. 9
School supplies teacher gift bags dropped off at our local elementary
school. 10
Tape dollars to the back of toys in the dollar store.
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Give baggies of soap and quarters to people at the laundromat.
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Make a freezer meal gift basket.
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Pass out candy canes to people we meet with the legend of the candy cane
attached. 14
Bring hot chocolate to the Bell Ringers on a really cold day.
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Collect blankets to deliver to the homeless on a cold night. 49
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Put quarters in the bubble gum machines.
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Host single friends for dinner then send them home with the leftovers.
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Hand out Starbucks cards to various people walking in.
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Walk through the grocery store randomly handing customers coupons for
the items in their cart or for money off their total. 20
Hiding coupons amongst the items they were for.
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Buying an entire Thanksgiving meal then randomly picking someone in the
parking lot to give it to 22
Collect rocks. Paint hearts or crosses on them. Put them randomly on
sidewalks where people will find them. We like to put John 3: 16 on there too if we can fit it. 23
Leave encouraging notes in random books at the library.
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Hang out at a store or mall and people watch. Catch someone doing a
good deed then give them a thank you note with a $5 Target card inside. 25
Pick 5 people and anonymously mail them their favorite thing.
That's it! Enjoy doing these with your family or come up with your own ways to spread Christmas kindness and God's love.
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Day 7: Family Craft Project: Easy Christmas Wrapping Paper by Alicia Kazsuk of VibrantHomeschooling.com
Sundays afternoons are one of my favorite times of the week because we clear our schedule, put away the electronics and just relax together. Lately we've been drawing and just creating together which, to me, makes Sundays even more inviting.
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Our post recent creative all-family Sunday project was to create our own Christmas wrapping paper! It may sound intimidating, but I promise that it was easy and a great way to spend time just hanging out together. Here’s how we did it.
Easy Christmas Wrapping Paper You'll Need: •
A roll of plain wrapping paper or craft paper (ours was about 30 feet but
we only ended up using half of it)
•
Permanent Markers (We love the BIC® Mark-It™ Permanent Markers
because they're super long-lasting (and who can't love pens in colors like “Key Lime” and “Rambunctious Red”?) 52
Plus: •
ruler (the longer the better)
•
pencil
•
scratch paper
•
glitter glue (optional)
The Plan: 1) Doodle. We took a few minutes to just play around with the pens. I invited the kids to draw whatever Christmas symbols they could think of--candy canes, Christmas trees, a star, a holly branch with berries, etc. If that was too stressful, I suggested that they could also create random fun patterns. We tried not to make these designs too complicated or difficult.
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2) Choose a pattern (or patterns). Once we made the freestyle drawings, we talked about what we'd created. Which drawings did we feel most confident about? Which designs were simple and easily reproducible? I have to admit that Princessa and the Innovator were intimidated by the idea of having to repeat their pattern (too much pressure to perform?). But they were happy to doodle with the pens beside us while Renaissance Man (who had decided on his pattern of straight and squiggly lines) and I worked on the wrapping paper. So I decided not to fight it and go with the flow. Honestly, I just was loving the fact that we were all quietly being creative together around the kitchen table--no matter what the form of the creativity was!
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Even my self-proclaimed "non-creative" husband decided to pick up some pens and draw with us. (Is he trying to tell me that a log cabin is in our future?)
3) Create a template. We decided to divide the roll of paper into approximately 8.5 x 11 squares (we'll get into how we divided the paper in a minute) since these segments were the same size as the pieces of paper we were doodling on. Then we discussed how our designs could work together in the squares: could we use the tree here and the candy cane there? We came up with a basic template that would be repeated in the squares. 55
We ended up only using the template on the right. We decided to use this pattern for half the squares and then to use Renaissance Man's simple line pattern for the other squares (which you'll see in a minute). "
3) Measure. Next we got out my lovely new sewing ruler (which was still in the packaging because it has, ahem, yet to touch its intended sewing projects) and we began measuring the squares. We made light pencil lines so that we could erase the lines later if we desired.
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Note: My math brain is tiny and pitiful (curse you, Trigonometry!), but even I could figure out how to measure and calculate these areas on the paper. If the paper won't divide perfectly into 8.5 x 11 segments, then determine what size segments would work for your wrapping paper dimensions and adjust accordingly.
4) Draw. This was the fun part! We began filling in the squares with the template(s) we'd created. Each time, we'd start in one corner of the square and then work our way around so as to make repeating it as simple as possible. 57
I worked on my pattern…
and then my son would work on his.
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I also added some glitter glue in one area of the pattern (the bells), just for fun and Christmas sparkle.
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!
If you decide to use glitter glue, I'd suggest applying it with a light hand otherwise the glitter may not dry before you have to move the paper.
5) Pace yourself and have fun. The cool thing about this project is that it doesn't have to happen in one session, or even in one week (it didn't for us). It's super easy to roll the paper back up and put it away for later if you run out of time or just need a break from the project. Renaissance Man and I worked on it a little the first day, and then picked it back up again a few days later when we had some open time and just felt like drawing again. 61
When we got tired of it, we eventually cut the paper and rolled up the rest for another time. And look at what we ended up with: 15 feet of beautiful, completely custom wrapping paper that we'd created together!
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We can't wait to wrap some more of our extra-special Christmas gifts for our family in this paper! But most of all, we enjoyed the time spent together just creating and hanging out.
Have fun creating your family's own wrapping paper too! Remember: no pressure for perfection here... just enjoy the creative process and the idea of making something together!
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Day 8: Why I’m So Glad We Made Time for Christmas Memories by Connie Albers of ConnieAlbers.com
This year my husband and I will be picking out our Christmas tree alone. No children. It is something I didn’t realize would hit me as hard as it has. "Why does this even matter, it’s only a tree?" one might say. Well at first thought, it is only a tree, but
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for our family it was one of our family fun traditions. And after 28 years of doing this it will change as most traditions do. Children outgrow or simply grow up. Building memories during the Christmas season is not a passive activity. In fact, there must be an intentionality to it. While some traditions are based on age like crafts, having certain foods and Christmas morning, some become etched in your child’s memory for life. It’s those kinds of memories I wanted my children to remember. The memories they will one day share and pass on to my grandchildren. When I began my journey, as a mom, I knew I wanted to cultivate close lastly relationships that could stand the test of time. So I did what most moms do: I thought about what we wanted in our family, then I looked for examples from God’s Word, followed by talking to older moms who had been there and done it, and lastly considered what my parents did. You might notice I said looking at my own family last. Well, my childhood memories aren’t ones that I’d care to really repeat. I wanted something different (maybe you can relate). Either way, that is what I did. Besides picking out our tree, we made a variety of Christmas cookies. This was a tradition that my husband’s family had done and one I could see incorporating in to our family. We would have dough makers, dough rollers and cutters, icing makers, bakers (no one wants burnt cookies), table setters and then we all would sit down to
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decorate them, together. The fun, laughter, creativity and joy of being together warms my heart. Little did I know this one would be the one activity they wouldn’t outgrow, even when the kids moved away, which, at the time of this writing three live on their own. But this has not kept them from missing this time. In fact, they now not only do this with us, they make cookies with their friends. While there were other traditions such as reading scripture together, piano recitals, driving round to look at lights, just to name a few, these are two special memories we have created with our family. As a homeschooling mom, we would purposefully take the month of December off, and boy I was so glad we did. Although it was easier when the kids were younger we still took off at least a couple of weeks off when they were in high school so they could learn and enjoy other activities such as enjoy going to Walt Disney World and Epcot, visiting hotels to enjoy their decorations, having tea parties, having bonfires, making gifts for others and going Christmas caroling at nursing homes. Those were times I believe that taught our children real life lessons, lessons that come best by doing not reading or hearing about. Math was taught by making budgets for gift giving, preparing meals and making cooking; English was learned by writing letters of thankfulness and sending Christmas cards; and music and art came by just being involved in our community and church. 66
Looking back I can see how all the mishaps, budget shortfalls, busy schedules and gift fails have been woven into the beauty of building a strong family that loves the Lord, each other, and has a heart for their community. Now that my children are all adults Christmastime brings delightful memories for all. Parents, don’t underestimate the value of doing life together—especially during this time of year! It really is alright to take some time off from “regular” school and discover the unique learning lessons of this season.
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Day 9: 10 Candy Cane Activities That Keep Christ in Christmas by Kristi Clover of RaisingClovers.com
Like so many other Christmas traditions, the candy cane has a wonderful meaning that points to us to Jesus. Many of you have heard the legend of the candy cane, but for those you haven’t let me share the highlights. Back in 1670 a choir master in Germany had the idea to give young children a hard candy stick to suck on during the Christmas service in an effort to keep them quiet. Later in 1847 a candy maker in Indiana decided to give the white stick a little 68
“twist”. Legend has it that he wanted the candy to represent Jesus, so he added a few special touches to the candy. •
The white represents the forgiveness of our sins and our perfect & pure Savior
•
The red symbolizes our precious Jesus’s blood that was shed for us
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The shape is both a shepherd's staff (our Good Shepherd) and a “J” for Jesus
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The peppermint is meant to remind us of the new, fresh life we have in Jesus
•
The hardness of the candy depicts how Christ is the solid Rock of our salvation.
Here's a little poem that is fun to share:
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“Sweet” and simple story to keep us focused on the reason for the season. Now, here are ten fun activities that my family will be doing this year to remind us of Jesus using this beautiful Christmas treat--The Candy Cane
10 Fun Candy Cane Activities to Give Your Christmas a Twist! 1) Read the The Legend of the Candy Cane: This beautiful book tells the whole story of the candy cane. This book will be the first book we read and will act as a way of introducing my younger kiddos to the story of the candy cane. It would make a great addition to your Christmas library, too.
2) Candy Cane Cocoa: Did you know that a small candy cane is the perfect amount of peppermint flavor to add to your hot cocoa? It is! Just add the candy cane to the steamy hot drink and stir for a bit. It will dissolve and leave you with the perfect cup of yum! Just don't forget to top it off with whipped cream and sprinkles or crushed candy cane!
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3) Decorate with Candy Canes: The easiest way to decorate with candy canes is to hang some on your Christmas tree. However, if you are feeling super crafty, Pinterest is overflowing with candy cane craft ideas.
4) Make Salt Dough Ornaments: In addition to adding some real candy canes to our tree, we might actually attempt to make salt dough ornaments. The plan is to make extras for friends and neighbors. This fun, crafty site has an easy recipe to use. No time for making and baking ornaments, use modeling clay and paint.
5) Visit a Candy Shop:
Logan’s Candies in Ontario, CA has candy cane making demonstrations each year around Christmas. If you don’t live near southern California, don’t have a candy store that makes them, or you just don’t have time to go, you can watch this youtube video on Logan’s Candies. 71
6) Make Candy Cane Taffy: Once you see the candy cane demo, live or online, you might just want to try your hand at making some canes yourself. The best thing about this activity is that you can retell the story of the candy cane as you make them -maybe even read the book again. Here is an easy recipe to make some canes of your own. (Recipe provided courtesy of Taste of Home magazine. Find more great recipes at www.tasteofhome.com.)
7) Make Candy Cane Pretzels: Something sweet like the candy cane deserves some thing salty to balance it out. Enter the pretzel! The perfect blank canvas for chocolate and candy. Simply take some pretzels sticks, dip them in melted chocolate, and roll them in crushed candy cane. Voila! The perfect tasty treat in less than 5 minutes! Now, if you are really feeling industrious, you can make soft pretzels from scratch. Either activity is sure to bring smiles to your family's faces (& their tummies).
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8) Pick a Pinterest Project: Now we are not a “Pinterest perfect” family by any means. Last time I tried a Pinterest recipe I ended up with a burn on my face. Long story. However, I will allow the kids to each pick one project for us to work on using candy canes. I’m pretty sure they will ALL pick something edible from my Pinterest page.
9) Candy Cane Outreach: About three years ago our small group decided to go to a local mall with our families and pass out candy canes. Each candy cane had a mini Candy Cane Legend tied to it. It was a ton of fun. No one can really turn down a cute kid handing them a candy cane. We all had wonderful opportunities to share the story of Jesus through the legend of the candy cane. Another “twist” on this idea is to hand them out in your neighborhood. You can even create a little hot cocoa & candy cane gift to give out with the legend. Your local dollar store probably even has mugs you could stick it all together in. A fun idea for the left-over candy canes you may have.
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10) “Happy Birthday Jesus!” Cake: You can’t have a birthday party without a cake, right? Every Christmas, I make our family’s favorite chocolate mint cake. I decorate it with crushed candy canes around the sides. Then I put a small candy cane on the top as my “J” & use red icing to write the “esus”. Turns out looking very festive and is super delicious! We even decorate the house with green and red streamers and balloons. Just don’t forget to sing Him “Happy Birthday!” "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
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Day 10: 10+ Ways to Learn with Christmas Baking by Kim Staten at LifeOverCs.com
As Christmas draws near, it is always fun to spend some extra time with the kids sharing the holiday traditions that I grew up with and helping to create new traditions with them. 75
Our biggest holiday tradition 11 years and running has been making Christmas cookies and a homemade gingerbread house. But baking takes up a lot of time and it's very easy to get overwhelmed trying to keep homeschooling going during the Christmas season. So it's really great that we've learned to make use of the teachable moments that baking with kids allows for. Baking has always been a passion of mine and there are so many ways to get kids involved. They can gather ingredients, help measure, mix, roll out the dough, cut out the shapes and the favorite part of my kids, decorate! I've always known that baking was great for helping kids to learn about measuring, but last year when my oldest daughter was having trouble mastering equivalent fractions, my mother (she's so awesome!) suggested that I mix up the measuring cups. So instead of using all the proper and "easy" measuring cups, I gave my daughter a teaspoon, a 1/3 cup measure and a 1/4 cup measure and had her figure out how to get all the right measurements. That inspired a whole train of thinking for me and ever since, we've been integrating a lot of different skills into our baking time. Today, I'm going to share with you some of the learning ideas we've come up with for baking with kids.
For preschoolers: • Develop hand and arm strength by mixing and rolling out the dough. 76
• Count the number of buttons on the gingerbread men. • Estimate how many cookie cutters you can fit on a piece of rolled out dough. • Explore the sense of taste by comparing different recipes or kinds of dough (yum!) • Explore the sense of touch by comparing the texture of different doughs.
For older kids: • Figure out how many cookies will fit on a cookie sheet by creating an array. (An array is simply an picture of objects arranged in a way that is easy to count: 4 rows of 4 cookies=16) You can use the array to skip count, add or multiply. • Find equivalent fractions (like I mentioned above) by using alternate measuring sizes: (2) 1/4 cup measures= (1) 1/2 cup measure. • Double or triple the batch and have your kids multiply the fractions. • Convert the measurements to the metric system (or vice versa). • Do double duty by having your kids check the oven temperature by using an oven thermometer (bonus: your oven temp. will be just perfect for your turkey!) • Figure out how long it will take you to bake the cookies: 6 trays x 8 minutes each=48 minutes, then figure out what the time will be when you are finished by calculating elapsed time. • Practice subtraction: We made 48 cookies. Dad ate 2 cookies. How many cookies do we have left?
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• And a silly one, try to figure out how much milk a cookie soaks up in 10 seconds of dipping! This is also a great opportunity to teach your kids about the kindness and love that the Christmas season is all about. When your baking adventures are over and the decorating is all done, package up your cookies and take them to someone who could use a little love and care.
Here's a few suggestions of places that you could spread some Christmas cheer: • A children's hospital • Homeless shelter • Your local police or fire department • Nursing home (extra bonus if you make some sugar-free cookies for those who are diabetic.) This Pinterest board has lots of great Christmas recipes that my family has been using over the last few years. I hope that you find something that you enjoy! Follow Kim- Life Over C's's board Christmas party food on Pinterest. Enjoy your time baking and learning this Christmas season! I'd love to hear what you are baking!
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Day 11: Short Term Missions: What My Daughter and I Learned in Mexico This Christmas by Alicia Kazsuk at VibrantHomeschooling.com
It was 10:52 p.m. and my daughter and I were driving. The streets were nearly empty as our pickup truck—filled with cans of food and other much-needed supplies—slowly passed the dilapidated houses with broken down walls and razor-wire fences.
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Although I’d never visited this particular city in Mexico, I’d seen extreme poverty before and had mentally prepared myself for what we might encounter. Previously, as we’d crossed the border check-point, I’d also tried to prepare my seven-year-old for what she might see. But I knew that no matter what I said, she would probably be taken aback at the sheer differences—in language, in culture and in economic need—from her everyday life in a middle-class American suburb. The night’s stillness matched my daughter’s silence in the back seat of the truck’s extended cab as we continued our trek through the city. I knew she was just taking it all in, processing. Just then, a car unexpectedly cut in front of us at a makeshift stoplight. We stopped abruptly and all of us (including the older gentleman from our church who was driving our truck) exhaled deeply. The other driver swung wildly around a corner and disappeared onto a darkened side road. The danger now passed, I curved my neck around to see my daughter. “Are you OK?” I asked. “Yeah,” she said, her blonde hair shining in the headlights of the car behind us. “It’s just… different here.” Yes, exactly, I thought. And thus began our first lessons of our short-term missions trip to a deaf school in Mexico. 80
Mom, These Are My New Friends The following morning we awoke in our new home: a serene collection of simple buildings built on a rocky hillside. Each had a distinct purpose on this very different school campus: this one was the boys’ dorm; that one was for the girls; and this small group over here were the classrooms. We dressed quickly and walked toward breakfast, taking the long route to the “chow hall” so as to fully absorb the scenery. There was barely a sound outside as we walked, making it hard to believe that around 30 kids and a dozen adults lived here full time. Then a low bell noise—more like a buzzer—rang overhead and we watched the kids begin to trickle out of the buildings and toward breakfast. They were all well-dressed (I
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learned later that the kids received gently-used clothes from other churches in the States) and extremely polite. A few of them waved shyly at my daughter and I.
We found some other friends from our church in the chow hall. My daughter raced to hug one of the young women, a beloved friend of the family that used to babysit our kids when they were younger. “Come sit with me,” she said to us and ushered us to a table filled with teenage girls from the school. Our friend had spent two years serving at the school as a dorm mom, and therefore she not only knew most of the kids at the school but she was fluent in Mexican Sign Language. Another bell rang overhead and a light flickered near the buffet area. “We’re about to eat,” our friend explained. “Be sure to keep your eyes open when we pray together over the meal.” We did, and we watched as one of the students stood in 82
front of the group and signed the prayer (while someone else spoke her words in English). Her beautifully simple prayer warmed my heart, and I realized that there was to be instant community and connection with these kids. This was confirmed a few minutes later when the girls at our table began gawking and gushing over my friend’s new engagement ring. Clearly, yes, in many ways they were teenage girls like any other. My daughter, in her fearless and passionate style, quickly became an active participant in the conversation. She picked up the signs almost effortlessly and engaged over and over with the deaf girls. Then she got up from her spot at the table and walked over to where a little girl with light eyes (that was about the same age as her) was sitting. She made a few signs, and the girl repeated them back to her, along with a smile. “Mom,” my daughter said, “I just told her that she’s my friend.” It really was incredible to see my daughter engage with these girls throughout the whole weekend—“talking” with them over meals; playing jump rope games; climbing
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with them on the monkey bars outside; and even showing them videos and photos
from our camera. Clearly these girls lived in a different world than she; and yet my daughter acted as if they were no different from her “hearing friends” back home.
…And That’s Why We’re Called the “Cookie Church” Although we spent a fair amount of time connecting with the kids, our church visited the school each year at this time to bake, decorate, package and wrap a plate of Christmas cookies for the kids to take to their parents when they returned home over Christmas break.
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For these kids—many of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and who receive very little sugary treats even while at the school—these baskets were coveted, highly prized treasures that they looked forward to each year. In fact, that’s why our church is known as “the cookie church” to these kids. So Princessa and I (and five other ladies from our church) enjoyed an exhausting marathon of cookie mixing…
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rolling and shaping…
and decorating!
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Yes it was fun, but let’s just say that Princessa got a enlightened look at the meaning of hard work (especially that of hard work in a hot, busy kitchen). “I am exhausted!” she exclaimed at one point, her hands covered in cookie dough. She more than earned her occasional break out on the playground and swings (and of course, she became an official cookie taster like the rest of us).
One Voice Singing Together “Mom, if the kids can’t hear or speak, how do they worship God (in song)?” This was a question that she’d asked repeatedly before our trip. I tried to explain that deaf people could sign the words in a song instead of singing them. However, as someone who had never seen this, this style of “worship” still didn’t make sense to her.
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That’s why I was so pleased when I learned that we’d get to experience a church service with the kids during our visit! It would be easy for me to simply tell you that during worship, one of the school’s missionaries stood on the stage and signed the words to the song so that the kids could “sing” along. Because that in fact was what she did. But to simply describe her actions as a mere “translation” would be not only inaccurate but also a dim view of this incredibly connective and collaborative experience. I hate to even show you a picture because it really doesn't capture the feeling, the emotion... the presence of God in the room. It is clear that this woman—a young American who had her own beautiful testimony of how God had called she and her husband to the school—translated the
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song into a message that these kids could understand with their minds as well as their hearts. She used her hands, her face and her entire body to worship God. It was transfixing to watch her, with her eyes fixed to heaven, so clearly communicating the deep spiritual meaning behind the songs. Moreover, we were all experiencing God’s presence together—whether we were deaf or hearing—and, as one body, we were communicating our love back to Him. The only way I can describe it is to say it felt like what I imagine heaven to be like: people from every tribe and nation exalting the name of Jesus together without any boundaries or imperfections. I looked at my daughter, who like me was trying to both sing and copy the signs. I simply mouthed, with tear-filled eyes, the word “worship.” I knew my daughter understood completely as she smiled back and nodded.
Experience Is the Best Teacher You know that saying that sometimes you just can’t teach a kid something at home? That’s what I felt like as we were packing up our things and heading back to the States. I could list a series of character traits that were strengthened while we were there (sacrifice, humility, bravery, generosity) but clearly, there were deeper hidden 89
treasures that both she and I had gained. Things that I couldn’t necessarily quantify or describe. Things I certainly couldn’t teach her at home. I knew my daughter felt this way too because she had a hard time saying goodbye. “Mommy, I don’t want to leave here,” she said while giving farewell hugs to her new friends. Clearly her heart had been moved outside her sense of “normal,” and she was changed by the experience. What a beautiful Christmas lesson for she and I—one that we will deeply treasure.
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Day 12: Learning History Through Christmas Hymns and Carols by Angie Mosteller at CelebratingHolidays.com
As a homeschooling mom, I have come to believe that one of the most valuable gifts that I can give to my children is a language rich environment. Our family actively seeks out classic books, poetry, and music that are replete with beautiful prose. Recently, my family has begun a new tradition of learning one new hymn a week. Oh how this music has blessed us and exposed us to such an elegant use of 91
language. Now that we have entered the Christmas season, we are eager to learn (and re-learn) beloved carols. While it delights us to learn and sing the words of Christmas carols, we find that we are equally blessed when we explore the history of these songs. For example, did you know that many of the words in the famous “Messiah,” composed by George Friderich Handel, are drawn from the prophecies about Christ in Isaiah? The words, “For unto us a child is born” (Isaiah 9:6) were written approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus! Other carols are based on early church traditions, like “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” which is drawn from the “O Antiphons” that were sung during the Octave (the eight days before Christmas). The word antiphon comes from a Greek word meaning “opposite voice” and generally refers to one group responding to another during a song or chant. The “O Antiphons” all began with “O” and highlighted titles of the Messiah as prophesied in the book of Isaiah -- O Emmanuel, O Radix Jesse (Rod of Jesse), O Oriens (Radiant Dawn), etc. And did you know that a secret message was hidden in the “O Antiphons”? If you take the first Latin letter of each antiphon, ignoring the “O,” a phrase is revealed: “ERO CRAS.” In Latin, this means “I shall be [with you] tomorrow!” Isn’t that marvelous? We have also enjoyed learning the inspirational stories behind the lives of men like Isaac Watts (author of “Joy to the World”) and Charles Wesley (author of “Hark! 92
the Herald Angels Sing”) who introduced original hymns and carols at a time in history (the 17th and 18th century) when Christians thought that it dishonored God to sing anything other than biblical psalms. One man complained that churches were singing Watts’ songs “as if the words of a poet were better than those of a prophet” (referring to the Psalms). Did you know that both Watts and Wesley wrote their hymns like poems (without any particular tune)? When these hymns were written, churches generally paired them with a handful of common tunes. It took over 100 years for “Joy to the World” to be paired with its current tune and for “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” to be united with music by Felix Mendelssohn. Regardless, the authors and composers of many of our most cherished carols were doing what the Psalms themselves encouraged -- singing to Him a new song, playing skillfully, and shouting for joy (Psalm 33:3). Though many of our beloved Christmas carols are no longer new, their words, music, and history all offer amazing teachable moments. Furthermore, they are meant to draw us closer to the one whose birth we celebrate – Jesus! In the words of Isaac Watts, when we sing, “we are employ’d in that part of worship which of all other is the nearest a-kin to Heaven.” Here are some resources to help you find “teachable moments” with Christmas carols: 93
• I am thrilled to offer you the words and music for 20 Classic Christmas Songs for FREE! • I invite you to subscribe to my Celebrating Holidays blog for our “25 Days of Christmas Music” series. Beginning on the first day of Advent, I will be featuring a video each day with words and music for singing along • If you are interested in purchasing a resource for the history of Christmas songs (the stories are so inspiring), please visit the Celebrating Holidays eBooks page for our $2.99 eBook. Enter code “vibrant20” for a 20% discount. May your Christmas celebration be full of teachable moments!
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Contributor Biographies
Bonnie Rose at WriteBonnieRose.com Bonnie Rose Hudson lives in central Pennsylvania. Along with spending time with her family and writing, making kids smile is her favorite thing to do. Her heart’s desire is for every child to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him. She works for SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the curriculum arm of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, as the site’s executive editor. At TOS, she found a place where her love of God and history combine with her love of writing to bring encouraging, educational, and entertaining material to students and their families. She would love for you to stop by her author’s blog WriteBonnieRose.com for free history and writing materials, resources to help children learn about the lost and the persecuted, and to discover how you can write for the homeschool market.
Jenn at SimblissityCottage.com Jenn can be found writing at SimblissityCottage.com where she journals about the process of simple living and the bliss that it brings. She is, however, addicted to books, which complicates her
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attempts to live a simple and uncluttered lifestyle. Jenn is a homeschooling mom who loves her 4 children, adores her geek-husband, and despises her dog.
Candace Crabtree at MercyIsNew.com Candace is just a messed up mama in need of God's fresh new mercies daily. She, her husband and their 3 children live in the beautiful foothills of the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Candace blogs at His Mercy is New where she shares the journey that God has taken her on through depression and how He has encouraged her heart through praying the Scriptures. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Melissa Camara Wilkins at MelissaCamaraWilkins.com Melissa Camara Wilkins is a writer, blogger, speaker, and homeschooling mama of six, living in a beach town in Southern California. (No snowflakes, in other words.) She’s always on the lookout for peace, joy, and a good cup of tea.
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Penny Rogers at OurCrazyAdventuresInAutismland.com Penny Rogers is a Jesus-filled , gluten-free mama living an amazing life with her husband of 20 years & 3 amazing children in sunny Central Florida. She homeschools all three visual learners making it a must to incorporate many hands on activities & field trips. Her oldest son's autism and sensory issues plus her daughter's flair for the dramatic make for some zany adventures. Follow along with her at Crazy Adventures in Autismland.
Connie Albers at ConnieAlbers.com Connie Albers' professional highlights include posts as spokesperson for Fortune 500 companies, board member for a state homeschool organization, senior strategist for a successful U.S. Congressional campaign and most recently Speaker Relations and Events Manager for a national company ... all while balancing roles as a wife and business partner, homeschooling mom, consultant, speaker and active ministry volunteer. Connie's proudest achievement, however, is that she and her husband, Tom, overcame the many challenges of life and 21 years of homeschooling to successfully raise 5 children who love the Lord and excel in their collegiate studies and professions.
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Through her website, www.ConnieAlbers.com, television appearances, radio broadcasts and speaking engagements, Connie shares her experience with other work-at-home and homeschooling moms to help them learn to present themselves professionally, balance and prioritize the many demands on their time and discover their resilience and joy between the "starts and stops" of life.
Kristi Clover at RaisingClovers.com Kristi is a lover of God, wife to her high school crush, and mom to five blessings ranging from middle school to diapers. Aside from her family, she’s also passionate about homeschooling, creating family traditions, and finding new ways to run a more efficient home & school. Not surprisingly, you can usually find her at home trying to bring some order & fun into the mayhem of daily life. Kristi is a down-to-earth writer and energetic speaker who loves to share insights from her wonderful, yet sometimes challenging, experiences of being a homemaker and homeschool mom. She offers advice that goes beyond your typical “how-to’s” for getting started and organizing. Her tips are creative, practical, and help bring back some simplicity in the chaos of life and homeschooling. Kristi blogs about her adventures in wifehood, mommyhood, and the fun to be found in homeschooling at www.raisingclovers.com.
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Kim Staten at LifeOverCs.com Kim is a world-traveling mom of four daughters. Along with her husband and kids, she has traveled to 46 of the United States, 3 Canadian Provinces and 7 other countries. She and her family have been missionaries in the Republic of Georgia for 8 years and travel the U.S. extensively raising funds for that effort. In 2015 they plan to visit more than 25 states! As a seven-year homeschooling veteran, Kim believes that education should be built on experiences that connect with the mind rather than read out of a text book. With that in mind, their eclectic homeschool consists of lots of field trips, explorations, experiments, crafts, games, lots of 'real' books and LOTS of play dough! She frequently shares free educational printables, along with the other hands-on teaching resources she creates at her site LifeOverCs.com.
Angie Mosteller at CelebratingHolidays.com Angie is a follower of Christ, the wife of a smokin’ hot philosophy professor, and a homeschooling mom. She is the founder of Celebrating Holidays, a website dedicated to helping families build fun and meaningful traditions for holidays. Angie is passionate about teaching, as well as serving others through hospitality. She loves holidays because she gets to put both of her passions to work – the teacher in her is intrigued by the amazing history of our 99
celebrations (which she tries to pass on to her kids through meaningful traditions); the hospitality enthusiast in her loves to fill her home with creative holiday food, decor, and music. Since she can’t manage to get to all the projects that she dreams up, it makes her happy to find and showcase many of the amazing ideas that she finds on the web.
Alicia Kazsuk at VibrantHomeschooling.com Alicia is the editor and founder of VibrantHomeschooling.com and a homeschool mom to four bright, curious students. Her passion is to encourage and equip moms to joyfully thrive in the often-challenging homeschooling season. She is the author of Plan to Be Flexible: Designing A Homeschool Rhythm and Curriculum Plan That Works for Your Family and various free resources for site subscribers. Alicia also writes and produces online video courses for homeschooling moms (“bloom: A Journey to Joy and Sanity for Homeschooling Moms” and “rhythm: Guiding Your Family to Their Ideal Learning Flow”) that give practical instruction and customized learning.
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