Getting ready for Christmas...

Kids are always ready for Christmas. Ours have already started planning their Christmas lists. It's June, for goodness sake. But I suppose if they're already getting geared up for the holiday season, we should be too.

What should we be doing? I'm glad you asked. Here are a few things to start pondering:

1. Budget. What will your Christmas budget look like this year? And, seriously, I do encourage you to have a budget. Christmas is the #1 season of the year for sending us into debt. Don't let it slip up on you this year. Plan now.

2. Get to work on handmade gifts. Unless you're giving baked goods -- and even then if you want to make/decorate your own containers -- you have a great opportunity to get started. Surf the internet for Christmas craft ideas. Head to the local paint-your-own-pottery store on a rainy summer afternoon and make gifts for friends and family before your schedule gets slammed with new school and church year activities. If you don't want to make your own gifts but love that handmade look, head over to Etsy and stand in awe of the artisans who sell their crafts there.

3. Shop early and save big. Many online retailers have Christmas merchandise on clearance NOW. Order those extra ornaments you need. Buy Christmas decor for teachers and neighbors in bulk. Choose your Advent calendar now, so that it will be in your house as the season nears. A few places to get you started are:

Terry's Village

Oriental Trading Company

Lillian Vernon

ChristianBook.com

Christmas People

ABC Distributing / LTD Commodities

4. Dig into God's Word and choose Scripture for your family's Advent devotionals. Don't wait until the last minute to throw together a family devotional; choose purposefully now based on the make up of your family. Is there a new baby in the house? Are the kids growing older? Will you be at home or on a mission trip? Will you be near grandkids? Is there a friend/co-worker/neighbor with whom you want to purposefully celebrate the season? Begin seeking the Lord for what He would like to do in your holiday season. When He speaks, take steps to make it happen.

5. Ponder how you might like to be a part of the Celebrating Christmas blog. We are up for new friends and we would LOVE to have you share the holiday season with all who read our blog. Email us at celebratingchristmas@gmail.com to let us know if you want to join in the fun for the 2009 holiday season. We need devotionals, tutorials, holiday reflections, gift-giving ideas, holiday traditions, decorating ideas, entertaining tips, ministry opportunities, and words of encouragement for the WHOLE holiday season... Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmastide, New Year's and Epiphany.

And FINALLY... in the way of an update... we asked you to pray for our friend Jenn's daughter, Charlotte, as she had her second huge heart surgery a few months ago. We are thrilled to say that Charlotte came through her surgery with flying colors. She has amazed her parents and doctors, exceeding everyone's expectations for how quickly and how well she recovered. She is doing great and we are all in awe of our Lord. Thanks for your prayers!

Christmas Card Garland Tutorial ... by Tracey

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is the Christmas Card garland that will hold all the wonderful cards we accumulate throughout the season. I got the idea from one of my friends that had her garland over a doorway with red clothespins holding each card. For my garland, I had my kids color a set of wooden ornaments and I glued them to a set of clothespins.

Here's a peek at the finished product :

Here's what you'll need :

*A wooden ornament set. (I bought my set at Michael's several years ago.)
*Clothespins
*Glue gun with glue sticks
*Fabric markers (easier for little hands to color on the wooden ornaments)
*Garland

Step one : With your little ones wearing a smock, have them paint each ornament with the fabric markers. It is only necessary to paint one side. My oldest two children were 5 and 6 years old at the time they painted the ornament set.

Step two : Paint one side of the clothespin. I painted the clothespin to match the ornament that would be attached.

Step three: After the fabric paint has dried, glue the ornament to the clothespin.

Step four : Attach the clothespins all over the garland.

Step five : Wait for your wonderful friends and family to send Christmas cards so you can fill your garland! Once you get a card, do this....

Just a note : Don't be afraid of letting your little ones paint the ornaments. While my 'little' painters are now 10 and 11, they enjoy seeing their 5 & 6 year old artwork used every year...and it is an urgent reminder for me to savor every moment (especially during Christmas) because they do indeed grow up too fast.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas season!

24 Days of December... by Heather

... documenting the everyday things that make our Christmas ...

I originally got the idea of using photos to document our Christmas traditions from Ali Edward's blog. She has developed a routine of creating a December Daily album each year. Ali's ideas are beautiful, but I knew that I needed to scale back my ambitious plans a bit this year, being great with (4th) child and all.

My plan for this year is to fill a simple 5x7 album with photos and text. I made my book out of some chipboard and scrapbook papers, but you can just as easily exercise that 40% off coupon at your local craft store.


This year, I will try to take pictures whenever we do a family activity. Some of these are spontaneous, but I also took the time to brainstorm some of the traditions that we usually observe.

For our family, the list looks like this:

*decorating tree
*lying under the tree looking up at the lights
*playing with the nativities (we have kid-friendly ones in our house)
*decorating gingerbread house
*making gingerbread cookies
*reading Christmas stories
*looking at lights
*Advent readings
*Christmas cards
*Charlie Brown Christmas special
*sparkling cider on Christmas eve

...etc.

By brainstorming a bit, I know to have the old camera ready to go and capture what I can.

My next step is to use my photo editing software to type some text onto the pictures. This way, when I print my photos out at the local lab, the journaling will be already done! Since I'm using a 5x7 album, I'll still have some room around the 4x6 photos to add text if I need to.

I will also try and get some Christmas Scriptures typed up to intersperse through the album.
There are so many options with this idea. You could incorporate your Advent readings into your album, take photos of your children's artwork or wish lists. What about your favorite recipe or where you buy your tree? Do you have any special Christmas Eve services that you attend?
You could try different sizes or styles of albums. If you're not ready to do a "big" project, you could start with a 4x6 brag book. Just print your photos and slip in a piece of cardstock with a description opposite your photo.

For me, the goal is not to produce a magazine-ready product, but to have a tangible reminder each year of our Christmas and the meaning behind it.

I encourage you to "ponder these things in your heart" and document them for your families this Christmas!

Get Ready, Get Set, Go!

Well, friends... We hope that you have found what we have found during this week of Thanksgiving: our blessings are without measure!!!

And now the turkey is almost gone and the scarecrows are back in the attic. So for those of us who have a hard time getting into Christmas before Thanksgiving...

It's time!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent. Is your wreath ready? Do you have candles to light? Have you selected the devotional you're going to read? If not... let's get going! Don't pressure yourself to make the perfect Advent wreath. There are wonderful Advent rings available in just about every Christian book store. And if you prefer a simplified, minimalist look, feel free to grab three purple, one pink and one white votive candles and place them on a glass plate. We did just that with items we purchased from the local dollar store. This Advent wreath cost only $4 to make.

Many Advent devotional readings are available online. You can Google "Advent devotionals" or some variation of that concept and select just the right set of readings for you. It's not too late.

Our family usually lights the Advent wreath on Sundays and opens the Advent calendar during daily family devotions every year. But we have always done both with just the people living under our roof. This year we are going to try something different. On the Sundays of Advent, we are having guests over for Sunday dinner. I know! Almost no one does that on a regular basis anymore. But we're going to give it a shot. Tomorrow... Gramma is coming, and we are so excited!

How are you doing Advent this year? Will you take a quick minute and leave a comment, sharing your ideas with others? We know you'll be a blessing...

The Jesse Tree...

Think of it as a little Christmas tree with great big significance. Traditionally a Jesse tree bears either symbols of the Old Testament heritage of Jesus or symbols of the fruit that comes from knowing His love. In earlier days, families would decorate a literal branch off of a tree with these symbols.

The Jesse tree gets its name from the passage in Isaiah 11:1-2:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots, a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord---

You can decorate a Jesse tree all at once for the whole season, or you can place one ornament on it each day during Advent so that by Christmas Day, it is complete.

Below is a picture of a Jesse tree decorated with the names of Jesus. Many of these names are found in Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah's coming. Some are New Testament names of Jesus that echo things found in the Old Testament.

The mini glass ornaments each have written on them in gold paint one of the names of Jesus.

Passover Lamb

Alpha and Omega

All you need to make this tree are:

* 1 small (2' - 4') Christmas tree with lights
* 24 mini glass ball ornaments (available this season in the Dollar Spot at SuperTarget and Target Greatland)
* 1 gold or silver paint pen


Here is the list of names of Jesus and their Scripture references:

Son - Isaiah 9:6; Luke 3:22
Wonderful Counselor - Isaiah 9:6
Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6
Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6
Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6
Creator - Colossians 1:16
Alpha and Omega - Revelation 22:13
Savior - Luke 2:11
Lamb of God - John 1:29
Good Shepherd - John 10:11
Root of Jesse - Isaiah 11:10
Bread of Life - John 6:35
Light of the World - John 8:12
Holy One of Israel - Isaiah 49:7
King of kings - Revelation 19:16
Lord of lords - Revelation 19:16
Anointed One - Psalm 2:2
Foundation Stone - Isaiah 28:16
Redeemer - Isaiah 59:20
Servant - Isaiah 42:1; 49:5-7
Passover Lamb - I Corinthians 5:7
Root of David - Revelation 22:16
High Priest - Hebrews 2:17
Righteous Branch - Jeremiah 23:5
Atoning Sacrifice - I John 2:2

Or you can make your own list. What a blessing to seek Him out in His Word this Christmas season!

Psalm 145 moments...

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Psalm 145:3-7

There's a sparkle to the Christmas season that jumps from generation to generation. Have you watched a child talk about Christmas recently? Put aside the grown up world of shortages of time and money and patience for a couple of minutes and go talk to a kid about the Christmas season. They start with a twinkle... growing into a sparkle... fanning into a flame... until there's a full blown blaze. It's an amazing thing.

As moms and grandmas and aunts and sisters, we have the privilege of sharing the true sparkle of Christmas. You see, kids will sparkle with whatever we get excited about. If we focus on presents, they'll camp on the Christmas gift list. If we delight in food, they'll clamber for cookies and candies. If we value family and friends, they'll jump at the chance to visit with loved ones. Yes, kids have the sparkle all right. But ours is the task of helping them sparkle with love for Jesus.

One of the best ways to share Jesus with a child during the holiday season is by making Advent calendars together. Of course you are trying to stay organized. Of course you are trying to get the house clean for Thanksgiving and the rubber-hits-the-road Christmas kick-off that immediately follows. Of course it will be messy and take twice as long as you planned. But this weekend, consider pulling out the pretty papers and markers and scissors and glue and for a couple of hours and sit down with a child and make an Advent calendar.

Our friend Heather sent the link to a wonderful online newsletter that highlights kids' crafts. Click here to see the issue on making Advent calendars with kids. The traditional lift-the-flap calendar style is just one way to approach this project. This newsletter gives some other... slightly easier (!) ways to celebrate Advent in a crafty way with kids.

What a wonderful opportunity to create and laugh and share your heart. In addition to the newsletter's suggestions for what to write for each day, here are a few more ideas:

* Have an older child share the Christmas Story, in his or her own words, in 24 sentences. Write one sentence for each day. As your family shares the Advent calendar together, read all the sentences to date and make an especially big point to add a new one each day until the story is complete.

* Have each child take turns making thumbprints for each day. Let each one turn his or her thumbprint into a unique little angel. Write a praise to go with each angel for each day of the season. Then you'll have a heavenly host singing praises in your house this holy-day season.

*Together make a list of prayer requests for people and events and situations that are near and dear to the heart of your family. For each day, write down a request per day and pray for it during family devotions. If you want to use pictures, digital photos or even magazine clippings work well as illustrations.

*Encourage serving with a happy heart. Title the calendar "To Show Jesus' Love Today..." and for each day write something that one member of the family will do for another each day of the season. Examples: "Kayley will read the Christmas story to Baby Alex," "Sasha will help Mom wash the Christmas plates," "Ben will help Dad clean out the garage," "Ella will make a special dinner for the family."

*On Thanksgiving Day, divide the number of days in Advent (24) with the number of people in your family. Have each family member write down that number of things he or she is thankful for. (Example: 24 days... 5 family members... 4 "Thanks" per person, plus 4 whole-family "Thanks.") In family worship each day of the season, read each "Thanks" and spend a few moments in an attitude of gratitude together before the Lord.

These are just a few suggestions. What works with your family? Try it!

How to make an Advent wreath...

There are MANY ways to make an Advent wreath, but we're going to show you this way because it is the least expensive way. (And if you've seen the economy lately... you'll notice stuff costs a lot more than it used to and there's a lot less cash hanging around to get spent!)

Supplies needed (Click on the item name to link to a page with a picture):

-1 x 10" Styrofoam extruded wreath ring (preferably green) and
4 x green candle cups
-or-
-1 x 10' flat Styrofoam wreath ring

-22 or 24 gauge paddle wire

-wire cutters

-1 x 18" Christmas wreath ($1.99 at Michael's this week)

-Christmas holiday picks or 3' of Christmas garland

-Advent candles

-White pillar candle or taper


Once you've made the big trip to Michael's or A.C. Moore, here's what you do.

If you are using a flat wreath ring, you need to place the candles directly in the ring to make an indentation. Make certain that the hole is deep enough that the candles won't fall over. Once you have made starter-holes evenly around the ring, take the candles back out.

If you are using an extruded wreath ring (which we recommend), place the candle cups evenly around the ring. Using candle cups tends to make the candles more stable that if they are simply mounted on the Styrofoam itself.

With candle holes completed or candle cups secured, use the paddle wire to attach the green Christmas wreath to the wreath ring.

Then decorate the wreath itself, using holiday floral picks or a 3' strand of garland. If you use garland, secure it to both the wreath ring and the Christmas wreath using paddle wire. Make certain to leave room for the candles at the holes or cups.

Finally, place the purple and pink Advent candles in the holes/cups. Place in the center of the wreath a white pillar candle on a small plate or a white taper in a candle holder. Light the candles on the appropriate Sundays of Advent, beginning with a purple one on Sunday, November 30th.

Readings for the Advent-wreath-lighting are available from many sources. Our family uses the devotional printed on an old bulletin from a Christmas Eve Candlelight service many years ago. But two books that we recommend as resources that are available from Christian bookstores and various online booksellers are:

Celebrating A Christ-Centered Christmas, by Sharon Jaynes

and

A Family Advent: Keeping the Savior in the Season, new this year from Thomas Nelson publishers