Christmas update

How the Grinch Stole Christmas + green Grinch (mint) chocolate chip cookies + Grinch (green sherbet) punch = a fun Christmas family night. I gave up on the guy that was supposed to be selling me Ethan's gift on Craigslist and, thank you, Jesus! found an even better deal - Kodak Easyshare + case+ SD card for $20 - in pristine condition. I'm gonna have a happy boy. Oh, and a first attempt at sock buns for the girls - they're hoping for beautiful curls in the morning, but either way, they look so cute. And tomorrow morning is Polar Express morning. Big breakfast with my best friend and her family and then the movie with cocoa and popcorn - and, of course, a jingle bell craft! It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas here!

These are a few of my favorite (Christmas) things

Okay, so I'm feeling Scroogish, and I hate to shop, so here are a few of my favorite Christmasy things (off the top of my sleep-deprived head). I'm trying to feel the Christmas spirit here! :^)

• candlelight church services
• getting to wear my jingle bell earrings
• little girls in velvet with poinsettias in their hair
• the Nutcracker
• dressing up
• our Jesus' Birthday party
• the glow of Christmas tree lights
• my nativity on the piano
• the Little People's nativity which Bella presses to play "Away in a Manger" over and over
• gingerbread creamer - and chocolate mint
• The Polar Express and The Nativity Story - especially the scene where Elizabeth greets Mary

What are some of your favorite things?

graphic was a free sample from Dover Publications

A Believer

Ethan: "Mom, doesn't Santa only deliver to children?"
Anna: "No! He delivers to believers. People who don't believe get coal. I don't get coal; I'm a believer...(quickly turns into the Monkees melody)."

Santa's friends

Free Family Christmas Activites

There are so many nice things to do. The Nutcracker, Christmas living history events and activities, school performances of Christmas plays, parties.... But inevitably most come with a small price tag. A $5 or $10 very good price tag. But times 3 or 4 kids and a few different activities and the price tag about equals the cost of their Christmas gifts.

So this year I'm being very choosy about where I spend those $5 or $10, and I'm going to focus on all of the free activities, some that we've done before and maybe some that we haven't.

1. Make an Advent Jesse Tree. Use Ann's free devotional. Make a paper tree - I used a big sheet of brown packing paper, use a little Christmas tree, use a branch from the burn pile. Your kids will love it, I promise.
2. A Christmas nature walk. We're planning to do this with our nature club (if anyone else is willing to part with some time this month to join us.) We'll be looking for holly, mistletoe, fir trees and other things that remind us of the season. And I'm hoping that we might find a nice location where we might even be able to collect and bring some of our finds home.
3. Christmas parades. Sure the big city ones are nice, but there's something about a small town atmosphere - and the ability to actually see the parade, that's left us happier with the smaller ones around.
4. A living nativity. I think that most areas have these if you look for them. Our area actually has drive through nativities as well as two walk-through-Bethlehem events. One of them is new this year and much closer than the other one. We thought we were going to miss the one we've been going to because the children have choir performances both nights, so I'm glad to have found another one. They are all free church-sponsored events and one of the highlights of Christmas for my kids.
5. Surprise Pajama Christmas Lights. Instead of just driving past neighborhood light displays, put your kids to bed a little early, if possible, then, after everyone's in bed, but before they have a chance to fall asleep, yell, "Christmas lights! Christmas lights!" and pile into the van for a tour of the best neighborhoods. Travel mugs of hot chocolate are a nice touch.
6. Christmas Carolling. This is becoming a lost art. I think people are just too busy to organize it. If you can grab some friends, do, but we usually just go as a family. One year we just stopped at a small neighborhood we were driving past on the way home from practice and sang at about ten houses, another year we chose a few friends to serenade as part of our pajama Christmas light run, and another year we shared a short Christmas program version of Bible verses and carols with our closest neighbors around us on every side.
7. Christmas Books. We have a couple of boxes of these in the attic that we swap out with regular books. We like to read longer books together as well as storybooks. This year, Brian's reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at bedtime. I know Father Christmas makes an appearance, but I'm still not sure it qualifies as a Christmas book, but it's making them happy. But we've enjoyed The Bird's Christmas Carol, A Christmas Carol, and many other longer holiday stories. Don't forget Christmas books on tape or CD from the library. We'll be listening to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever on our Christmas trip this year - can you believe I've never read that?!
8. Christmas Movies. We have a bit of a movie collection, so we have lots to choose from. I like to watch as many as possible during the season. Sing a long videos are a great way to learn Christmas songs and carols. Don't have a collection? Your library probably does. If you don't have tv or cable. Hulu has a bunch of movies online. The Hallmark channel posts free holiday movies at Christmastime too. And YouTube? You never know what you'll find there, but making Christmas playlists of music videos is really fun.

That should get you started, but don't forget simple Christmas crafts, baking, church Christmas programs and candlelight Christmas Eve services. Simple activities with nativities. I'll share some more ideas sometime. Click on the Christmas label for other Christmas ideas, 'kay?

Are you ready for advent?

Last year we read Jotham's Journey, a story with a reading for each day of advent. I'm debating on whether to read the next book in the series, or just the Scripture readings. It's hard to keep up with the last week of readings the years we spend Christmas with relatives, but we've been known to pack the advent wreath and take it with us. :^)

Some new printable Jesse Tree ornaments look like a promising project, though.

Jesus' Birthday Party

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is having

a birthday party for Jesus.

We'd done a pageant a few years ago, before she can remember,

but it was that Rose angel in the middle that just had to act

out this story - and she wanted to be an angel - the one

above the manger, to be exact.

The outifts are made from clearance ($2!) fleece blankets

from Walmart and since there were no white blankets -

plastic tablecloths and gold garland from the Dollar Tree.

With a few belts and scarves thrown in, of course.

Everyone agreed that the perfect Mary was dark haired and lovely.

Ethan, however, was a little less enthusiastic about being

Joseph. I think he was afraid of all the "married" jokes

that his sister might inflict upon him.

The children all insisted that Bella be the baby, even thought she's

not "quite" a newborn - and the wrong gender for the role.

She really didn't want to lie in the manger - she was much more

interested in crawling around.

I thought the cake was pretty, but I'm never sure what to

do about the candle, and I never think about

that ahead of time. It is tradition, though, for

all of the children to blow it out together.

They also enjoyed a beaded wreath craft,

watching "Small One", a hot potato-like gift passing

game with a gift that was wrapped several times and

contained party favors, and Christmas charades.

Our visit to Bethlehem

This is one of our favorite Christmas traditions.

I think this is our third or fourth visit.

We used to go to a drive through nativity story.

This is waaay better. :^)

I know it's blurry. There were soldiers on horseback

too, but they are seriously in character, and I was kind of afraid

to take their pic - those Romans were mean!

looking down one side of "Bethlehem"

The tour guide stopped at different boothes asking

about the Messiah that rumor said had been born there.

Lepers

Shepherds

The magi - they had camels too.

Rosie was seriously wanting to go to the real Bethlehem

and see the real baby. We explained why that wasn't possible,

but she was still put out that it wasn't a real baby,

despite the fact that we were freezing to death!

It ended with a walk past the cross and the empty tomb,

and the risen Christ - oh, and free hot chocolate

and a fresh baked cookie

Christmas Card Pics

I used to send out Christmas cards, then I couldn't afford to send out Christmas cards, now I can't find time to send out Christmas cards.

But Brian's parents send out cards. And they always have our kids on their picture cards. This year they wanted a picture of us too. As you can see, the individual pictures for their cards turned out. Our attempts at our own family pics, not so much.

There's always next year.

So consider this your Christmas card. A little late, but, hey, if it were early, you probably wouldn't believe that it was from me anyway.

"Merry Christmas and Much Love to You All" , oh, and "Happy New Year!" See, I can do something early. :^)

Had to throw this one in, Bella is not an easy baby to

take pictures of. She smiles in real life, but not for pics.

Christmas Carol Sing and Giant Snowman Cookie - 12/4

Advent Evenings

Our advent readings this year were from

Jotham's Journey

Christmas

Christmas Eve -

We had just returned from a Candlelight service. That was quite an adventure. The first was full, and since we weren't very thrilled with sitting in an overflow service, we headed to second church whose service started later. The children decided that we would sit on the front row. We quickly became amused that the interactive service folowwing Luke 2 and carols that went with it, was almost identical to a program that I'd had the children memorize this year. They enjoyed the two harpists, but were still disappointed that the candlelight service was only candles at the front of the church. We'd thought that we would get to hold them.

Opening presents from my parents in PA

Christmas Eve night

Bella likes "flying" to Brian and then back to me.

Christmas Morning:

Ethan was surprised with the Ocarina of Time

Rose got a violin

Anna got a Furreal cat and kitten, then the girls opened these:

Gold Christmas dresses

The hat was one of Bella's presents.

Bella didn't care for it, and it was a little big.

Rose loved it - isn't she adorable?

Christmas dinner was at our house

They all got crochet hooks in their stocking,

because I'd been making a scarf, and they

were all asking me to teach them.

Whose present was that?

Baby's First Christmas

Now we're at Gran's:

Seven months going on 13.



Listening to Gran:

The long-awaited "Christmas Ball" - I only have this one

picture because we all had to dance!

Bella's new bear. She likes the tag.

Anna Kate likes bears. She named him "Fuzzworth."

And took him to bed with her the next night.

For now he's back in Bella's crib, but

we have to keep an eye on her. :^)