The After Christmas Glow

I hope that you and your family had a truly wonderful Christmas!  

I know that we did.  It's been colder here, but we were spared the snow that our northern neighbors got.  I personally missed the white Christmas!  But we were able to enjoy an afternoon at the park today without snow boots and winter coats, so that's something!

As much as I try to make Christmas not about the gifts, after a morning spent with family opening said gifts, I can't help but encourage the boys to enjoy those gifts and all the love they were wrapped in.  And this was a good year for gifts.  Lots of games, books, crafts, and things to be enjoyed outside as a family.

From under this year's tree, here are a few of our favorite outdoor gifts:

1. skateboards, helmets, and pads
2. street hockey goal, sticks, and balls
3. walkie talkies that have the boys tromping all through the yard just to find each other again
4. a mini trampoline
5. lots of tools
6. and a tent big enough for our family

What was under your tree this year and how have you enjoyed Christmas outside?

Y&Z

Family Activities
We're making Christmas cookies as a family today to share with a few neighbors.  The boys love to be involved in the kitchen so I enlisted their help selecting recipes, gathering ingredients, stirring, and of course cleaning up!

After baking and delivering cookies, we changed into warm pjs and lit a fire where we'll spend the rest of the evening reading stories and listening to Christmas music.

Service Activities
In addition to the treats we took to our neighbors, we made a few special treats for our puppy and theirs.  I love this simple recipe I found on Pinterest for peanut butter dog treats.

Snacks
Enjoy some Christmas cookies and hot cocoa while reading Twas the Night Before Christmas as a family.


Songs
Christmas Cookies
Marshmallow World
The Great Christmas Eve Cookie Calamity


Books
Twas the Night Before Christmas

Xylophone

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Psalm 98:4

Preschool Activities
We went to our Christmas Eve service at church last night as a family (the kids usually go to their own age appropriate program).  Much to the delight of my middle child who just started drum lessons, the very first song played was Little Drummer Boy.  As we left church, we enjoyed our very favorite version of that song again by TobyMac.

There were lots of other percussion instruments in last night's worship band: jingle bells and xylophones among them.  I wanted to continue that theme of worship today by making music at home.  So we decided to try to make some instruments at home using recycled items we already have around the house.

I filled four glasses with different volumes of water and dyed the water green and red.  Then I let the boys softly strike the side of the glass with a pencil to listen to the different sounds made by our homemade xylophone.
We turned an old oatmeal container into a drum, using unsharpened pencils as drum sticks.
The boys made some maracas by filling small plastic food storage containers with beads.
We pulled out our jingle sticks (jingle bells on pipe cleaners) from J is Jingle Bells.
Our toilet paper roll horns didn't last more than a few days, so we pulled out some kazoos.
I stretched several rubber bands over the open end of a small shoe box to make a small guitar.
I tried to teach them to play the spoons, but they all found it a little difficult and lost interest very quickly!

Service Activities
Go caroling at a nursing home.  It's best to call ahead and find out the best time of day to stop by.  Right before or after lunch, there is often a congregation of people in the common or dining areas.


Snacks
Mixed nuts in a metal can.  After pouring snack portions into individual cups, I left the metal cans on the table and allowed the kids to shake and drum on them along to our Christmas music!

Songs
 
 
Books
The Little Drummer Boy, by Ezra Jack Keats

Wreath

Preschool Activities
I wanted to do one last fun crafty activity with the kids before the craziness of Christmas Eve services started.  After today's activities, we'll spend every evening at church serving and attending services.

So I pulled out paper plates and red and green bingo stampers.  The older kids cut out the middle circle leaving a wreath of paper around the edges of the plates.  Then the kids decorated with their stampers.  My oldest filled in almost every space with green before strategically placing red berries on his wreath.  My middle child alternated colors until his wreathed was filled in rather randomly.  And my littlest grabbed both stampers, stamped his wreath a few times, the table, his leg and called it done.  I just love to sit back and watch the process.

Family Activities
We've received so many Christmas cards already from wonderful family members and friends.  I had the boys help me attach our cards to an old foam wreath form with a few straight pins.  As we pinned each card, we read the message aloud and prayed for the family that sent it.

Service Activities
Find someone who is feeling sad today and give them a hug - circle them in love.
Don't forget to invite someone to the Christmas Eve service at your church.

Snacks
Bagel wreaths:
Mix green food coloring into plain cream cheese.  Spread cream cheese onto half of a mini bagel.  Top with dried cranberries. 

Songs
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
The Holy and the Ivy
On Christmas Night

Books
Mama's Wreaths, by Julia Taylor Ebel (to read aloud with the older ones)

Village

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Micah 5:2 (ESV)

Preschool Activities
Today is our first day of Christmas break with all the kids home!  I wanted to maintain Little Man's routine as much as possible while allowing the bigger boys to relax and have fun on their vacation from school.  Lego's are a perennial favorite at our house, and with three boys, we have blocks in every size, shape and color.  So I pulled out the bin of traditional sized Legos for the older boys to build with and the big Duplo blocks for little brother to enjoy.  I asked them first to build villages, small cities, with roads connecting them.  Then I handed my middle and my most artistic child Popsicle stick nativity story puppets that I'd made, but never used.  They had a good time acting out the story of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and then reenacted some aspects of the nativity story.  When they were done, I didn't push the issue.  They built all afternoon with their blocks, playing side-by-side.

Family Activities
Since we talked a little bit about the village of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, earlier in the day, I thought it would be great to head downtown together and enjoy the Christmas decorations.  The storefronts are all decked out for Christmas and every Friday there are carolers, treats, and horse drawn carriage rides.  Little Man especially was enthralled with the horses - they were huge standing next to my toddler!  We also had a lot of fun riding through town, singing Christmas songs, and seeing the lights.

Service Activities
Today is a great day to emphasize that little people can do big things!  We're making snowflakes (again), but this time we're sending them to the new Sandy Hook building to open on January 12.  We have answered any questions the kids had from overhearing conversations or news stories, but we didn't delve into deep conversations about what had happened in Connecticut.  In our service project today, I just wanted them to know that they were really helping kids at another school who were scared and sad to go back. 

If you would like to participate with your family as well, here is the information I received about the project:

"When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers want to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonederland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible.  So, please help the students of Sandy Hook have a winter wonterland at their new school! 

Please send your snowflakes to the Connecticut PTSA no later than Jan 12, 2013:

Connecticut PTSA
60 Connoly Parkway
Building 12, Suite 103
Hamden, CT 06514"

Snacks
We had a humble snack today, but a family favorite: apple and cheese slices with crackers

Songs
O Little Town of Bethlehem
How Far is it to Bethlehem
In this Town

Books
B is for Bethlehem, by Isabel Wilner

Unto

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given; 
And the government will be upon His shoulder. 
And His name will be called 
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (NKJ)

Preschool Activities
It's getting busy around here.  We're just a few days from Christmas which means presents need to be wrapped, meals need to be planned, and the house needs to be cleaned to prepare for guests.  So today I needed something that could occupy my little man while I accomplished a few things on my own.  He loves to put together puzzles, but I don't have anything Christmas themed.  Since we've also been working on basic number and letter recognition, I decided to make a magnetic popsicle stick number puzzle for him to work on at the fridge.  

I lined up eight popsicle sticks and taped them together before drawing the baby Jesus in a manger (thank goodness for Activity Village's tutorial!).  I wrote the numbers 1-8 on each popsicle stick and attached magnets to the back.  Then I let him get to work sorting out the puzzle pieces while I mopped the kitchen floor.  When he was done, we counted together while I pointed to each number.  Then I asked him who was on the puzzle.  Baby Jesus is always the right answer at Christmas-time!  

Then I explained that Baby Jesus was a gift given to us by God.  Jesus was born to live on this earth so that we would have an example of how to live without sin.  And since sometimes we do still struggle with sin, Jesus died so that all of our sins would be taken away and we can live with him forever in heaven.  

While I don't expect my three-year old to fully understand this truth in his heart until he's older, it's my hope that he will grow up with a certain vocabulary that will make it easier for him to accept Jesus.

Family Activities
Baby Jesus, the greatest gift ever given, was born unto us. We have a set of the Names of Jesus ornaments.  In scrawling letters, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, decorate Christmas globes.

I have not set a strong enough example for my children in my own prayer life.  If I were praying unceasingly, my children should see that, and not just before meals and bed.  So I asked them to all come together for a quick family prayer.  First, I asked them what name do they use when they pray to God.  I heard Father in Heaven and Jesus as I expected.  I read to them the names on our ornaments and a few others found throughout scripture.  The point that I want my kids to understand, is that it doesn't matter what we call Him.  The important thing is that we talk to God throughout our day and know that he listens.  I encouraged them to pray when they wake up, before they eat lunch at school, and every time they see someone sad or needing help.  I know that this is the type of lesson that won't sink in until I practice what I preach.  Isn't it amazing how parenting becomes this process that makes us better as our kids grow?

Service Activities
Today is the last day of school before Christmas break for the boys.  So we put together sweet little snowman gift bags for their teachers filled with oranges, Hershey's kisses, hand sanitizer, tissues, and individually wrapped tea bags.

The snowmen are made from white paper bags.  For each, I cut out two black circles and one orange triangle.  The boys glued them in place for eyes and a nose.  The smile is just drawn on with a Sharpie marker.
 
Snacks
For snack, we enjoyed some left over oranges and Hershey kisses.  The kisses because God so loved the world that he sent his only son, born unto us - John 3:16.

Tree

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)

Preschool Activities
The boys love to help decorate the tree.  As a result, most of our ornaments are grouped together in bunches about little boy height.  I'm also constantly straightening the tree skirt and even the star on the top that gets a little crooked when the tree is shaken by curious little hands.  I loved Bethany's idea over at No Twiddle Twaddle to give the kids their own Christmas Tree decorating station. I didn't have an extra mini tree to hand over to the kids so we simplified the idea quite a bit.

I cut a Christmas tree shape out of a triangle of leftover green felt.  Then I cut a bunch of shapes out of the colorful scraps left over from other felt projects.  Little man had a hard time grabbing some of the small felt ornaments, so I gave him a pair of plastic tweezers.  He had so much fun decorating his very own tree and scored some great fine motor practice too!


If you don't have extra felt laying around to make a Christmas tree, try a coloring page!

The Christmas Tugboat: How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Came to New York City, by George Matteson

Family Activities
As a child, there was nothing I loved more than hiking through a vast tree farm looking for that perfect tree.  Once we found it, my dad would cut down the tree, carry it back to the car, tie it to the roof of the car, bring it home, and set it up in our living room.  It was difficult, dirty work that resulted in a beautiful Christmas tradition.  I remember that wonderful fresh smell.  I remember decorating the tree as a  family.  I remember the year the tree fell over.  I remember the year my mom decorated the tree with a bunch of envelopes filled with our presents.

Our downtown association hosted an event this year called Christmas Tree Lane.  A line of trees on Main Street was decorated by local businesses.  Each one was decorated in a theme that represented that business.  We walked past and admired each one while sipping hot chocolate and apple cider.  The boys loved the travel agent's tree decorated with sun glasses and beach balls!

All whimsy and wonder aside, the Christmas tree is a beautiful symbol for Christ's love for each of us.  Strong, constant, and pointing toward heaven.  Jelly Fish labs produced a short video, The History of the Christmas Tree, that explains some of that symbolism.

Service Activities
String popcorn to decorate a tree outside.  Watch from a window to see who comes to enjoy the snack.

Snacks
Decorate ice cream cone Christmas trees with green frosting and colorful candies.  

Songs
5 Little Christmas Trees
The Littlest Christmas Tree 

Books
Jesus, Me, and My Christmas Tree, by Crystal Bowman
The Pine Tree Parable, by Lizz Curtis Higgs

The Tale of Three Trees, by Catherine McCafferty