12 Days of CHRISTmas

A new book published this year The Twelve Days of Christmas by Betty Van Orden, has so many ideas for carrying out the 12 days of Christmas for your family and loved ones.

We were particularly interested in her ideas for 12 days of focusing more on the Savior. She Chooses a theme such as Following the Savior, or The Reason for the Season or Angels Among Us and brainstorms ways to carry out the theme for 12 days teaching about the Savior and creating memories for her family. For instance one day there might be a new Christmas book to read together and beautiful beads and cord to make family bookmarks. Another day she would plan a service activity or present the story of Teach the Children (found on this site) with a small bag of objects that correlate with the story.

We found her ideas to be a wonderful mix of ideas that enhance teaching moments and ideas that are just fun and create lasting memories. Reading her book was a great spring board for creating plans for our own family, one idea led to another.....this would be as much fun to prepare for as to carry out. She would prepare for all 12 days, choose stories and activities and wrap each day individually, then place them in a big plastic storage container, even preparing these for family members who lived far away.

We can all thoughtfully and prayerfully consider ways to bring our family closer to each other and to the Savior (and have fun at the same time).

A Jesse Tree

A Jesse tree is a small tree decorated with symbols portraying the spiritual heritage of Christ. A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse. (Isa 11:1) Jesse was the father of David who was to establish a royal family. A thousand years later Jesus was born in this royal line in Bethlehem.

A Jesse tree can be made by using a small Christmas tree or branch from an evergreen tree. It could be a bare tree branch potted in plaster of paris or placed in a vase. It could simply be created by taping a branch cut from paper on the wall.

Each day a scripture is read and a symbol hung on the tree. The scriptures begin with Adam and Eve and include such stories as Noah's ark, Abraham, Elijah, David, John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and the birth of Christ.

There are many links to Jesse trees on the internet or books to purchase that include ready made ornaments that can be used as sources to create your own tree.

Much of the value in this project is in choosing which stories your family will use, reading the scripture and having your children create a drawing to go with the scripture to hang on the tree. At the end of December, a picture of the manger with baby Jesus could be hung at the top of the tree.

Names of Christ Tree

In the scriptures we read of many different names for Christ. It is wonderful to remember the innocent babe born in a stable, but even more important to think of the life and mission of Christ. The names for Christ found in the scriptures help us understand the breadth and meaning of His gift to us.

Our children helped pick out some of the names and we wrote down the name with the corresponding scripture on red paper ornaments and used red satin ribbon to hang them with. They are gathered in a basket and each morning we will read the scripture and hang an ornament on a small, simple tree. Here are the names and scriptures that we use, but there are so many others that are beautiful as well.

Emmanuel -Isa. 7:14
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God -Isa 9:6
Prince of Peace -Isa 9:6
Messiah -Dan 9:25
Redeemer-Isa. 59:20
Savior -John 4:42
Good Shepherd -John 10:14
Holy One -Ps. 16:10
Mediator-1Tim. 2:5
Prince of Life -Acts 3:15
The True Vine -John 15:1
Lord -Matt. 28:6
The Bread of Life -John 6:35
Messenger of the Covenant -Mal. 3:1
The Chosen of God -Luke 23:35
Lamb of God -John 1:29
God's Holy Child Jesus -Acts 4:27-30
Rabboni -John 20:16
The Word -John 1:1,14
The Light -John1:7-8
Bright and Morning Star -Rev. 22:16
Resurrection and the Life -John 11:25

Christ Centered Advent activites

Here are several ideas for daily activities to do as a countdown for Christmas. I write these on little pieces of paper and place one daily in our little Christmas socks that hang on the mantel. I mix in some just plain fun ideas as well. Just choose the ones that suit you and your family.
(The links included in this list will connect you with the specific post on this blog with more details for that idea)

• Make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday!
• Make thank you notes to use after Christmas
• Learn a Christmas hymn to sing as a famil
• Play the wise man game
• Introduce the baby Jesus secret service in your home
• Read an uplifting Christmas classic like "A Christmas Carol" together as a family
• Make pita bread and read bread of life scripture
• Read a Christmas story from the Friend or Ensign
• Write down on paper, roll up and tie with a bow a gift you are going to give to the Savior this year
• Cut general shapes and many colored pieces of felt to make a flannel board nativity and leave it out for children to retell story
• Make simple costumes to act out the nativity story
• Act out nativity story while someone read from Bible
• Write letters and make cards to send to loved ones far away
• Make cookies together and secretly leave at someone's doorstep
• Make bread to deliver to neighbors or shut-ins with a tag that has the bread of life scripture
• Color or paint a picture of the shepherds
• Color or paint a nativity scene and hang it in your home
• Watch an uplifting Christmas dvd together
• Watch Luke 2 video while listening to "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant
• Have a "white" Christmas--attend the Temple
• Go shopping together for sub for santa or angel tree gifts
• Donate good quality used books to your public library
• Help children clean out toys and donate good used ones to charity
• Make dinner for a shut in
• Help children write a story about being there at the manger on Christmas night
• Write a note to a missionary
• Have a Bethlehem dinner
• Tell story of the miracle of loaves and fishes. Sit on blanket and eat fish sticks, or fish crackers and bread and talk about miracles Christ performed
• Have a family Christmas music night, sing together, play instruments, get kazoos so everyone can participate
• Attend a live nativity together
• Listen to Handel's Messiah and learn story behind music
• Make a Christmas advent candle, and read a Christ related scripture each night as candle burns
• Wrap meaningful and uplifting Christmas books and open one each day and read together
• Collect uplifting Christmas stories and compile in a binder to read as a family each day
• Collect or make from paper symbols of Christmas and teach children the meaning. They could draw one from a gift bag and tell how it reminds them of Christ
• Go for a night time winter walk and enjoy the beautiful stars and talk about the special star that appeared at Christ's birth
• Make star shaped sugar cookies, make a tag with scripture that tells of signs at birth of Christ and share with someone
• Make nativity Christmas cards to send
• Make handprints of children, cut out and print"I will have helping hands for Jesus"
• Determine a need and perform a service anonymously
• Forgive and make amends with someone

One Week Until December 1st

I know this week is crazy with Thanksgiving and family gatherings. I also wanted to point out that there is only one week until the 1st of December. That means if you are planning on doing an advent calendar it's time to pin down at least what you are going to do for the first few nights if not the entire month. There are many different ideas for advent calendars on this site and others.

Personally I usually try and do an activity advent calendar for the kids and a scripture one for our family scripture study. I make a list in my notebook of activities and then the night before I can choose an activity that works with our schedule for the day and put it in the form of advent calendar I use (my mother uses Christmas socks, I use a Christmas house with doors and windows).

Skip To My Lou posted today another idea for a stocking advent calendar and commented in her post that "advent calendars are a wonderful way to prepare our hearts and be reminded daily how special this holiday is. If we want it can be a holiday to be savored, anticipated and enjoyed and not something we feel we must get through."

Planning can make or break an advent calendar so be sure to get a head start. If you have any ideas for activities to include please share!

Stockings Advent

We made an advent calendar out of small baby and child sized Christmas socks that attach to twine rope with small wooden clothes pins and hang at the fireplace. Each day the children find a small note with an idea for a Christmas activity or a small treat. Many of the ideas are just for fun, but mixed in are ideas of things to do for service for someone else, like make a Christmas card, make and deliver a treat to a neighbor, write your testimony of the Savior or draw a picture of the shepherds, etc.

Symbols of the Season

In the book, A Child Is Born by W. Jeffrey Marsh, the author states that, "Christmas symbols are everywhere. We can succesfully mix the two (the symbols of Christmas and the Savior) and enjoy both, without hastily and guiltily retreating into separate worlds each Christmas season--if we allow one to bear witness of the other. Each Christmas custom and every Christmas symbol can help us remember and appreciate more, some greater truth about Christ."

Teach your children of all the symbols of Christmas. We can actually feel spiritually uplifted living in the world of candy canes, wreaths, lights and all the trappings that go with Christmas if we use all of these holiday trappings to remind us of the real meaning for celebration. We can look at the following symbols of Christmas and see a deeper meaning.

Candy Canes--the shepherd's crook
Evergreen Wreaths and Trees--eternal life
Stars--the star of Bethlehem
Christmas Lights--The Savior is the light of the world
Santa Claus--the spirit of giving
Candles--Jesus is our true source of light and shining light to a dark world

Julie Slagle shared an idea on Sugardoodle for an advent calendar using the symbols of Christmas and scriptures to go along with them. She also included an ornament and an activity for each day.
Another posted on Sugardoodle that has pictures and meanings