Symbols of Christmas FHE

Chocolate On My Cranium has posted another Christmas FHE on her blog about the Symbols of Christmas. The lesson includes scriptures and pictures to go along with each symbol.

I love the idea of doing sugar cookies and using cookie cutters that go along with the symbols you talk about in the lesson.

My ever faithful Sugar Cookie recipe can be found at Everyday Recipes.

Living Christ Christmas Tree

TJ Hirst on her blog Illuminate Everyday is sharing the special symbolism of the ornaments on her Living Christ Christmas Tree in a series of posts.

She explains:

"I chose each ornament for our tree to symbolize a particular aspect of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ from The Living Christ. Some are well-known symbols like doves for peace, but others represent my own associations and creativity."

The series will continue on Wednesdays until Christmas. You can move from the beginning post to the next ones by clicking on "Next in the Series", which is at the bottom right hand corner of each post.

Pictures used with permission

Bread of Life Gift Tags

Everyday Food Storage has a post about doing homemade bread for neighbor gifts. She has made darling tags you can print to go with the bread using the scripture John 6:35:

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: 
he that cometh to me shall never hunger; 
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." 

The Christmas Symbols Story

This story was submitted by my sister-in-law Charis from her personal files. She commented that she often skips the story and goes on to do what Santa does to teach the Christmas symbols.
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Late one Christmas Eve I sank into my easy chair. Admiring the tree with it’s decorations, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing… The kids were in bed the gifts were all wrapped: the milk and cookies were in their place for Santa. It wasn’t long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me into a deep sleep.

I don’t know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I opened my eyes and there stood Santa Claus himself next to my Christmas Tree.

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just as the poem described him. But he was not the “jolly old elf” of Christmas legend. The man who stood before me looked sad and disappointed with tears in his eyes.

I had to ask, “Santa, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“It’s the children” Santa replied sadly.

“but the children love you.” I said.

“Oh I know they love me and the gifts I bring them,” Santa said. “But the children of today seem to have somehow missed out on the true spirit of Christmas. It’s not their fault. It just that the adults, many of them not having been taught themselves, have forgotten to teach the children.”

“Teach them what?” I asked.

Santa’s kind old face became soft and gentle. His eyes began to shine with something more than tears. He spoke softly. “Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the parts of Christmas we can see, hear, and touch are much more than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas we now observe. Teach them what it is that they truly represent.”

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on the fireplace mantle. “teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the second color of Christmas. The stately evergreen with its unchanging color represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus. Its needles point heaven ward as a reminder that man’s thoughts should turn heaven ward as well.”

--sing “I lived in Heaven”

Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at the top of the small tree. “The star was the heavenly sign of promise. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise on the night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach the children that God always fulfills His promises and that the wise will still seek Him.”

--Sing, “Stars were Gleaming”

“Red,” said Santa “is the first color of Christmas.” He pulled forth a red ornament for the tiny tree. “Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the color of the life giving blood that flows through our veins. It is the symbol of God’s greatest gift. Teach the children that Christ gave His life and shed his blood for them that they might have eternal life. When they see the color red it should remind them of that most wonderful gift.”

--Sing “Did Jesus really live again”

Santa found a bell in his pack and placed it on the tree. “Just as lost sheep are guided to safety by the sound of the bell, it continues to ring today for all to be guided to the fold. Teach the children to follow the true Shepherd who gave h is life for the sheep.”

--Sing “Christmas Bells”

Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The soft glow from its one tiny flame brightened the room. “The glow of the candle represents how man can show his thanks for the gift of God’s Son that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the children to follow in Christ’s footsteps. . . to go about doing good. Teach them to let their lights shine before men that all may see it and glorify God. This is what is symbolized when the twinkling lights shine on the tree like hundreds of bright, shining candles, each of them representing one of God’s precious children, their light shining for all to see.

--Sing “I am trying to be like Jesus”

Again, Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red and white striped candy cane. As he hung it on the tree, He spoke softly, “The candy cane is a stick of hard red and white candy. White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus. The shape J to represent the precious name of Jesus who came to earth as our Savior. It also represents the crook of the Good Shepherd, which he uses to reach down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs that, like sheep, have gone astray. The original candy cane had three small red stripes which are the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed and a large red stripe that represents the shedding of blood of Jesus so that we can have eternal life. Teach these things to the children”

--Sing “The Shepherds Carol”

Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh fragrant greenery and tied with a bright red bow. “The bow reminds us that the bond of perfection which is love. The wreath embodies all the good things about Christmas for those with eyes to see and hearts to understand. It contains the colors red and green and the heaven turned needles of the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good will towards all and its color reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice. Even the wreath’s very shape is symbolic, representing eternity and the eternal nature of Christ’s love. It is a circle without beginning and without end. These are the things you must teach the children.”

--Sing “Families can be together forever”

“But where does that leave you Santa?” I asked. The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa’s face. “Why, bless you, my dear,” he laughed. “ I, too am only a symbol. I represent the spirit of family fun and the joy of giving and receiving. If the children are taught these other things, there is no danger that I’ll ever be forgotten.”

“I think I’m beginning to understand at last, “ I replied.

“That’s why I came” said Santa, “You’re an adult. If you don’t teach the children these things, then who will?”

(For music and words see the LDS music site)

Pita Bread and Bread of Life Symbolism

Pita Bread Recipe for the Bethlehem Dinner Menu

Read John 6: 35 and discuss it's meaning while this bread bakes in your oven. Children like to watch this bread puff up while it is baking, and flatten when taken out of the oven

1 pkg yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups flour
1 1/4 t. of salt
1 t. granulated sugar

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add sugar and let it sit for 5-10 min. Meanwhile, mix flour and salt, pour in yeast mixture. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water and mix.

Flour your work surface, placing the dough on it and kneading for about 5-10 min. until dough is elastic. Coat a large bowl with olive oil and place dough in it, turning the dough to coat with olive oil. Let rise until doubled.

Roll out dough into the shape of a rope. Cut the dough into 10-12 small pieces. Roll out each ball of dough with a floured rolling pin into circles about 5-6 inches and 1/4 inch thick.

Preheat the oven to 5oo degrees and place your rack at the bottom of the oven. Bake each circle about 4 min.. When the bread puffs up, turn over and bake for a couple of min. When you take it out of the oven the bread will flatten out. Serve bread dipped in hummus.

There is also a Bread of Life video about Christ on the Jesus Christ website done by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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

Bethlehem Dinner

We look forward every year to setting aside a special evening which we call our "Bethlehem" dinner. We prepare foods that the Savior may have been familiar with. Our menu includes dishes that have been in my husband's family for generations that originate from the Jerusalem area. We play soft Christmas religious music and eat by candlelight and clay lamp light. We have a short devotional or share some historical facts about the time and places Jesus lived in.
(Click the link for a post with the recipe)

Menu:
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Sfeeha
Baklava
Spinach Pies (you can also buy these at stores like Costco in their frozen section labeled as Spanakopita)
Pita Bread
Hummus
Grapes
Mediterranean Olives
Grape Juice
Cucumber Salad
etc.