The Truth in the Tinsel

Early in the Christmas season, I asked Beth what she tought of when she thought about Christmas. She said family and presents. While those things are certainly a part of Christmas, I realized our focus and balance was off. Talking to Kevin, we realized we wanted to refocus our family on the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus wasn't left out of our celebrating, mind you, we just wanted there to be more of Him.

I did some searching and searching online. I saw many things that looked amazing, that really told the story. Since my kids are 4 and 7, I knew we needed something simple and quick. The Truth in the Tinsel fit the bill! It was an e-book download. I printed the pages I needed. I already had most of the supplies in the craft closet, but did go buy a few things(and tweeked a few projects to fit what supplies I had). Reading the Bible passage, the discussion and the craft took about 15-20 minutes. That was great for the short attention span of a 4 year old but still deep enough for the 7 year old to not be bored.

With time being what it was and that it was already into December, I knew we wouldn't have time for all 25 crafts. Some days, we combined the stories and talked about them, making only one craft. Sometimes, we made two crafts. Some, we just skipped altogether. The kiddos really looked forward to this family Bible and craft time!

We all learned so much about the story of Jesus. It was a really special time for our family. I had wound garland with lights and ribbon on the stair rail, but I thought it was still missing something. Every craft we complete was hung on the garland, reminding us every day to celebrate Jesus.

We are already looking forward to next year, making sure we plan the time to complete every single day and honoring our Savior in the Christmas season!

Battle of the Ages- Wordless Wed.

More elf adventures

Our Elf on the Shelf, Tinsel, had a few more adventures before he headed back to the North Pole. I'm glad Tinsel didn't get into as much mischief as many elves we saw pictures of. The kids were pretty tickled with what they found a few mornings.

Did you see him in the stocking?

We even had an elf impersoninator.

Merry Christmas!

Enjoying traditional Mexican food dinner on Christmas Eve Day. Mmm, chips and salsa, enchildas, mmmm!

A Visit to Santa

Right after school one day, we got Beth home and changed then off to see Santa at the mall. The letters had been written, with their biggest wishes.

All the way there, Jacob talked about what he would tell Santa. But, as we got there, he chickened out. There was nobody else in line, so Beth got some great chat time with Santa.

I tried to get Jacob to at least hand his letter to Santa, but he wouldn't have it. Since there was nobody waiting, Santa walked with the kids over to the special letter delivery system. They put the letter in a slot and pushed a button. Then, there were lights and sparkles as the letter poofed into his big bag.

Even if Jacob wouldn't chat with Santa, I'm glad they had the extra time with him. Beth made sure Santa knew her wishes and that she'd been a good girl. Maybe next year Jacob will be ready.

5 more days to see if their wishes come true!

Who is this one for?- Wordless

Elf Shennanigans

Tinsel, our elf on the shelf, joined us in 2009. He's been pretty good about keeping a close watch on the kids. The first year, we thought he was a goner when Kevin accidentally shot Tinsel with the marshmallow gun. Thankfully, he still had his magic and made it to the North Pole that night, returning to us the next year. This year, however, Tinsel has been getting into a little trouble.

Looking around and hearing stories about other elves, it seems that they must be talking when they go back to the North Pole. There seems to be more mischief from the elves than the children!

These little things, moments of Christmas magic and joy, make Christmas so much fun!