Christmas Joys #31

Last One . . .

Fun ideas for the kids tonight:
Start early... start at 4pm and declare 8pm to be MIDNIGHT....
Get out a roll of aluminum foil and make hats, headbands and aluminum foil sculptures.
Make a campfire in the backyard.
Play a GAME tonight...pictionary is a good choice for all ages. Don't be too strict on the rules. And Charades too. Make up cards with easy things to do and guess.
Buy or scrounge a roll of bubble wrap with the big bubbles, then at midnight have everyone jump on them at the same time.
Go wild with the silly string, poppers and noisemakers. It's OK to make a mess.

Christmas Joys #30

If you are hosting a New Years Eve party, give your Christmas tree a makeover. Tie party items to the branches with silver ribbons: horns, noisemakers,candy, glow sticks, confetti poppers, and party hats are good ideas. As the night progresses people can help themselves to some fun!

All the following ideas are from FamilyFun.com

A Day of Firsts

The Jacobus family of Castle Rock, Colorado, spends all of New Year's Day doing things that are, well, new. Jennifer, Kevin, and three-year-old Morgan try a new food, drive on a street they've never been down, style their hair a different way, or buy a new book. "Really, it can be anything that strikes our fancy," says Jennifer. "And every year we wake up feeling excitement about the day ahead, because you never know what it will bring."

Group Goals

The Gingras family of Raynham, Massachusetts, turns over a new leaf on New Year's Eve with their annual to-do list. Allison and her kids, Ian, age eight, and Adam, four, come up with several categories, such as: Books to read, Charity work to do, New exercises to try, Things to clean out, Ways to show we love each other. . . Then they have a big brainstorming session about what to write under each column (some examples of how to show their love: "give a kiss whenever we arrive home or leave" and "find ten times a day to say 'I love you'"). "The boys get a big kick out of coming up with things to put on the list, and they're really great at it!" says Allison. She keeps it in her Palm Pilot so they can work on it all year long. The Gingrases also use the occasion to go over last year's list and see what they accomplished--and if there's anything they'd like to keep working on.

Remembrances of Things Past Things get a little wild and wacky on New Year's Eve in the Kittle house in Jupiter, Florida. For the last five years, the family of six has paid tribute to the previous years with a silly round of charades. Everyone gets in on the act by taking turns thinking of a funny or poignant event and then pantomiming it to the group. They've found that just about anything--a horseback-riding outing or a cousin's high school graduation--can be acted out. And reliving the family's achievements and anecdotes in an exaggerated way has at times been so funny, "We've all ended up laughing, doubled up on the floor, with tears rolling down our cheeks," says Lynette. There's an unexpected benefit to the tradition as well: the game solidifies all of those memories in every one's minds. "It's the highlight of our holiday," she says.

Christmas Joys #29

Life moves pretty fast.
If you don't take a look around once and awhile,

you could miss it.

Ferris Bueller

Celebrate New Year's around 9:00 with your family so the kids can get to bed at a decent hour. Turn the clock to 11:59, count down, and sing "Auld Lang Syne" at 'midnight'. Then the grown ups have some quiet time to themselves. Parenting Magazine

When sending Christmas thank-you notes, tuck in a snapshot of yourself enjoying the gift.

As you pack up the Christmas tree decorations, ask family members to write a prediction for the coming year on a piece of paper. Put them in the ornament box and read them next year.

Make a family calendar. You can start with a blank one from a scrapbook or craft store, of just add to any calendar. Add all the family birthdays in the appropriate squares and decorate them. Sort through photos and choose a few for each month. Scan them into the computer and print them out or just attach them to you calendar. Sorting through your pictures is a wonderful way to remember all the happy times of the past year.

Christmas Joys #28

On New Years Eve have each family member write down 3 favorite family memories from the past year. Then seal the entries in an envelope and read them on the following New Year's Eve. Then by putting the memories in a scrapbook the family can enjoy the collection every year.

If you have lots of kids in your life, have a children's New Year's Eve party. Do fun activities with them and at the stroke of 9:00 have sparkling cider and confetti to throw. You can turn your clocks ahead so they feel like they were up really late!

Christmas Morning

Here's some pictures from Christmas morning.

Our three kiddos in their Christmas jammies.

Little Lady loves her new bike.

The boys can't wait to try out their survival necklaces that dad made for them.

If you need to know anything about the solar system, just ask Crazy Fox.

Little Lady posed for a picture before ripping open her big present.

Our Traditional Christmas breakfast.

Just kidding!

We had eggs and bacon and PW's cinnamon rolls.

So yummy!

Christmas Joys #27

A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers,

blesses you with love

and encourages you with hope.

Toast your friends when they are in your home.
Tell them how much it means to you to have them there.

Get out your 2008 calendar and block out at least one night a month for a date night with your spouse and another to have friends over. Our relationships are one of the greatest blessings we have been given and we need to treasure them. You don't have to have a plan yet, just time set aside. If it isn't on my calender, my good intentions often don't come to fruition.

Christmas Joys #26

We did it! Hope your Christmas was wonderful....

. . . now what to do with all the leftovers!

What to do with all that used wrapping paper:
Now is the perfect time to gather up all your Christmas books and wrap them for next year's "Countdown to Christmas Basket". (A great project for the kids.)

What to do with all those Christmas Cards:
Cut Christmas cards in half and use the back of the picture for writing thank you notes. People will appreciate your pretty,earth friendly note paper! (Another great project for the kids.)
Cut next year's gift tags from Christmas cards you received this year.

What to do with all that leftover turkey:
Garbage Soup--thanks Joslin's Aunt Dee

canned chicken broth (add one can of water for each can of broth.)
frozen spinach
leftover turkey meat
noodles (I just throw in all the little leftover noodles I have in my pantry. Doesn't matter if they aren't all the same.) (Also delicious with Tortellini noodles!)

Toppings:
chopped hard boiled eggs
shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
Or shake some Parmesan on it if you don't have the other stuff.

Cook it all up and top with chopped up hard boiled eggs and shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese. It's light it's healthy and it it uses up some leftovers. :-)

What to do with that Christmas Tree
Recycle it. . . many areas have a tree recycle program. . . OR . . .Now that we don't live in city limits, we save it for New Year's Eve and have a bon fire with smore's and sparklers. A new tradition in the making!

What to do with all that bubble bath and lotion you got
USE IT on YOURSELF!! You deserve it!!! Don't give it to the kids, don't re-gift it. Open it and enjoy it....give yourself a hard earned 1 hour break. Lock the door --- And don't feel guilty about it.

What to shop for at the after Christmas sales.
Wrapping Paper for next year. You haven't put away this year's yet, so just buy it and put it away together. Huge savings!
Red and Green Candy....use the red candy for Valentine's day ...use the green for St. Patrick's Day. If you have any birthday's coming up, stock up for the pinata.

Tinsel

Red tinsel hung from the ceiling over your Valentine's Day dinner add a bit of sparkle and romance. Your little girls favorite color tinsel makes perfect horse tails for hours of pretending. Stock up and use it to put in gift bags or gift baskets. Tinsel is usually something you can still find when it is marked down to 90% off! Be creative, think what you can do with it.

Christmas Joys #25

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold,

I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,

which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:10-11

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, But softly gives itself away.

-Eva Logue-

Take an afternoon walk with someone you love on Christmas Day.

After opening the presents, hug all your family members and tell them they are the best gift of all.

Take time to remember the greatest gift is a home filled with people you love.

SAVE that used wrapping paper!! Use it to wrap up your "Countdown to Christmas Books" for next year. Have the kids wrap them all back up, and then store them with all your Christmas decorations and you are ready to go for next year.

SAVE those beautiful Christmas cards!! Have the kids cut out the pictures and use them for gift tags next year. They also make great postcards for Thank Yous! Tear off the cover. If there is no writing on the back of it, use it just like a postcard! The postage is cheaper than a card and envelope, and it is a beautiful way to recycle.

There will be more "Christmas Joys" until the end of the month....some fun ideas for those 'after Christmas' days and getting ready for New Years...just thought I would post#25 today because I am hoping you will take a day off the computer tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to you all. We wish you a Christmas full of the knowledge of Christ, the first Christmas gift ever given. And the best one ever received.

Christmas Joys #24

The First Christmas Story

Before going to bed on Christmas Eve, read by candlelight about the birth of Jesus in Luke, Chapter 2. Then join hands with your family and sing "Silent Night."

Christmas Pajamas

We always let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve. It's always their new pajamas. There is something special about going to bed in new pj's. This is one of the things we did growing up. It was always fun to open them even though we knew what was in the box.

Christmas Stars

As the last experience on Christmas Eve, go outside and look up at the stars. These are the same havens that the shepherds saw. Bundle up and just quietly watch the sky before going to bed. You may even want to say your bedtime prayers out there. (from the book Family Traditions by Caryl Waller Krueger)

Christmas Joys #23

Make Doughnut snowman.

It started snowing here last night just after sunset. We went out and sat on the porch and enjoyed the quiet and stillness of a fresh snowfall. It was just beautiful. Since it was dark, we decided to make our snowmen inside. We used powdered doughnuts and donut holes to make the body, held together with toothpicks. The hats were made from thin mints and mini peanut butter cups. We stuck the hats and chocolate chip buttons and eyes on with frosting. The kids had a lot of fun building and eating their snowmen.Someone ate this poor guys eyes before I took his picture.

Here's the snow.

Christmas Joys #22

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13 CHRISTMAS VERSION

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,believes all things,hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; But giving the gift of love will endure.

Christmas Joys #21

Be the first to wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas

Buy Christmas mugs for everyone in the family.

Listen to the Barking Dogs sing "Jingle Bells." (Once.)

Christmas Joys #20

Warning: this post may contain traces of nuts

The Dollar Nut

Carefully clean out the insides of a walnut, place a folded up dollar bill inside and glue the shells back together. Glue a string loop at the top and hang them on the tree. When children come to visit, let them choose a dollar nut from the tree. Other things you could put in there: a charm, a miniature, a pair of earrings, a tiny china figurine, a necklace chain or bracelet, coins.

Holiday Mice

MATERIALS:
Felt scraps
Walnut shell halves
Thread
Glue
Markers
Small marbles

1. Fold small felt circles in half for ears. Glue together the lower portion of each ear, leaving the back open.

2. Glue the ears, a felt tail and whiskers of thread onto a shell half.

3. Draw on eyes and a nose with a colored marker.

4. Place a marble under their walnut shell bodies, set them on a smooth, inclined surface, and they'll race each other to the finish.

Christmas Joys #19

Every year give at least one anonymous gift to a stranger.

Let go of a problem you can't solve. Enjoy the season.

Remember the best solution to the holiday blues is to do something special for someone else.

Paint your daughter's fingernails with alternating red and green nail polish. Yours too!

Tie jingle bells on your child's shoes.

Christmas Joys #18

Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others,

you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Ask children what they are GIVING for Christmas, instead of asking what they are getting.

Tip someone who doesn't expect it.

On Christmas eve we had a Joyball for everybody to enjoy. All year long we'd buy items from 10cents to $1. These gifts are wrapped in scraps of leftover Christmas wrap then wrapped in crepe paper strips. Starting with one small gift and wrapping & adding gifts until there is a big ball. The only strip secured is the last one with one piece of tape. When ready to 'play', gather everyone on the floor, take the tape off & bat the ball around catching gifts as they fall out. When all is finished, unwrap gifts & trade if wanted. We always did this at our Christmas parties and was it ever fun. Surprisingly, everyone got down regardless of their age or what they were wearing. Thanks Sally!

Teach yourself how to say Merry Christmas in Vietnamese or Chinese! http://www.holidays.net/christmas/voices.htm Click here to hear people say Merry Christmas in their native languages. You can also contribute YOUR language if it is not listed. It's really interesting and educational.

Pink is Back

Last week I thought I was going to have to go buy a case of purple fabric dye. Is it normal for a three year old girl to wake up and decide that pink is no longer the ONLY color? And then the mail came. Thank you Grandma for saving the day. Apparently pink is still acceptable as long as there are sparkles on it somewhere. Little Lady put on her new sweatshirt and went outside to do her favorite Disco moves.

I think with moves like that we may see the return of disco!

A girl is entitled to change her mind.

Christmas Joys #17

Invite your children's friends and neighborhood kids over for an afternoon of crafts. You can choose a few age appropriate crafts and have stations set up. If there are older kids, ask them to help the younger ones. Here are a few ideas.

One of our favorites is a snowman hand print bulb. Paint your child's hand using white acrylic paint Have them hold a blue glass bulb in the palm of their hand and then wrap their fingers around it. After the paint has dried, draw eyes, a nose and buttons on each finger. This makes an adorable snowman family. Write the child's name and year on the back and hang it on your tree. Thank you Mrs. Fimbres

The Family Fun website, has a "From Me to You" book you can print out. The pages prompt children to answer questions like: "My favorite thing to do with you is.." and "I love you because...".

http://familyfun.go.com/printables/season/feature/countdown-christmas/countdown-christmas.html

Make Your Own Snow Globe http://www.cleanhomejournal.com/view.aspx?pid=52

Q-Tip Snowflakes http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/q-tip-snowflake.shtml

Tin Can Luminaries http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1586

Glitter Star Window Clings http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/christmas_crafts__2.htm

Christmas Joys #16

If you want to do something good for your children, spend half as much money on them and twice as much time.

Take a basket of Christmas goodies to all your neighbors (even the grumpy ones!!)

Call your out of town family and sing a Christmas carol to them.

A Visit with Grandma and Grandpa

My parents were here visiting last week and we had a great time with them. The kids spent Monday playing in the fresh snow. When they came in to warm up we played games and drank hot chocolate. We exchanged our gifts with them while they were here since we won't be together on Christmas. The kids made ornaments and had a few other special gifts for Grandma and Grandpa. My parents gave the boys a train set, which they have been playing with every spare moment since they opened it.

My Dad has always loved trains, and there is a 100 year old train station in our little city. It is no longer used, but has been kept up and can be rented out for gatherings. My dad also likes to do geo-caching. There is a cache at the train station, so we went to find it. Wyatt found it right away. Then we walked around and looked at all the character in the old building. We could see a train coming off in the distance, so we waited for it to pass by. The kids waved to the engineer and counted all the cars. We looked for a few more caches close by and walked around the water wheel. The whole wheel was covered in a sheet of ice and huge icicles. Big chunks of ice were sliding off of it even though it was still freezing outside. By lunchtime, the wind started to pick up and we were ready to do something inside.

We had a great time with you Grandma and Grandpa!

Christmas Joys #15

If there's a model train in the basement or attic....get it out and set it up under the tree.

Enjoy a couple of meals illuminated only by the light of the Christmas tree.

Most kids get more than plenty for Christmas from grandparents, aunts and uncles. If you can only afford one gift for your child, make it a memory! Wrap a note in a box with instructions for a treasure hunt. Send your child all over the house with clues and then have the real gift sitting under the tree when they return. Simple, but a great memory for them! www.livingonadime.com

Regarding Christmas Joys

Well, I was looking at our blog and realized that I had not given credit were credit is definitely due. I met my friend Super Mom, in the town we lived in before we moved to Idaho. She is an amazing woman who will probably be embarrassed by me even mentioning her. She has more wonderful ideas and ways to instill family togetherness and build memories together than anyone I know. Super Mom emails Christmas Joys every morning in December out of the goodness of her heart. Just a little reminder in my inbox, to take a few minutes out of my hectic day to make a memory with my kids. Several of the ideas on this blog are ones that I did come up with or were passed on from our families, but a lot of them originally stemmed from her ideas, and it seems that sometimes I forget that I didn't come up with them myself! So, thank you Super Mom! Our family and so many other families have been blessed with your compilation of wonderful ways to make Christmas time a more family centered, memorable season!

Christmas Joys #14

Don't despair if you are short of cash. Be creative. Looking back you will discover that the Christmases when you spent the least money, were the ones that left you with the best memories.

If a child gives you a handmade gift, convince him it's your favorite gift of all.

Last year we had mini mailboxes for each member of our family. Each morning in December there was a small surprise in the kids mailboxes. Things from the $1 store or coupons to read an extra book, or have special time with mom or dad. The best days were the mornings when I would go to put a surprise in the kids mail boxes and find the flags already up. They surprised mom and dad and each other with notes and pictures and small tokens from their toy boxes. It was wonderful to see them returning the giving.

Here's a twist on the idea.

One of my favorite traditions involves an ornament on our tree. It's a simple, small mason jar with holly berries glued around the top, and it hangs from a branch by a metal wire (you can actually buy this jar at Michael's Arts and Crafts right now for $2.99). We typically put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and my son hangs this special ornament low on the tree where he can reach it because he knows that every morning a special treat just from me appears in this jar for him. Treats range from a lollipop... to a matchbox car, or even notes of praise over a job well done. The treats are usually small and very inexpensive and I do this every day until Christmas when the tree comes down. He absolutely loves this time during the morning and I love hearing him scamper into the living room and exclaim with glee over his new found treat. Surprisingly, it's not the toys or candy that he gets the most excited about... it's the coupons to stay up an extra half hour that night or the chance to plan our menu for dinner. -- Harmony in Florida and Rene C.

A baby food jar would work well for this too. Let your kids decorate their own jar.

Christmas Joys #13

Decorate a gingerbread house together. You can skip right to the fun part with a kit. Our family made ours this week while my parents were here visiting. The kids always look forward to it.

Christmas Joys #12

Take a holiday family photograph each year in the same spot, such as by a favorite tree in your yard. In years to come, you'll have a wonderful record of the growth of your family, as well as the growth of the tree.

Fill your house with the holiday fragrance of cloves, orange peels and cinnamon sticks simmering on the kitchen stove.

A great idea for difficult gift giving
Grandma always gets gifts for the grand kids. Well, she is elderly, does not like to shop, and the prices just drag her down. Every year she would do the shopping and always with the worry that it was not something they kids wanted and such. Then she did the gift card thing but she hated that. So last year, we came up with an idea that was a hit. She gives each grandchild money ($25 each) and then they go get what they want, and here is where the fun begins! They bring it home, they wrap it, and when we have our Christmas celebration, they hand the gift to Grandma. She unwraps it to find out what she gave them for Christmas. This has been a lifesaver all around, and one of my daughters said she had mentally spent Grandma's money many times over before she really decided what to receive. Even if you won't be with grandma for the holidays, it would still be fun to have the kids wrap their own gifts and put them under the tree, then send Grandma a picture of them opening it. (Thanks for the ideas Joslin!)

Christmas Joys #11

Help elderly neighbors decorate their homes.

Go to the store and choose a tag off the angel tree with your children. Let them pick out the gift for the child. You can even have them share in the cost of the present. It is so wonderful to teach kids the joy of giving. It also opens their eyes to just how fortunate they are.

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. Dr. Loretta Scott

Christmas Joys #10

Christmas time capsule in an envelope

Every year, as you write your Christmas cards, take a few minutes to send a card to each of your young children (or grandchildren), too. Enclose your regular Christmas letter and photo, and also write how old the child is that year, what presents they are going to give and receive for Christmas, cute things they have said or done, how much you love them...etc. If they gave you a handwritten Christmas list, put it in the envelope too. Then the important part: Stamp it and send it through the post office along with your other cards.When you get it back in the mail, save it unopened, in a safe place. Someday in the future, when you feel the time is right, present the entire collection to your child as a Christmas gift. Not only will they have all the cards and letters and photos from the past 18 or so years, but also all the original stamps and postmarks of the towns where you lived and all those memories of things they (and you) have long forgotten. This is a great way to preserve some of your family history without taking a lot of time or effort. You already have the cards and pen in your hand! You are doing it for everyone else, why not for your own family?

Christmas Joys #9

Open Christmas cards as a family activity each night at the dinner table. Read the messages aloud. Take time to pray for each sender.

Record a cheery Christmas greeting on your answering machine.

Christmas Candle (from the book, "Family Traditions, 289 Things to Do Again and Again" by Caryl Krueger) Have the tradition of burning a special candle each night at dinner during December. While you can buy a big candle, it's more meaningful to make your own. Melt all the old stubby candles you have around your house. The easiest way to do this is to put them all in a metal coffee can, then place the coffee can in a pot of water. Heat the water and the candles will melt. Fish out any wicks. You can also buy plain paraffin wax and melt it if you don't have stubby candles. You can melt crayons in the wax if you want to add color. Next, cut a paper milk carton in half. This will be your mold. To make the wick, dip a string in the melted wax until it is coated well. (or buy pre-made wicks) Tape the string to the inside bottom of the milk carton and tie it to a pencil which will be laid across the open top. When all the wax is melted and the right color, pour it in to the milk carton. When the wax is completely cooled, peel off the milk carton, and there you have it. Have the kids decorate it with glitter or bows and burn it every night at dinner time. Be sure to save the last of the candle after Christmas for next year's 'starter' candle.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Last summer the Extreme Makeover Home Edition show came to our area. My parents were here visiting and we all rode the bus up and watched the progress. We went up to the job site several evenings over the course of the week. It was amazing to watch the builders and to see how much they got accomplished over 24 hours.

It turned out to be one of the hottest weeks of the summer, so we took our big umbrella and lots of water up with us.

(It's hard to remember how hot it was now that our highs are all in the 3o's).

Here's the kids while we wait for the bus to take us back to our car.

This was only the third day!

We saw a few of the designers and Paul even came over and shook Crazy Fox's hand. Digging Badger was a little nervous, so he started picking his nose. Paul was very encouraging and told him to pick a good one!

The show aired last week and it was really neat to watch how they put it all together. Even though we only stood around and watched, we felt like somehow we had connected with the family. The kids really enjoy the show and always talk about "the crazy guy" Ty.

Christmas Joys #8

It's so important that we remember that children love to give gifts as much as they love to receive them. Provide them with lots of opportunities (and help) to make small gifts to give to everyone.Wrap their gifts with paper and ribbon and present them to family members with as much fanfare as store bought gifts.Watch the happiness on your child's face when the gifts they made are opened and admired.

We made applesauce ornaments last week. They are fun for the kids to make and they smell like Christmas. Just mix equal amounts of cinnamon and applesauce (about 1/2 cup each makes a good amount). The kids made them with cookie cutters.

Snow Ice Cream

1/2cup milk or cream or evaporated milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

2 cereal bowls fresh clean snow

Mix milk, sugar and vanilla together. Stir until vanilla is dissolved. Add fresh snow and stir gently until it is thoroughly mixed. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

We made this last year and the kids loved it. I think they had just as much fun collecting the snow as eating the ice cream. (Thanks for the fun recipe Joslin!)

A Wintry Snack

We had a whole tree fulll of birds enjoying a wintry snack yesterday morning. I don't know what kind of birds these are. They are tiny and very frightful. The smallest noise or movement and they are gone. Which probably explains why they didn't hang around once the kids went outside.

Christmas Joys #7

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
-Seymour Miller & Jill Jackson-
"Let There Be Peace on Earth," 1955

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Please remember our veterans and those brave men and women who are serving our country away from home this holiday season. You can send messages of support to servicemembers via mail to help boost their morale as they work to protect our freedoms. http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/abby/ . If you go to this web site, http://www.blogger.com/ you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

Tie a yellow ribbon on your Christmas tree in honor of our Armed Forces serving far away from home.

Christmas Joys #6

Call a nursing home and get the names of five people who don't often receive mail.

Send each one a beautiful Christmas card.

Plant Candy Canes.

We did this when the boys were smaller and they still talk about it. You "plant" candy canes with very special seeds and candy canes magically appear the next morning. We usually grow a few strawberry canes, because Tucker doesn't like the peppermint ones. After we harvest them, we hang them on our tree.Here's some history and interesting fun facts about candy canes. http://www.noelnoelnoel.com/trad/candycane.html

Fine Print

Use starlight mints as your seeds. (You can leave the plastic wrapper on, that way the canes grow with a wrapper too). In the early morning, go out and switch the mints with a candy cane. They just stick in the grass.

One Foggy Morning

When we looked outside on Saturday morning it was like a frosty treat! It was foggy and frosty. Every tree was hoping to be a weeping willow. The way the frost clung to everything was so beautiful. Here's a few of our favorite shots.

Even Barney was a little "greyer" than normal.

Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.

-Unknown-

Our Tree

Well, last year we got a permit to go cut our tree from the forest. And even with a lot of doctoring and decorating, it never really looked like a Christmas tree. Plus it was so dog-gone fresh we didn't even get to enjoy the not-quite-so-fresh pine scent. So this year we went to the local Christmas tree lot and bought one right off the asphalt it was standing on. We didn't need an axe or a chainsaw or anything! The kids had fun running up and down the aisles of trees saying

"I'm lost in the forest, pleeeease come find me!" Plus, if they had stopped running they would have noticed it was only 34 degrees out.

We picked out "the perfect tree" and they tied it to the top of the car. We have never tied a tree to the top of a car before,

so it seemed appropriate to take another picture.

As an added benefit, we unknowingly choose a type of tree that I am not allergic to. So by the time I got the lights on, and we had all the decorations on, my hands and arms were not swollen like there had been a beehive in the tree. It was so wonderful. Digging Badger put the star on top .

We all stood back and enjoyed the ambiance that only a lit up Christmas tree can bring to a room.

Christmas Joys #5

Make an ornament out of the piece you cut off of your Christmas tree when we get it home. I always take a picture of the kids when we are picking out our tree. Then we sand the disc on one side and decoupage the trimmed picture to it. Add an eye screw at the top and hang it with a ribbon. Don't forget to write the year on the back.
On Christmas Eve we get to open one present...which is our "Christmas" PJ'S. Then on Christmas morning we take the traditional picture of all of us in our PJ's by the tree.

Christmas Lights in the Sky

Tonight our sunset was absolutely breath taking. It had wispy orange and red streaks behind dark gray clouds. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" and I'm not an especially fast typer, so here's the pictures.

Christmas Joys #4

Remember that the loving holiday spirit in your home depends more on the words you speak than the gifts you give.

Take the initiative. Don't wait for someone else to spread Christmas joy.

Tie jingle bells on your child's shoelaces.

Here's a fun website to "cut" your own snowflakes.
<http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/>

Christmas Joys #3

Remember this December,

That love weighs more than gold!
-Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon-

Put a wreath or tie a bow on the front of your vehicle.

Christmas Joys #2

While you are writing Christmas cards, have your children get involved by decorating the envelopes with stamps, stickers and drawings.

Remember that peace on Earth starts with peace in our homes and in our hearts.

Place a bunch of blue lights under the tree and then cover them with a light layer of batting. The effect is like glistening snow under the tree.

Of course you just can't see that effect in a picture.

Our tree is actually green, not blue.

Our Jesse Tree

We are going to be making a Jesse tree this year. It is something that we have never done before, but I think it is a great way to remember the true "reason for the season". Each day there is a family devotion and an ornament to add to the tree. We are going to make our ornaments this afternoon. I'll add some pictures later. Here's a link for more information.
http://www.rca.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=1628&srcid=1625

Christmas Joys #1

Advent calendars are a great way to help little ones keep track of time in December. Each day they search for a numbered door and behind it they can find chocolate or a little trinket. You can also make your own by numbering small stockings (or mittens, or envelopes) from 1 to 25 and hanging them on a clothesline. You can mark upcoming special events (like a parade or party) by pinning a picture on to the stocking for that day. You can add slips of paper with activities too, instead of treats. A trip to the park or the pet store. An extra book at bedtime. A picnic lunch under the Christmas tree, etc.

This is the advent calender that my mom made and I used growing up. My brother used to wait until bed time to pull his ornament out of it's pocket and put it on the tree. I, on the other hand, always did mine first thing when I woke up. We used to do it every other day. We would draw straws for odd or even days. I always hoped I got even days so I could put the star on top on Christmas Eve.

Now that we have three kids wanting to put the star up, we have a few more things we do daily in December. Each night one of the kids picks a wrapped book from our Christmas book basket. They are all stories about Christmas or winter and we read one each night until Christmas. It's fun to wrap them up so they don't know what book it is until we open it. It adds to the mystery! We also have a little flip book of fun activities like making ornaments or decorating a ginger bread house. We don't always do every activity, but it helps me to remember to do all those fun things with the kids.

"Sheep Walking"

We went for a walk this afternoon and came across a flock of sheep moving into a new pasture. We started talking about how an angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields to tell them of Christ's birth. As we were walking, the sheep dogs warned us that we were getting too close. They started barking at us and as soon as we backed up one step they stopped. They were protecting their flock, just as Christ protects us!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12

Freezing Football Frenzy

The boys have been bundling up to go out and play football. They have been trying extra hard to catch the ball, because frozen footballs really hurt! We had a short snowfall last night after dinner. Crazy Fox and Digging Badger went out and ran a few plays by the light of the moon and Christmas lights.

Just Gourdous

We had several gourds left over from our garden and fall decorations so we turned them into bird feeders. (Thanks for the idea Velana!) First I cut them in half. Then the kids gutted them.We saved some seeds from our favorite varieties to plant in our garden next year. We added some wire perches and hangers. Then Little Lady filled them with birdseed. We hung them on our bare tree out front and waited for the birds to enjoy their feasts.

Chewy even enjoyed the left over pumpkins!