Julia had a great idea at the the Leadership meeting tonight. She suggested that we all share ideas about a Christ centered Christmas with each other so that we are prepared to have a moms group time in the near future about this with our moms groups. So, I am just getting the ball rolling. Please comment to add your ideas, that way we all have a running list to go back to.
One thing we have done over the years that has been fun is starting the day after Thanksgiving, we create a Jesse Tree. Here is a link to one of the ones we've used successfully
http://www.rca.org/Page.aspx?pid=1628 Basically, you are creating ornaments every day that traces the line of Christ from Adam and Eve to Christ's birth. You can be as simple as coloring the pictures they provide each day and reading the explanation and scriptures with them to elaborate as making handmade ornaments each day with felt or the other materials they suggest. It keeps us focussed daily until Christmas where we celebrate His birth.
I am very excited about something that we are doing this year also. As a result of the excellent "Raising Financially Healthy Kids" seminar recently at Park, we have decided to implement a $5 Christmas limit on all gifts this year. Our whole family has agreed - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpas. We pray that this will help us to keep our focus on Christ and giving from the heart and not on shopping and participating in the over-commercialism of Christmas. The kids are all planning on making gifts and they are quite excited about it. We are planning on investing the money we saved in a Christian ministry that offers the gift of life through sharing the gospel.
So, let us know your ideas, what you've done successfully, what you are doing this year...
Join district representatives from CPS to learn about the proposed socioeconomic guidelines that will be used. Community meetings allow for public participation. Call the phone number above for more info.
