December 14

   


Good morning!  It's Val the helper-elf here again this morning!  I hope everyone is well on their way to having a happy and safe and fun Christmas!  I do hope this journal is providing you with a lot of ways to make your Christmas richer and more enjoyable!  Today I wanted to talk about something that is very near and dear to my heart every year.  We have eleven days left until Christmas Day.  Most of us have all or at least most of our shopping done.  I was wondering WHO you have left on your Christmas list and am going to challenge you to put someone very special on the top of this list... JESUS!  Every year I put Jesus on my Christmas list.  How do you give to Jesus you ask?  Well, in the Bible Jesus says when you give to others you are giving to Him.  When you give even a glass of water to someone who is thirsty you are giving him something to drink.  I find this concept very amazing!!  It has made giving for me much richer over the past years as I have realized this.  I know some of you already put Jesus on your list as I have heard from you.  Many like to keep this gift anonymous - between just them and God.  I was going to keep my Jesus gift anonymous, but for the sake of this entry, I will give you a glimpse of what I am doing this year for my gift for Him.  My boyfriend and I have befriended an elderly gentleman in my neighborhood who has no living relatives.  It appears he has not many friends and will have no Christmas.  He is 80 or 81, I believe.  We are going to visit him on Christmas Eve and bring him a few small things and make sure he knows he is loved.  One can do something so small as to try to smile more than usual, put money in an expired parking meter, bring food to a food drive, donate clothes, or decide to make it more personal just between them and Jesus and no one else.  The possibilities are endless!  Imagine if everyone did this!

There are other ways to keep Jesus the focus of Christmas.  When my children were small we used to make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Him "Happy Birthday".   We also set a place at the table for Jesus at Christmas dinner.  It is a tangible way to help the little ones understand the meaning of the day.  Do you have any traditions like these?  If you do, share them with us in the comments section!  If you would like to share some ways that you have put Jesus on your Christmas list, too, we would love to hear from you!

 
Poll:  Christmas Isn't Christmas Without...

game:  A Christmas Puzzle

Gospel reading:  Matthew 11:11-15

                                  
                                        

December 13

Making Christmas Ornaments
 
Ornaments for Children to Make 
 
Stocking Ornaments
 
Glitter Pine Cones
 
Greeting Card Ornaments


Photo Ornament
 
 
                                  


Ornaments for Adults and Older Children To Make
 
Starry Night Christmas Ornament 
 
Bejeweled Christmas Ornament

 Painted Clear Glass Ornament Balls

 Quick Gilded Ornaments

 Glitter-Dotted Christmas Ornament

 Microwave Salt Dough Ornaments

 Cinnamon Stick Ornaments
 
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BlackDog's Christmas Image Maker (Write Merry Christmas, or your name, etc. in the line where it says "Text".  Choose a Font.  Then press "Create Image".  You can save the images onto your computer and use them in  your journals or emails!) .  
                                              
game:  Memory Christmas Game 
 
Gospel reading:  Matthew 11:28-30

                                  

December 12

Hi. Yesterday was kid's day. I think today we will have a day for the adults.

First a little Christmas music to get your day started off right:

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Now here are a few articles that have nothing to do with each other, but I thought I would leave them with you, as I thought they were interesting:

What happens to the letters that are addressed to the North Pole and/or Santa?

Where did Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer originate from?

True Fruitcake Facts

Okay, that's enough learning for today! Now let's play a game!

game: Pudding Man (Those of you my age will know this as Pac Man!)

Now it's time to read and ponder God's Word.

Gospel reading: Luke 1:26-28 or Luke 1:39-47

December 11

Christmas Crafts for Children

            

Easy Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Materials needed:  pine cone, peanut butter, margarine, yarn or wire, bird seed

Instructions:  Tie or twist the yarn or wire onto the pine cone  top to make a hanger.  Mix one part peanut butter to one part margarine.  Spread the mixture onto the pine cone.  Pour some bird seed onto a plate and roll the pine cone in it.  Place the seed-covered pine cone in the freezer for one hour or until it is set.  Hang outside.  

More Crafts Children Can Make

Paper Mache Reindeer 

Christmas Table Place Cards

Magic Reindeer Food

"Stained" Glass Windows 

Sparkling Beaded Napkin Rings

Easy Glitter Stars

Really Simple Crafts to Make with the Younger Ones

Now these say crafts for children, but I think I am going to make some of these myself!  Seriously.  I know I definitely want to make that Pine Cone Bird Feeder and watch the birds come!  And some of these other things look cool too.  I don't have any children, so maybe I will have to borrow a neighbor kid to help me!

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game:  BlackDog's Christmas Hangman Game

Gospel reading:  Luke 5:17-26

                  

December 10

Hi.  It's Sunday Dec. 10, the second Sunday of Advent.  I hope you are having a nice Advent Season.  Wow.  Christmas is fast approaching us, isn't it?  Sometimes I feel like I am so busy.  How about you?  Are you taking time to slow down and have some alone time?  Some time with God?  Of course all day is time with God, but I mean that special getting away time.  Are you taking it?

That leads us into our Gospel reading for today:

Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

In Luke 3:2-3 we read:  the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.  John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forigiveness of sins.

In these two Bible verses, we can learn three things that are ncecessary to turn any Christian from lukewarmness to enthusiasm about their faith.  The first is that John went into the desert, the second is that the Word of God came to him, and third, John left the desert and went around proclaiming the faith.  Let's look at each of these three stages: 

Stage 1- We go into the desert. The desert is a place of being alone with God. We go into the desert when we take time off our jobs and household chores to be with God in church, in prayer, in reading the Word of God, etc. The desert is the place where we encounter God. We ourselves must go into the desert, to reach out to God, to look for God. 

Stage 2 - The word of God comes to us. Once we open our hearts to God in the desert, God Himself comes and fills us up. A saint once said that when we take one step to God, God takes two steps to us. At this stage God takes the initiative to come to us, to fill us, to renew us, to transform us, to remold us into His image as we were created to be. When this happens to us we would like to spend the whole day alone with God in church, in prayer, in Bible reading. But like John we must go on to live our lives and carry out our duties in the family and in the society.

Stage 3 - We go about proclaiming the faith. Having experienced the goodness of the Lord in our own lives, our next desire is to share this experience with others. People look at us and see the joy and peace that radiate from us and may decide they would like to be like us. They to would like to know this God personally.  Or if they already know Him, they would like to be even closer to Him.

Let us resolve, during this Season of Advent, to take the first step to make room for God.  Let us take time for church, reading the Word of God, and lots of time just talking with Him and listening to Him while sitting in His Presence. 

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Charities:

Find Your Local Toy Drive! (Toys For Tots, etc)

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child UK

Choose a Charity to Buy your Christmas Cards From (UK)

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Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

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game:  Nativity Scene Fun (like Colorforms)

Gospel reading:  Luke 3:1-6

                    

December 9

Interesting facts about Christmas

The first instrument Silent Night was played on was a guitar.

When electrical Christmas lights were first used, they were so expensive, that they were usually rented rather than sold.  An electrically lighted tree was a status symbol in the early 1900s.

Electrically lit trees did not become commonplace in the US until after WWII.  The Christmas lights on these trees burned so bright that they were almost as dangerous as the candles they were advertised to replace!    

The first Christmas pudding was more of a soup, and had raisins and wine in it.

The definition of a White Christmas in England is when one snowflake falls on the roof of the London Weather Center on Christmas. 

There is a Christmas, Arizona and a Christmas, Florida.  In both Arizona and Indiana, there is a town called Santa Claus.  And if you are feeling Christmasy, you may want to visit Noel, Missouri, USA.

In medieval times, 'Hot cockles' was a popular Christmas game until the Victorian era. In this game, other players gave a blow to the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person who gave the blow.

In the 19th Century, the British post office used to deliver Christmas cards on Christmas morning!

Any letters addressed to the North Pole have to go there, because there really is such a place!  

~~Facts collected from around the Internet.~~

For more Christmas facts, check out these this website:

Interesting U.K. Facts About Christmas From Woodlands Junior School in Tonbridge

game:  Wonka Holiday Treats Game

Gospel reading:  Matthew 9:35-10:1, Matthew 5-8 

                                           

                                 

December 9

There may not be an entry for Saturday.  I am not sure.  It depends on what time I get back if I can do it or not.  I am taking my husband John to the local hospital.  It appears he may have had a reaction to a blood transfusion he had today (Friday).  Just a mild one but we don't want to take any chances.  So we are off to the hospital. Take care you all.  Krissy  

Note:  It is now three hours later and we are back home!  It turns out the allergic reaction John had was not from the blood transfusion he had but from something else.  So the doctor gave him benadryl and sent him home. 

I didn't want anyone who read this entry alarmed, and since we didn't have to stay at the hospital, I wanted to erase this entry.  But I can't.  When I attempted to do it, the entire journal lit up to be erased!  Eegads!  I almost erased this whole Christmas journal!  But I realized it before it happened!  So I can't erase a single entry by itself, so I guess this one will stay in here, LOL.  And now I will go do the real December 9 Christmas entry, because I am already awake and can't sleep!  

Love and God bless you all,  Krissy :)