Preparing for Christmas

I thought I would share with you today, a little project I've been working on:

This year I wanted to make the build up to Christmas something special for my kids, and at the same time start some new traditions. My girls are 6 and 3 now, and old enough to be excited about all the little things that happen at this time of year. I wanted to take the focus away from the commercial side of things, and focus more on family and Christ. To that end, I made up an Advent Calendar that has a different family activity to do each day leading up to Christmas. I searched the internet for activity ideas, and found THIS site to be most helpful.

I printed off the list of activities and sat down with my 6yr old. Together we picked activities that suited us, and added a few more of our own. Here is the list we decided on (in no particular order):

1. Set up and decorate the Christmas Tree
2. Sing Christmas carols together then eat yummy cookies
3. Go shopping and allow each child to pick out a new ornament
4. Host a family game night
5. Build a Ginger bread house
6. Have a backwards dinner (start with dessert first)
7. Bake cookies together
8. Coloring night...each year color in the same book and date it
9. Make Christmas cards
10. Movie night….popcorn and yummy treats
11. Go for a ride and look at all the decorated houses
12. Have dinner by the Christmas tree picnic style
13. Christmas Crafts
14. Special Dessert night
15. Help a family in need ...choose ways to teach your children to give.
16. Tell the real Christmas story
17. Ice Cream night ..make sundaes or go out
18. Take kids shopping for Daddy or Siblings or Grand Parents
19. Wrap gifts…. kids love to help
20. More Christmas crafts
21. Elf hunt (treasure hunt)
22. Let your kids decorate their bedrooms
23. Learn about another Countries traditions
24. Christmas stories with milo and smores
25. Have a slumber party by the tree

Once we decided on our activities I used photoshop to make the advent calendar, printed it onto cardstock and cut out the little flaps. All I had to do then was glue the cover to the back piece with a glue stick.



And here it is after I framed it today:



Now how excited do you think my girls are to get started tomorrow! The activities are all very easy ones - not much planning needed - and a lot of them are things we normally do in December anyway. Having it on a calendar though makes it so much more special. The girls will open a new window each morning to find out what activity we'll do that afternoon/evening, and if there's anything to prepare I can do that during the day.

If you don't have time to make an advent calendar like this, you can put each activity on a strip of paper and put the 25 strips into a jar with a ribbon wrapped around it. Each day the kids pick out a strip of paper to see what activity they'll have that night. Sound do-able? Go on, give it a try. I guarantee your kids will think the world of you.


Here is one of the Christmas Stories I will be teaching my girls.

Teach The Children

Late one Christmas Eve, I sank back, tired, but content, into my easy chair.
The kids were in bed, the gifts were wrapped, the milk and cookies waited by the fireplace for Santa. As I sat back admiring the tree with its decorations, I couldn’t help feeling that something important was missing. It wasn’t long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me to sleep. I don’t know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I knew that I wasn’t alone. I opened my eyes, and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Santa Claus, himself, standing 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. And there were tears in his eyes. “Santa, what’s wrong?” I asked, “Why are you crying?” “It’s the children,” Santa replied sadly. “But Santa, the children love you,” I said. “Oh, I know they love me, and they love 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’s 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, more 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 part of Christmas we can see, hear, and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas which we now observe. Teach them what it is they truly represent.”

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on my 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 heavenward as a reminder that mankind’s thoughts should turn heavenward as well.”

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 wise men still seek Him.”

“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.”

Santa found a silver 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 His life for the sheep.”

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 people can show their 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 light shine before people that all may see it and glorify God. This is what’s symbolized when the twinkle lights shine on the tree like hundreds of bright shining lights, each of them representing one of God’s precious children’s light shining for all to see.”

Again Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red and white striped cane. As he hung it on the tree he spoke softly. “The candy cane is a stick of hard white candy. White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and the firmness of God’s promises. The candy cane form’s a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth. It also represents the Good Shepherd’s crook, which He uses to reach down into all ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all 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 shed blood of Jesus, so that we can have the promise of eternal life.

Teach these things to the children.”

Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh, fragrant greenery tied with a bright red bow. “The bow reminds us of 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 of 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 its 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.”

I asked, “But where does that leave you Santa?”

The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa’s face. “Why bless you, my dear,” he laughed, “I’m only a symbol myself. 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.”

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

You have to see this

This goes along with tomorrow's Relief Society Lesson:


I just love this message:


And we all need to remember that we are not alone:

Report on November Activity

Iunisi Vakaukamea here to let you know how our November Activity went. The theme was "Manage Your Home Well", and started with a wonderful lesson from Jennis Lawrence. We then went to the mini classes which were also of great benefit.

Budgetting........Some of the sisters didn't know how to do a budget for themselves, families, etc but after the class they had the desire to do one for their own families....Sister Onekawa did hand out some examples of how to do a budget and it does really help alot....Wow, what a great opportunity for the sisters to learn that experience and carry on with their own.....

Sorting....By Sister Smith....She said that she loved doing this kind of job Why? Because she really knows how to do it!!
1....Plan what you're going to do.
2....Decide where to start from
3....What to keep , what to give away, what to chuck out
4....Where to store them
5....Do it. Finish the job. Just as easy as that
.....Need any help with sorting call her.

Time Out by Sister Leelo.....Imagine that she got 7 kids. SEVEN kids! And she still has some timeout for herself and so does her family as well. She did give us some wonderful hints for how we ourselves can have some timeout.....
* go out on dating (find someone else to takeover babysitter) while you're away
* do some reading, (magazine, etc)
* do some exercises with some other sisters
* have a nap while you're home by yourself
* watch TV for a little time
* window shopping at the mall,etc.
And last but not the least, you need to look after yourself.

What a great night that sisters in Zion had.....Everyone had something to take home to their own families, and for themselves as well. Some of the sisters are doing exercises in groups as sisters and their partners are so supportive and happy for their wives going out there and actually do the things which they learnt from that night.

What a night....an awesome night.... and the supper afterwards was yummy too.

We look forward to seeing you at the December Activity. Detail will be out soon.

Iunisi
RS 2nd Counselor

Get Me to the Church on Time

I had this forwarded to me today by the Stake Relief Society President. It's a great article, and one we can all get a message from. Particularly the parts that I've highlighted in red. We have a great ward, but aside from getting to church on time, we do need to work on our reverence in the chapel....

Meridian Magazine Article By Janet Peterson

“I married a Mormon and have paid for it ever since,” television personality Larry King told a convention held in Utah. King has Jewish roots. “The Mormon and Jewish cultures are a lot in common and not a lot in common. All Mormons are late. . . . No Jew has ever been late.”

Perhaps Mormons are known worldwide for being late; my husband learned this German verse on his mission in the 1960s.

Fünf Minuten vor der Zeit
Ist Mormonen Pünktlichkeit.
Fünf Minuten nach der Zeit
Ist Mormonen Wirklichkeit.

Five minutes before the hour
Is Mormon punctuality.
Five minutes after the hour
Is Mormon reality.

Lateness to church meetings isn’t just a modern occurrence. When the Primary was first organized in 1878, leaders wanted children “to be taught obedience, faith in God, prayer, punctuality, and good manners.”2

Our daughter and her family at one time lived in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Church was a 20- to 25-minute drive from their home. During one particular visit, which included a Sunday, we left with three young children in tow 45 minutes before their meeting block was to begin. I had been to church with my grandchildren before and knew the drive wasn’t that long. When I asked why we were going so early, Stephanie replied that the bishop had asked families to be seated 15 minutes before the hour to reverently prepare for sacrament meeting. I was amazed to see the chapel was filled by 12:45 p.m—and it was quiet. This ward of mostly young families had indeed responded to the bishop’s counsel.

I too learned that the time a meeting starts is not the time to arrive. The Church committee on which I serve meets on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. I soon found that walking into the room at 4:59 p.m. or right on the dot was not appropriate.

Whether meetings start at 9:00 a.m, 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. doesn’t matter to some Church members; no matter which schedule they are on, they arrive at the same time—late. Referring to the number of people who came into sacrament meeting late, one bishop in our stake quipped that “the second bus has arrived.”

Occasionally unforeseen circumstances do arise. When my husband, Larry, served as the bishop of a singles’ ward, we actually had to drive to church. The bishopric was there early, of course, for their usual meetings, and I, who had vowed to set a good example in punctuality, left home, I thought, in plenty of time. However, the main road to the chapel had been blocked off due to repairs. With the detour, I managed to walk in right on the hour, but the chapel was nearly empty. Our stake president, who was also seated on the stand, authorized the meeting to start late—probably the only time he ever did so. Other situations sometimes arise; children get sick, cars won’t start, a blizzard stops traffic. But being on time or being late is a more habit than it is situation.

I do know that getting children ready for church, especially on the earlier schedules, is a real challenge. When my husband was bishop of our home ward, we had six young children. I learned that our punctuality was in direct relation to preparation on Saturday.

There’s no excuse for me now, however. I only have myself to get ready and from our front door to our newer meetinghouse door is 120 yards. Yet sometimes my husband has to remind me that it’s time to go to church. Although my next-door neighbor lives a few yards closer than we do, everyone in our ward lives within walking distance. Outside of Utah, the distance to church for most members is rarely that short.

Elder Jay E. Jensen, of the Presidency of the Seventy, said in a general conference address, “Strive to be more punctual to meetings, sit quietly and listen to the prelude music, and experience reverence and revelation.”3

Alfred P. Doolittle, father of Eliza in My Fair Lady, might have been singing about getting married in the morning, but he had a message for all of us: “Get me to the church on time!”

Relief Society Activity 10th November

Did you read about our November activity in the newsletter? We have some guest speakers coming in to talk about various ways to bring order into our homes. The more our homes are in order, the calmer the feeling, and the more we will feel of the Holy Spirit. As the busy-ness of Christmas approaches, who isn't for having a clean, happy home? I know I'm happy to take all the good ideas I can find these days! I do hope you come along to the chapel at 6.30pm as I think there really is something for everyone in this activity. Oh, and please remember to bring an item for the Missionaries Christmas basket and a supper plate if you can.

Need some time out?