It’s hard in the midst of the busyness of the Christmas season to keep the focus where it should be… So might I make a suggestion? You’re already going to be doing craft projects and activities… what if you just tweaked them a bit to make sure that your focus is on Christ? Don’t worry – I’m not suggesting you invent the wheel here! Nope, Alicia Michelle of Your Vibrant Family has already done it for you! (And no, it’s not too late to get it TODAY!)
When I found out about her Christmas system, I was excited to be a reviewer! (Full discloser – I received the set in exchange for my review – these opinions shared here are my own, and links to purchase the set are affiliate links that financially benefit our family – THANK YOU!) But once we started using the system, I started to love it even more! I read through her ideas, and something she said really hit me. I mean, I had head knowledge, but there was something about reading it… this is what she said:
And suddenly, reading this, I realized that it was ok to not cram pack every single day with activity. It was even ok to not do our annual Christmas cookie exchange this year… and instead use the funds to purchase some special craft activities that we could do together as a family, and sponsor an angel from our church’s angel tree.
Having this mindset and focusing on the true meaning of Christmas has helped my attitude toward the season so much! It’s amazing. I mean, it seems so simple. Because it is.
Check out the Christ-Centered Christmas Banner we have put together from Alicia’s set… (You can purchase your copy of the set here!)
How we used the banner pieces:
Gray is 2 1/2 and LOVES to stick stickers! It’s a fabulous way for him to work on hand-eye coordination and build his fine motor skills, so I’m always looking for more sticker opportunities for him. He decorated the “Light of the World” banner piece with sparkly star stickers, and we talked about the star that shone over the stable where baby Jesus was born. We also talked about that Jesus can be called the “Light of the World.” Did he get it? I wasn’t sure. But the other night he made the connection when he made a star ornament at our church carnival and he said “It’s Jesus’ star over the manger! Is the ‘Light of the world!'” He also used stickers to decorate the “Merry Christmas” banner piece. He really enjoyed decorating – and when I got the banner hung up, he loved seeing his work on the wall!
Becca is working hard on her handwriting skills, but isn’t super fond of copywork. So – I thought it might be more fun if she could do her copywork onto banner pieces to be hung on the wall. She jumped on it and was so excited! She wrote Psalm 34:18 on the “Hope” banner piece, and on the “Joy” banner piece, she wrote “J is for Jesus” from the poem we read (also in the set!) about the meaning of the candy cane. Then she chose to draw a picture of Jesus on that banner piece as well.
I added a couple of family pictures to the other banner pieces to tie the focus to our specific family. Then, since we typically have a sign in the middle of our art display wall (I originally posted about this wall here), I used Alicia’s beautiful background paper that I printed on my color printer, and then ran it through my laser printer once it was totally dry… and developed a beautiful advent count-down calendar to fit in the frame that regularly hangs there… that we can mark with a dry erase marker! (If you purchase this set, please let me know, and as a thank you for your purchase, I will email you your FREE PDF copy of the “O Come, O Come Immanual” advent countdown calendar – that can easily be printed on top of her decorative paper! It’s not too late to start it!)
I am so pleased with how the whole wall turned out. I love that it’s visible from downstairs in our living room, and that it’s in a place where the kids will see it regularly (upstairs near their rooms) to remember where our focus should be this holiday season.
Another activity we did from this set was actually one I used with our AWANA K-2 group this week. We talked about the meaning of the candy cane, and the kids strung beads on pipe cleaners to make candy canes. They got to keep one, and take one to a friend at school – along with the candy cane poem printable from the set – as a Christmas gift to share Jesus with their friends! The kids had so much fun and were really excited to have a gift to take to friends. They colored the sheets in their classes once they had said their verses, or could take them home to color before giving to their friend. I’ll be doing the same thing with Becca this weekend – she’ll get to make candy canes to give to her friends, and can color the sheet as a Christmas card.
It’s so easy to use this set to stay on track, to keep your focus, and yet still accomplish all the goals you normally have during the holiday season! I so appreciate Alicia’s creation of this set, and look forward to using these parts (and more!) next year. I love that there’s so many different options, and I can use what works for our family now, and then still have new things we can add on or swap out next year, or the next!
Might I add… Don’t think if it’s after December 1st that you can’t start this!!!! It is never too late to get your focus right, and there’s always room to do stuff next year, but if you wait to get it, you’ll forget! So click here to get it today and use what you can, and just allow it to build in the future. You won’t regret it. That I can promise.
Butterbees and Bumbleflies 