*The next three or four posts will be about Christmas 2014 and the activities we did leading up to the big day.*
Some people celebrate or “countdown” in many ways. In the past few years we’ve been doing The Names of Jesus. This year we’ve went a little different route with Truth in the Tinsel.
I had heard or read about Truth in the Tinsel for the past two years and quite honestly didn’t want to put the effort and time into doing the whole thing. Crafts. There are a lot of crafts. 24 days of ’em.
Don’t get me wrong. I like a good craft project. A creative outlet of sewing, cooking, making something, working out, painting, photography,… something. For myself.
But with kids? Not so much. Glitter? Rarely use it.
Ruby used to do a good bit of painting while I did something else. She was painting about twice a week. But introduce kid #2 and that went downhill fast. Clara is much, much, much more messy and inquisitive about painting, paints, sensory activities than Ruby ever was. Saying she gets it everywhere is an understatement. Painting with finger paints, messy paints has quickly been replaced with water coloring. Not so messy.
Now, we have to schedule it in, take clothes off of kids, have wet wipes handy, wash hands immediately and take deep, long, long, deep breaths. Or wait until Papa B comes home and we have extra hands to help. That’s right. We don’t do that much of it anymore. Maybe twice a month?
So, you have to understand my apprehension of doing 24 days of crafts with the little people here.
But we did, lived, learned and actually really, really enjoyed it.
(Ruby’s Bethlehem…no glitter)
(Clara’s Zechariah…no glitter)
(Light of the World…no glitter)
(Jesus name plate…no glitter)
(Table top advent tree where crafts were displayed, played with, and reviewed. Glitter…but controlled glitter glue.)
After eating supper every evening, Matt would read a passage from the bible. We would talk about it, explain the passage and do a corresponding craft. Once we had a few days under our belt, we would review the days prior by looking at a growing tower on the wall of pictures and the crafts. After doing the craft we would cut a link off a chain and tape up that day’s reminder.
(Yes, Ruby is yawning and Clara is a mess. Typical)
There were only two days where I looked at the craft and said “NOPE”. I either didn’t have time that day to get the supplies together or I just didn’t like the craft. We did a color sheet and a sticker book (that I found on clearance, super clearance earlier in the year) on those days instead.
The girls also got to spend about 20 minutes each night playing with Fisher Price’s Little People Nativity set.
Clara really enjoyed the set, little book read before playing with it and the music it made.
I really liked Truth in the Tinsel. Ruby really started understanding the time right before Jesus was born, the nativity and the time after His birth. It helped keep the true focus of what Christmas is about, why we give gifts and the reason for the season. The total time in the evenings took about 20 minutes. It was a good time to sit, talk, focus, and to learn. We will definitely be doing it again next year.
