The Christmas Play

I am going to be the manger in the play at church. You are going to be what in the play at church?  “The manger!” I say,  “Why do you want to be the manger in the Christmas story?”  “Well somebody’s got to hold baby Christina (his cousin who will be baby Jesus in the play) because if you put her in that box she will cry!”  Oh yeah… this is very true.  We babysit Christina each day and we know how much she hates being put into anything (a stroller, high chair, bouncy seat)… and yes, a wooden “box” as he puts it, would probably send the only baby our church has into a complete crying fit.

Needless to say, he can’t be the manger and Christina will probably not be the baby because of the “box.”  In the end, Rivers assignment is to be a shepherd.  He is excited about this role but now he wants to be Joseph  because if he can’t be the manger to hold the baby he wants to be Joseph to be the daddy of a baby.  The only child depression has really kicked into high gear since learning about the Christmas story.  He now thinks he can have a baby in his house – like, TOMORROW!  Would a baby doll help cure this desire?  Oh boy… I hope so because mom and dad have no plans to increase the size of the family.

What I have definitely learned from this conversation and the play practice is that we definitely have a lot of clarifying to do when it comes to the spiritual reason for the season.  We have always made it a tradition to read from the bible in Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-14, Luke 2:15-20 just after finishing dinner on Christmas day and before opening gifts at grandma and granddaddy’s house.  All of the children sit around grandma as she reads and learn that Christmas is first about Jesus and second about giving to others as the wise men gave to Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.   Now, we will use an actual nativity set to retell the story for more clarity and understanding. 

My very best Christmas tree ever

Where is our Christmas tree? Oh yeah… I have been so busy getting “ready” for the holiday season that I didn’t even notice we don’t have a Christmas tree of our own.  Last year we decided to go to the Christmas tree farm with the entire family and spend hours looking for the perfect tree on Thanksgiving day.  However, when that tree was dried out and dead 20 days before Christmas  due to a variety of factors, we knew this year wasn’t going to include a trip to the tree farm. Our experience was going to be far different… I just didn’t know how drastically different until today!

So… I said to my little one, “where are we going to get a Christmas tree?” and he so wisely answered – “TO THE THRIFT STORE!”  Well this is the last place I was thinking about visiting for a Christmas tree but off to the thrift stores we went.  The variety of trees awaiting resale was unbelievable and the “oohhhs and ahhhs” by my little one for their stunning beauty (undecorated) was quite frankly both hilarious and the sweetest thing I had ever seen.  He saw the beauty someone else apparently no longer saw in these artificial trees.  In the end, we left with a 6 foot artificial tree covered ever so delicately with rust on the wire ends and a slight odor of the thrift store for a mere $10.00.

Mommy’s first thoughts – FEBREZE and lots of DECORATIONS.  Rivers’ first thoughts – LIGHTS, LIGHTS and more LIGHTS.  In the end, we now have the most perfect tree in the world.  It is filled with so much more than just ornaments, garland, lights and tinsel.  The experience we had in “rescuing” it from the thrift shop and the super glue it took to make sure the pieces stay in place for at least this Christmas make it somewhat like care we would offer our newest family member.  Rivers has invited everyone over and tries his best to describe the best Christmas tree ever.  So… where is our Christmas tree? In our dining room (his choice), complete with a furry tree skirt for our three cats to rest and admire the beauty.

For the rest of the night we decided to send Christmas cheer to our loved ones through an email card where they could decorate their own tree and receive greetings from us!  We also searched long and hard for ornaments we can make ourselves.  We have decided to make a Christmas ornament for each one of his classmates (19 total) and his 4 teachers.  We will let you in on what we make very soon.

Making a Christmas shopping list for daddy

What can we buy daddy for Christmas?

Well, I must admit, at first I was a little hurt when my little one began thinking about what we could give “daddy” before mommy.  And then, I realized I should be  proud that he is thinking about giving to others before making his own list.  With that said, we took off around the house to “investigate” things daddy might like to have for Christmas.  The discussions about daddy’s likes and dislikes were hilarious and his five year old reasoning skills were priceless.  In the end, we decided to make a list of what he might “want” and what he may “need.”  Here is our list:

Christmas List for Daddy

Needs

*new white socks to replace the ones that have ended up in the dog’s toy box

*a notebook to write “I love you notes every day to mommy and Rivers.”

*gas for his truck

*a new toothbrush in his stocking

*meat to go in the refrigerator (daddy LOVES meat!)

Wants

*a garage to park his truck in

*a new hat to cover his bald head

*new covers for the bed because mommy steals them every night

*western movies with John Wayne

*a television for his outside “daddy workshop”

Try it with your little one – it is so much fun to see what they remember about you and what matters to their little minds.

How to feed Santa’s reindeer…

Oh no… the reindeer are going to need something to eat, too! Now you know we aren’t about to do taste testing of reindeer food but we are searching for the perfect snack to leave on the lawn Christmas eve.

Here is what I would always do for my kindergarten students (when I was teaching).  We would measure and pour about one cup of birdseed or oats into a brown lunch bag.  Then we would sprinkle in some green or red sugar crystals (the kind you use to decorate cookies) to sparkle and “attract” the reindeer to the ground in your front yard.  Finally we would cut off the top corners of the bag and fold the point that is left down.  Then add 2 eyes, a red pom pom nose and a small little mouth to turn the bag in to a reindeer.  Finally we would add this poem:

Magical Reindeer Food

Inside this special package is a treat but not for you!

It contains magical reindeer food and here is what you do.

Sprinkle this magical reindeer food carefully on the ground.

And tonight if you are lucky

Santa’s reindeer will come around.

But here’s a secret I have to tell, one you must try to keep.

That Santa’s reindeer only come when you are fast asleep.

So quickly put your jammies on and get a story read,

Then sprinkle this magic treat outside and hurry off to bed!

Which Christmas cookies are best for Santa?

Let’s start trying some cookies to see which one Santa will like best! “What a great idea,” I say.  So we began our search for our favorite cookie recipes for Santa Claus.  We will try each one of these between now and Christmas eve to see which one is the choice for the big man in the red suit!  Stay tuned for our announcement a few days before Christmas.  Here are the recipes we like best:

Santa’s favorite chocolate chip cookies

Surprise Cookies

Baby Jesus Haystacks

Best sugar cookies ever

Gingerbread people