Classic Fresh Christmas Wreaths - 2 Winners!

Our first Christmas giveaway was a huge hit - so we decided to bless 2 more winners with Fresh Christmas Wreaths! 

 Our friends at Wreaths of Maine have generously donated TWO of their gorgeous, fresh Classic Christmas Wreaths! Each wreath is 23" in diameter, made of double-faced Balsam fir, with Austrian pine cones, baby's breath, hollyberries, and a red bow (retail value, $37).

Wreaths of Maine is a mail order wreath company.  It was started in 1992 by a homeschooling family in Greenville, ME.  Every autumn hundreds of fund-raising homeschoolers across the U.S. use their sales kits, with their colorful brochure, and take orders for wreaths, earning a commission of $6 for each one. The orders are sent to Maine for processing and then, depending on the date the customer chooses, a fresh, Maine wreath is shipped directly to their door. 


These wreaths are made from the aromatic green, balsam fir, known for its “traditional Christmas tree smell.”  Each one comes decorated and wrapped in waxy tissue paper to retain it’s freshness, in a box with a bow.  The majority (90%) of their wreaths are sold by homeschoolers. 


If you would like to order a wreath, visit their website, or if you are interested in selling wreaths, visit their fundraising page.

Christmas: A Study of Love - Part Two

 

Like me, you probably get overwhelmed with catalogs in the mail this time of year. Years ago, we received one that really caught the attention of one of the children. It had a picture of Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus on the front cover, but it was somehow very different. My son looked at it and said, "Look, Mom! They had a baby! Look at how happy they are!" Unlike so many other nativity scenes where Mary and Joseph have rather nondescript faces, this one showed them as parents getting a first good look at their new baby with utmost joy and pride and awe and love. Their expressions also reflected what I imagine God felt too—pride and love for His own Son.

We have tried to look back at the expectations we had before each baby was born—the joy, the fear, the concerns, and the love. As we talk about these feelings of expectation, we can connect them to the feelings of God's children as they heard for so many years about the coming of the Savior. And then, how Mary and Joseph must have felt with their own special knowledge about this baby and Who He was. You can celebrate Advent to take a close look at the prophecies, the birth, and what His coming means to you as Christians. We do things such as learning some of the prophecies of the Old Testament and having the older children find where each of these prophecies was fulfilled. God does keep His promises, doesn't He?

We also include some geography, following the path of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, and try to understand what their trip was probably like. They had to travel about 70 miles over rough roads, using their feet and a donkey for transportation. It took them at least a week to make the journey. Contrast this for the children, using some other trip they remember that was about that far, and how you covered the distance in under two hours!

We study what the area was like during that time of year—quite a bit like where we lived in Florida—no snow! It would have been a warmer climate, and citrus would have been getting ripe, with plenty of olive, date, and palm trees. The children were so amazed to find out that the first Christmas weather was so much like ours. So then they asked, “Why do we associate so much snow with Christmas?”

Another big question: why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25, anyway? After hearing both sides of the argument over whether Christmas is a Christian or a pagan holiday, I decided to do some research of my own to include in the study, and the findings were very interesting. Before the fourth century, Jesus' birth was celebrated on January 6, along with the Epiphany. Then, as Christianity moved through Rome, legend has it that Pope Liberius of Rome researched historical records to try to establish the actual day of Christ's birth. Remember, the whole journey to Bethlehem was to participate in a census and pay appropriate taxes—there would be records kept. As a result of his work, the Pope decided to make December 25 the official day of celebrating Christ's birth.

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Read Christmas: A Study of Love: Part One.

Come join the Facebook Christmas Co-op as we learn and prepare for Christmas together this year.

Molasses Cookies - So Good!

Perfect with hot cocoa and a Christmas story!

Molasses Cookies

2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups butter, softened 
1/2 cup molasses 
2 eggs
4-1/2 cups unbleached flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Sugar

Beat sugar, butter, molasses, and eggs in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours; more is fine if you want to start these the day before you need them. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in sugar. Place the sugared balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until firm in the middle. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Makes about 10 dozen warm and wonderful cookies.

Thanks to Charlotte McKinney for a wonderful Christmas cookie recipe - a family favorite! 

Do you have one to share with us?  Come visit the Christmas Facebook Co-op for more fun ideas and inspiration!

Christmas Reading to Share!

We hope you are making time for some wonderful opportunites to cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate and your children and read some holiday favorites - both old and new!

Family Interest:

Christ in Christmas: A Family Advent Celebration, by Dr. James Dobson,  R.C.Sproul, et al.


Even though there's a lot to do at Christmas, families still need some quiet time together! Here, for each Sunday in Advent and Christmas Eve, are devotions by James Dobson, Charles Swindoll, and more, plus plenty of hymns, questions to ponder, and things to make (such as an Advent wreath) that will build family traditions and help you truly celebrate Jesus' coming.

Older Students:

The Christmas Scrapbook, by Philip Gulley. Published by HarperOne

It's Christmastime in Harmony---and Sam Gardner is determined not to be caught unprepared for gift-giving this year! When he enrolls in a scrapbooking class, rumors begin to fly. Then a series of mishaps and accidents culminates in a holiday that nobody will forget---and a deeper understanding of which gifts truly matter.

Younger Students:

Silent Night, Holy Night, by Joseph Mohr. Published by North-South Books.

Teach your children the story behind one of the best-loved Christmas carols. Artist Maja Dusikova captures the grace and simplicity of the hymn, taking children on a journey around the world to experience the joy and wonder of Christ's birth. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

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Jacob’s Gift, by Max Lucado. Published by Tommy Nelson.

  What a special message this book has for the whole family. Jacob is a young boy with special carpentry talents, and this book helps the whole family gain a better perspective on the meaning of gift-giving.

Stop by our Facebook Christmas Co-op and share your favorites with us!

Welcome Back to Week 2 of our Christmas Study!

Good morning, friends! Welcome back to our Christmas Unit Study Facebook Co-op! 

We invite you to share your experiences as you use the Christmas Unit Study Adventure. We can't wait to see what you have discovered!

Beginning Week 2 of the study today, we will meet the parents of John the Baptist, and get a closer look at Mary and Joseph and their response to the news from the angels. We will also be investigating the Roman Empire in the days of Christ’s birth, as well as the geography of the Holy Land during this time.

We'll be here to answer your questions and help along the way, as we are using the study, too.

You all were GREAT about posting your questions, finds, and ideas last week – please keep sharing!  We love seeing all the ways you are using the Free JOY Printable!

Throughout the weekdays, we will be posting some tips and treasures, along with our insights and ideas. It is our prayer that this co-op effort will provide help, friendship, and fellowship for us all!

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Our First Christmas Giveaway - Fresh Holiday Wreaths!

Today we have a BEAUTIFUL giveaway to help you get ready for Christmas.  Our friends at Wreaths of Maine have generously donated TWO of their gorgeous, fresh Blueberry Wreaths! Each wreath is 23" in diameter, made of double-faced Balsam fir, with white and Austrian pine cones, baby's breath, Maine wild blueberries, and a blue bow (retail value, $42).

Wreaths of Maine is a mail order wreath company.  It was started in 1992 by a homeschooling family in Greenville, ME.  Every autumn hundreds of fund-raising homeschoolers across the U.S. use their sales kits, with their colorful brochure, and take orders for wreaths, earning a commission of $6 for each one. The orders are sent to Maine for processing and then, depending on the date the customer chooses, a fresh, Maine wreath is shipped directly to their door. 

These wreaths are made from the aromatic green, balsam fir, known for its “traditional Christmas tree smell.”  Each one comes decorated and wrapped in waxy tissue paper to retain it’s freshness, in a box with a bow.  The majority (90%) of their wreaths are sold by homeschoolers. 

If you would like to order a wreath, visit their website, or if you are interested in selling wreaths, visit their fundraising page.

Christmas: A Study of Love - Part One

The warm feeling of love, the snug feeling of togetherness and family, and the joy and excitement of celebration—all to be found in many American homes this time of year

 

From the preparation and celebration of harvest and Thanksgiving to the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas, there is a wonderful feeling of caring and sharing everywhere, and as homeschooling families, we can take this time to learn, prepare our homes and our hearts, and share with others throughout the year.

When our kids were young, we began planning for the holiday season by preparing unit studies on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This became a regular tradition here, and one that was eagerly anticipated year after year. With each year of holidays comes a new slant or area of interest for learning adventures, and we have never worked on any unit study in the same way twice! We use these holiday studies to help us grow in our knowledge as well as give the children more time to thoroughly prepare for and understand the meaning of the holidays—the history, literature, geography, science, and music represented within the holiday theme.

In this article, I would like to focus on studying Christmas as a family. What does Christmas mean to you and your family? Have you ever taken a close look at this celebration, asking them what they think? Write down their comments, without criticism or discussion. Then ask them what they like best about Christmas and what their favorite holiday tradition is, if they are old enough to understand. This is a great way to begin the Christmas season, and it is usually a real eye-opener! What significance do you give to the true meaning of Christmas?

I first wrote the Christmas unit study to meet this very need in our own home. We wanted to study this with the children, learning together and drawing us all closer in our own celebration. We were tired of the commercialism that had worked its way into Christmas and had to reflect very closely on what and how we had celebrated in the past, as well as find ways to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and the reason for the celebration: His birth. We worked with the children to define what Christmas means to our family and what we would like to change. How could we celebrate Christmas with our family, our church, our neighbors, and our community with the right emphasis? After all, this event we are celebrating was foretold in almost 400 different prophecies in the Old Testament; it was quite a fulfilling event when our Savior was born! Why shouldn't we celebrate it at least as much as we do the birth of one of our own babies?

Blessings,

Amanda B.

Come and share your Christmas JOY with us on our Facebook page as we celebrate the Christmas Unit Study together!