Christmas Talk

I got to speak in church last Sunday, and I thought I would share a portion of it.

In "The Living Christ," the first line mentions Jesus' "matchless life" and the last line states "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine son."  When we look at that "matchless life," we can see just what a "matchless gift" He was.  No other person could have performed the atonement.  No other person could have broken the bands of death to begin resurrection.  No other person could live as perfectly as He did.  No other person's teachings have had such a "profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth" (also from "the Living Christ").

Looking at the Christmas story, if I could trade places with any part in it, I would want to be a shepherd.  Think about it.  Herod didn't get an angelic visit because he probably wouldn't have believed or followed it (think Laman and Lemuel), so he had to have some rich guys similar to his station come to tell him about the birth.  And then, instead of seeing it as a blessing, he saw it as a threat.

Simeon had been told he would see the Christ before he died, and the moment he saw him he knew and testified.  Anna wasn't told she would see the Christ (that we know of), but she also knew and testified of him as soon as she saw him.  Maybe I should be happy to be like them, but I still want to be a shepherd.

When they come into the story they were doing the work they were supposed to be doing.  Luke 2:8 - "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."  When the Savior comes again, I hope I might also be at work, keeping watching over whatever "flock" I may have at that point.

Then they get to see an angel!  Luke 2:9-12 - "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

Then the heavenly choir comes.  Luke 2:13-14 - "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."  That has to be one incredible song, rejoicing in the birth of the Savior of the world.  I imagine it to be something like unto the music in Handel's Messiah, and as a matter of fact Handel wrote a song in the Messiah with those words, but I don't believe that man could capture the joy and beauty of the original.  I hope to hear it myself someday.

Regarding the words to that song, "the best way to get peace is by a personal obedience to the Prince of Peace" (Sterling Sill), which would include men giving good will toward one another.  Again, we have been given that "matchless gift."  If we don't strive to follow him, those blessings the angels sang about will never be.

Back to the shepherds.  Luke 2:15-16 - And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."  On top of everything else, the shepherds get to see Mary, Joseph, and the baby.

And after all, the testify of what they had seen and heard.  Luke 2:17 - "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child."  Another great pattern to follow.

In Doctrine and Covenants 46:8 we are told to “seek … earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given," and verse 26 states, "And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.”  Those verses normally refer to spiritual gifts, but the Savior is also a spiritual gift, right?  We should also "seek" after Him, remember why He was given to us, and do all this knowing it will benefit us personally.

A few other paragraphs from "The Living Christ:"  "We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world."

"Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: 'And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!'"

"He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."

December Craftiness

One of our family traditions on my mom's side of the family is to exchange ornaments with all the cousins and now our kids. My grandma has 40 grandkids I believe, ranging in age from 38 to 5. Adding the great-grandkids in creates even more variety.

I was being called the family scrooge for a couple of years when I started saying that we should do away with this one for a variety of reasons that I will not go into here, but when I thought of a fun way to do the ornaments we would be exchanging that the kids could be involved with as well, I decided I could still handle it.

These are our ornaments from last year - a doughnut, a black penguin, a pink penguin, a cupcake, a gingerbread man, and a licorice ice cream cone (my favorite flavor, by the way, thank you Farr's Ice Cream).

The fried egg is an ornament on a lot of Christmas trees in our family, a symbol of my grandparent's farm, the chickens they had, and the Barker eggs they sold back in the good ol' days. The others were all just for fun.

Felt ornaments are really easy to make! When I was first looking for ideas I did a search in Google images and on flikr for felt ornaments to get some ideas of things we could do. Then I would either sketch out a design on paper, or being the non-artist I am, if it was something more involved I copy/pasted the picture into Word, size the picture to about how big I wanted the ornament to be, and have a template. I didn't feel bad borrowing their ideas - ours are not nearly as high tech as many of the others out there, and I'm not planning to sell them. Ideas for ornaments can come from anywhere, though - coloring books, clip art, the person's interests, etc. These amazing ones even say the ideas came from a Little Golden Book.

After you have a template, use it to cut out the felt pieces. In some cases you might want multiple copies of the template to cut up for the different pieces.

Then you can either sew the pieces together by machine or by hand. We did all our stitching by hand.

When stitching the back to the front, leave an opening for a bit of stuffing if you'd like, sew up the hole, and voila! You're done! Be creative and enjoy. They really are a lot of fun to make.

To show off my amazing sewing skills (cough cough), here's a picture of the quilt I finished the end of November 2008 that was supposed to be given to my brother's family Christmas 2007. I'm a slacker, what can I say. But it was worth the wait, no?


Right now I'm trying to finish up the quilt I gave to my sister and her husband for Christmas 2008 (it's amazingly cute, I'll have to post pictures after I give it to them), so I can get working on the quilt I'm supposed to make for my sister for Christmas 2009. If you want to come visit, feel free! Just know the house will be a disaster.

Christmas - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I don't know about everyone else, but we have a lot of STUFF here. Which is, of course, why I origianlly posted the Christmas question to those moms. I found these ideas to be extra creative in regard to that problem.

Here are some excellent 'no clutter' gift ideas.

o Food items are good (my kids love to get their own box of cereal or other treats that we don't frequently buy wrapped under the tree).
o For birthdays this year we've given all the kids season passes to Lagoon. So, a membership to somewhere is a good gift.
o One year I gave my husband a weekend away together as a gift. We went and stayed in a hotel one night, went to dinner, had tons and tons of time to talk uninterrupted. it was great.
o Last year for my husband's birthday, I bought us tickets to see a comedian that he really likes. It was a lot of fun for us. There are so many live shows, kids concerts, etc, around that you could find something like that for everyone in your family. For teens, movie passes are always appreciated.
o A magazine subscription isn't bad because you can then donate the magazine to your drs or dentist's office after you've read it (remove your address label.)
o Some people suggest service coupons (ie: I'll clean your room for you..., etc), but I find that no one uses them. I'd prefer to actually do some secret services throughout the month and then put an anonymous note under the tree saying your Secret Santa did all these things for you in the month of December!
o Last year for Christmas we gave our kids 6 months of video game rental at Hollywood video. They have a program where you can have one (or two)game out at a time for however long you want. The kids love it because they can try all the games they want for the same price. Hollywood also has an MVP program for movie rentals where you can have 3 movies out at a time and kids like that one as well.

Deni

More great no clutter gifts - annual passes to zoo, museums, etc.

Rosie

We've all heard of regifting, but this family takes the cake.

How old are your kids? When my daughter was very young we would sometimes wrap up toys she already had but that she hadn't played with for a long time or that we maybe put away in storage and forgot about. It was nice to know that we could cycle her toys this way.

As she got older and more aware of things we ended up doing something different. One year my husband lost his job in the fall just before Christmas and I knew I wasn't going to have any extra money for Christmas so I told my daughter that we were going to pretend that our home was a shopping store and we were going to go shopping for Christmas! She had a lot of fun with this. We completely played the role and she and I walked from room to room shopping for presents to wrap and put under the tree. When she was shopping with me we were looking for things for dad, and then she would have another day where she shopped with dad and would shop for me. Dad and I also would shop for each other and also for her. She had a lot of fun doing this. We ended up wrapping things that we use every day and also things we haven't used in awhile. It was funny because we ended up wrapping dads watch so we could give him a
watch for Christmas and he didn't even realize it was missing, LOL. We also wrapped his wallet! It was fun. We wrapped things like a pair of socks, pair of jeans, shoes, food in the house like a jar of peanut butter, can of beans and so on. We got pretty creative.

Over the years this is a tradition we ended up keeping. Even on years when we have had plenty of money to spend, we would still do the "shop around the house" thing. I have tried to keep Christmas a low key thing when we buy gifts so we only get a few new gifts each year instead of a huge pile of gifts, but if you ever come to our house on Christmas Eve it will look like we have spent a fortune because there will be a ton of presents wrapped under the tree. The thing many wouldn't know is that over half of those presents are things we already owned.

Kellie

What a fun tradition! Started out as a way to have things under the tree, and probably something that will carry on for years to come as just fun.

Christmas - Three Gifts

These moms all talk about their family tradition of giving their children 3 gifts each year. Each one has a little different take on how they do that and why.

Two years ago we changed our who buying patterns for Christmas. Thinking of the 3 wisemen that brought gifts to the baby Jesus, we too have gone to just 3 items for each child in the family. A gift of knowledge, meaning, and usefulness.

I really think out the gifts now. A gift of knowledge provides something to learn of or from. For young ones it may be a puzzle and for the older kids a computer game, or scriptures, or a new book.

For the gift of meaning, it might be the gift they really want (within reason) or one of pure thought. Maybe they want to learn to sew, so maybe sewing kit or a sewing machine. For my 19 yr old, we gave him an iron, as he likes his clothes most tidy, and this was something he wanted. My daughter, 17, got an lds cd. For me, I wanted a coat.

For the gift of usefulness some got socks, or a new handmade scarf, or a blanket. My little boys got pajamas.

We have found that changing to this new way, that the kids really appreciate and love their gifts, rather than them being shoved aside as they open other things and then ending up under their beds a few days later.

Brenda

I know what you mean! What we have done for the past 4 years is to give each child 3 gifts - symbolizing the 3 gifts given to the baby Jesus. One gift is their "gold" gift and the main large gift that they want (bike, dollhouse, kitchen set, etc.). Another gift is a gift to share with the family (game, art supplies, tickets to a performance). And the last is a gift of need (new fun bedding, clothes, etc. ) We also give new pjs on Christmas Eve.

I can't tell you how much easier it has made my life to do it this way. But the best thing is that it has brought a more simplistic feel to our Christmas and allows us to focus more on the real meaning of Christmas. The kids know that they will only have 3 gifts under the tree and they consider this very seriously when they let is know what they want. Plus, they are so grateful for what is given and they really use what they get. They still get gifts from family and friends so they aren't ever deprived, which was my big concern when we first started this.

This has made our Christmas so much better and I have spent more time with my family and less time shopping. We also save money by not buying something just to have more under the tree.

Pauleen

I have a problem with buying stuff just to have stuff, too. We started three years ago, I think, with wise men presents (Jesus only got three presents so that's all my kids need, too). We ended up with this plan: one for their body like a football or quilt, one for their mind (like a book or telescope), and one for their spirit like a quiet book for church or CTR ring. It helps keep me from over buying impulse items.

We do something similar, we do 3 gifts one for gold, frankincense and Myrrh. The gold is their big main present, something they really WANT. Frankincense is Spiritual, and Myrrh is something they need, usually an outfit, undies, or socks. I even wrap them to color, Gold is gold paper, Frankincense is white or silver, and Myrrh is a cranberry or red/mulberry type color. Then they get their stockings, full of fun things. I try to do games, books, girls get some fun jewelry, usually chapstick and pencils fun things. They also get a few treats. Then every Christmas Eve Mrs. Clause brings PJ's and a book, this is a tradition of my dh's family.

Even with 3 presents, with 7 kids (8 this year), that's still ALOT of presents!!

Melinda

We are Christians, so we give gifts in the tradition of the three gifts mentioned in scripture. Meaning, each of our children also receive three gifts. One gift is more costly, one gift is one they maybe really want or ask for (and that's a big maybe), and one is a theme gift

For example on the theme gifts, my oldest daughter was interested in beauty products for hair, make up, etc. She's in drama and truly uses this stuff. So I bought her a bunch of make up and a hair straightener and curling iron, etc. I bought them through out the year and just kept adding them to her theme box. Most of my children (five out of seven) are artists, so I usually get them something they can do with their hands, and then I do try to get something close to what they wish for. Stockings are my favorite part so I put lots of little things in there that I know they will like receiving like candy or pairs of earrings. I have one daughter who loves beading and gosh those things are expensive. I can put a gift card or small amount of beads in a Christmas box in her stocking and I have at least contributed to her stock that way.

We try and fill our holiday with tradition more than anything, which can help us in the long run where gifts run short for our family, even intentionally.

Wanda

In November, just before the present-buying-chaos begins, we have a family lesson (FHE) where we sit down with the whole family, talk about the original/true meaning of Christmas and about how blessed our family has been that year. We then buy each child 3 presents, as well as little stocking items. Each present has a meaning. I will try to find the official explanation, but basically they are each wrapped in their own color (red, green, gold) & have their own meaning (gift of necessity, gift of learning, gift of meaning) and make reference to the gifts of the Magi.

I like the kids to make a list of things they would like, just to give me an idea if there is something they really want or the name of a CD they have been wanting, etc. The gift of necessity is usually like clothing, blanket, or something for their bedroom. The learning gifts have been things like a guitar w/ "learn to" DVD, chess set, learning game, science experiment stuff, etc. The gift of meaning is the gift they have been longing for.

Our kids were open their gifts slowly, taking time to look at or play with the item before moving on.

Alison

We tend to buy a lot of "family" gifts. Each boy (I have 3) gets one gift from Mom and Dad and then one gift from Santa. Then they get "boy" gifts. Like a pass to the dino park, or a movie they all would like. Santa always brings a family game for all of us. Christmas is very small at our house but we make most of our gifts. Like snow hats, sweaters, quilts for the beds or one year the boys all worked on a sled with Papa to "give" to each other. We also pick a charity to give to. Last year we made hats on the knitters looms and gave them to a homeless shelter.

Also we use cloth bags to give our gifts in, then we don't have paper mess either.

Kim

This mom had theme ideas for four gifts instead of the three.

Something you want, Something you need, Something to wear, Something to read.

Catey

Smart. Smart. Smart. These Christmas suggestions gave me the most to think about.

I remember one Christmas in particular being so happy with my presents until my friend next door came over to see what I got. Disappointment and 'not enough' set in. I know her family wasn’t wealthy so I don’t entirely know where the feeling came from. Fast forward several years later, with me watching a video my dad had taken that Christmas of each of us kids showing what we got for Christmas. I started showing each gift and it kept going and going and going. And going and going! I couldn’t believe all I received, yet I remembered that feeling that it hadn’t been enough. Isn't that terrible?? I think these moms have hit it on the head.

Christmas - Keep It Simple, Keep it Fun

Several months ago during a big bout of decluttering I e-mailed several of the homeschooling groups I'm on with the question:

"I've been doing a lot of decluttering this year, and I'm amazed at how many things I've paid a decent amount of money for that hardly got used. The idea of buying a bunch of 'stuff' just so there is 'stuff' under the tree makes me shudder. Any big Christams ideas out there?"

Thank goodness for really smart moms! There were so many wonderful replies, but it took me till just recently to read through them all (slacker!). I'm posting them for the benefit of all, and because of length, I've organized them into three posts.

One year we did a "Pioneer Christmas" where everything was handmade, even from their father. We did give books as that is a traditions in our family.

All the decorations were handmade, except electric lights for safety. We made Swedish hearts and pasted pictures of ancestors on them and showed our genealogy starting with the kids pictures and descending down the family lines as far as we could go in pictures. (We color coded families). All this we hung on the tree and told stories of each ancestor during the Christmas season.

My kids thought it was the best Christmas ever and want to do it again.

Wendy

One year we bought just books for our children. I had them make a list of what they wanted in their personal library and we bought them. I think the kids enjoyed (and still enjoy) those presents more than any they got any other year.

Debbi

Our kids get one present from us. I know they'll get other things from grandma and grandpa so we especially try to underplay the present part of Christmas.

We LOVE to do service projects for Christmas as the main focus, I buy Christmas stories at DI and we read them, trying to focus on why we celebrate Christmas.

One year I wrapped up all the Christmas books, including the Bible and Book of Mormon and put THEM under the tree. I think I had 20 or so, we opened one each day and read it, ending with the traditional Bible verses. That year was a big hit.

Dana

Along that line, we checked out a book this week called "Christmas Stories" adapted from the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A friend of mine told me she read them to her kids one year and it helped get the perspective that more isn't always better.

I have also found that when you try to do the "big" Christmas, and then say the next year money is tight, then your kids feel let down. Or they begin to always expect the "big" Christmas. If you keep it smaller all the time then they are more appreciative to what they are getting and I think they respect their toys are take care of them more. If you have extra money, then save it.

We also spend less at Christmas so that we have extra money throughout the year to buy those little things for the kids. Like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, water toys, etc. Just the things you pick up throughout the year for fun. This way the kids aren't getting a lump of toys at Christmas and then having to wait a long time for more new stuff. It's kind of like spreading Christmas out through the year.

Jessica

No name on this one but I think it's so fun!

Santa blows up a whole bunch of balloons and they get spread under the tree and around the stockings. It looks like there is a lot of "stuff" without a lot of cost or waste. My kids have loved playing with the balloons as much as anything else on Christmas.

You know they love the boxes best - toss some balloons into the mix.

Teaser for the next set of ideas - three gifts.

Read more "Talk About Tuesday" with the Lazy Organizer!

Procrastination

Isn't it funny how you put things off because you think they will take a long time or that they will be really hard, and then they don't and aren't?

Go figure.

(Don't ask questions at Christmas time.)

What's on YOUR Tree?

I could list off at least 37 things I should be doing right now, but being the avoider that I am, I'll do them later. Instead I took pictures of things on our Christmas tree and thought I would share them with the world. I love putting up the tree every year because it's so fun and so full of memories. As Melanie put it Saturday night while pulling out her ornaments, "It's like we're opening up a bunch of presents!" It's just cozy bringing out all those fun little things you only see once a year.

So here you have it, glimpses of the Hall Family Christmas Tree.

Starting at the top, a beautiful angel given to Melanie by her aunt. Melanie argues with me every year to put up the one we used to, one I made when I was probably 13 years old. Believe me, this is far FAR cuter.



Two things made from nuts - one, an adorable walnut baby carriage bought for Carolyn while my parents were in Germany...



...the other, made by my grandma for me a looooong time ago. She's holding a sign that says, "Happiness is a THUMB." Not to mention Scruffy the Tugboat and Yoda.



A boutonniere worn by Jamie's brother at our wedding, and...



...a decoration (I have two actually) from my parents' wedding.



A jar of Christmas Spirit



A really happy grill



Not only the shipping box from "A Christmas Story" (which talks by the way)...



...but the leg lamp as well.



A camel from Afghanistan right next to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.



And last, though certainly not least, not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Elvis ornaments. (Would that be four Elvisi?) Can you see them all? One is mine, the other three are Sammy's. Shhhh, but if I remember right from after-Christmas shopping last year, I believe in less than a month there will be a FIFTH Elvis!



Maybe I just don't 'get it,' but I can't even imagine that the people with the 'perfect' Christmas trees enjoy theirs nearly as much.

Beg, Borrow, and Steal

I like to impress myself sometimes when I do something crafty (to me, the bracelets don't count), but it's not something I come by naturally. I just came upon two super awesome ideas that I have to share because they are so easy but could be SO FUN!

Simple Blank Books - My sewing machine is going to be straight stitching away making these! Thanks to kerflop for pointing to this one.

DIY Advent Calendar - What an easy fun idea! I got a fun advent calendar back in my teens from a friend. It had little cut out things to do each day, but the overall design while not difficult, would be a little painy to recreate. I like this far far better.

Acorn People - I don't know if I'm feeling quite crafty enough myself for these yet, but what a totally fun project to do with the kids.

Time to stop looking, I need to get to bed.

Next day update: I have GOT to make Melanie one of these boxes for Christmas! Perfect place to keep those little books or other fun treasures.