Bonus Items
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Ideas for "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? 2005"
- 'Twas the Night before Christmas [parody]
- Year-End Rituals
- GIVE YOUR PRESENCE, NOT PRESENTS
- Bumpersticker
- Reason for the Season
Introduction
Although the following items were not selected for publication in the Advent-Christmas family booklet "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?" they are worthy to be shared.
If you publish any of these, please give credit to the author and to "SimpleLivingWorks.org."
Ideas for "Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?"
- This is an old idea, but a great one for young families to be aware
of. Get in the habit of celebrating Jesus' birthday just as you celebrate
every
other birthday in your family. Get a "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake.
Light the candles. Have everybody sing the birthday song and then all together
blow out the candles.
Several reasons to do this: a) It makes Jesus a real member of your family, and a real person in your children's understanding. b) It provides an opportunity to talk about why we give gifts to people we love, and how Jesus' love in our hearts makes us willing to share. - Citrus potpourri balls make nice gifts for the hard-to-decide-for grandparent or aunt. Use an apple, orange, or lemon. To make it easier for little hands to insert whole cloves, you may need to prick starter holes in the skin of the fruit. Make a star design, stripes, or whatever you wish. Roll the fruit (while still sticky with juice) in orris root and cinnamon, or follow directions from online potpourri sites. Attach a ribbon hanger and dry thorougly. Surround with fine mesh netting and a bow for presentation before the recipient hangs it in a closet.
- Develop the gift of tradition. As each child is born, decide on a specific type of ornament that will be theirs to put on the tree. For our three we had angels, snowflakes, and teddy bears. Let grandparents and family know, so they can add to the collection annually as well.
On the year that each of our children was a senior in high school they were alllowed to decorate the family tree in ONLY their ornaments and whatever they wanted to add. It was a way to honor their achievement.
Our children each had an ornament box full to take with them when they went to their first homes. While they were still with us, it was easy to undecorate the tree because each of them knew which ornaments belonged to them!
It pleased us when our first grandchild was born and our daughter said, "We've decided on nutcrackers for his ornaments." Apparently she appreciated the tradition!
--Linda Alley, Harrisonburg, Virginia
'Twas the Night before Christmas [parody]
'T'was the night before Christmas
and all through the town
Not a sign of Baby Jesus
was anywhere to be found.The people were all busy
Mama watched Martha Stewart,
with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking,
and shopping in stores.
No one sang "Away in a manger,
no crib for a bed"..
Instead, they sang of Santa
dressed-up in bright red.
Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hour
the presents they'd wrap When what from the T.V.
did they suddenly hear?
'Cept an ad.. which told
of a big sale at Sears. So away to the mall
they all flew like a flash...
Buying things on credit...
and others with cash! And, as they made their way home
From their trip to the mall,
Did they think about Jesus?
Oh, no... not at all. Their lives were so busy
with their Christmas time things
No time to remember
Christ Jesus, the King.. There were presents to wrap
and cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember
who died for their sake? To pray to the Savior...
they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time
to "Shop til they dropped!"
On Wal-mart! On K-mart!
On Target! On Penney's!
On Hallmark! On Zales!
A quick lunch at Denny's From the big stores downtown
to the stores at the mall
They would dash away, dash away,
and visit them all! And up on the roof,
there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lights
up on his brand new step ladder. He hung lights that would flash.
He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus...
Light of the World. Christ's eyes... how they twinkle!
Christ's Spirit... how merry!
Christ's love... how enormous!
All our burdens... He'll carry! So instead of being busy,
overworked, and uptight
Let's put Christ back in
Christmas and enjoy
some good nights!
Merry Christmas, my friends!
Year-End Rituals
The period between Christmas and New Year's is a great time to hang out, have fun and reminisce. Some families opt for travel adventures while others stay close to home and hearth. At my house, we take our whole pile of photos for the year and stick the best ones in our family album, reliving the year's highlights as we do. Since I finally put the Super 8 home movies of my childhood on DVD for my siblings and myself, I'm sure we'll also be watching those. There was a nifty idea in the December issue of Family Fun about making an annual family videotape in the format of a TV talk show. Chairs are set up next to the fireplace and the video camera is mounted on a tripod. Each family member is interviewed in turn. Over 5 years, the tradition has gotten more elaborate and the kids dress up and prepare poems and songs. For this family, the ritual is part of Christmas festivities but the idea could easily be adapted to an end-of-year production that allows each family member to list their greatest accomplishments of the year. Each person can also talk about their favorite book, movie and toy that year, and the best family memory. Why not also tell your favorite jokes?
MEG COX'S RITUAL NEWSLETTER FOR DECEMBER 2004 To subscribe, write FamilyRituals@aol.com. It's free.
Her book The Book of New Family Traditions, is available in paperback at your local bookstore.
GIVE YOUR PRESENCE, NOT PRESENTS
I'm a big believer in community service for families, and the holidays are often a time when we ask ourselves: what can we do together to make a difference and teach our children the joy of giving? For those who've got the time and money to make a big committment, one exciting answer to those questions is provided by the non-profit group Global Volunteers. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Global Volunteers is offering short-term service projects suitable for families in 20 different countries. In December or January, your family could spend a week or two caring for children with disabilities at a clinic in Romania, pitching in on simple building projects in Costa Rica, or teaching English to school children in Italy. Volunteers must pay their own airfare and tax-deductible fees to cover food and lodging in these countries, but the experience, as they say, is priceless. Such an ambitious trip may be impossible for your family on short notice, but you can start discussing such possibilities for next summer, or next year at this time. Gets lots more info at www.globalvolunteers.org.
MEG COX'S RITUAL NEWSLETTER FOR NOVEMBER 2004
Bumpersticker
I made my own bumper sticker:
YOUR PRESENT - HIS PRESENCE
Reason for the Season
His arrival was eagerly anticipated, but not just by children.
He came on Christmas day, but not down a chimney.
He worked in a woodshop, but not making toys.
He had a beard, but it was not white.
He had some helpers, but they were not elves.
He did miracles, but not on 34th street.
He rode into town, but not on a sleigh.
He carried great weight, but he was not heavy.
He hung on a tree, but not as an ornament.
He disappeared in the clouds, but not to the North Pole
His return is eagerly anticipated, but not predictable.
This piece appeared in the Omaha World Herald. It was passed onto me, so I don't know if there was a credit line.
Myrtle NygrenSimple Living Works! * SimpleLivingWorks@Yahoo.com
BLOG: SimpleLivingWorks.WordPress.com
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