I've been asked the following question a lot lately, so I'm sharing with you an updated version of a posting I wrote last year at this time. Grab a cup of cocoa, and enjoy!



Q: Can you share some of your favorite ideas and resources for Christmas?

A: My husband, whom we affectionately call Clark (as in Clark Griswold), starts playing Christmas music in September around here. His theory is that if Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we'd better decorate, sing and celebrate like there's no tomorrow!

One way we celebrate is to read lots of Christmas-themed books. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Best Thing About Christmas by Christine Tangvald, Standard Publishing; This book is so fun to read aloud with young children! I've used it often with small groups of pre-k children. It's fun to put objects related to each page in a large Christmas gift bag and pull them out as you read about them. The book tells about all the fun things about celebrating Christmas, but repeats the phrase, "but that's not the BEST thing about Christmas..." until the author reveals that the best thing is Jesus!

Christmas in My Heart, A Treasury of Old-Fashioned Christmas Stories, edited by Joe Wheeler, Review and Herald Publishing (I got mine at Focus on the Family bookstore.) There are several volumes available; the short stories are wonderful read alouds, or are great literature assignments for older students. The vocabulary is great.

Just for Fun! Our favorite Christmas poetry book to read for giggles is Bob by Sandra Boynton. It's an oversized board book with whimsical rhymes published by Little Simon, Simon and Schuster.

Bright Star, Bright Star, What Do You See? by Cassandre Maxwell, Augsburg Publishing; This beautiful book is patterned after the popular Brown Bear, Brown Bear book. Each page also features a small picture that represents a name of Christ.

The "J" is for Jesus (a rhyming board book that simplifies the candy cane story) by Alice Davidson, Zonderkidz Publishing; This book is easily memorized for a Christmas pageant or family presentation.

My Birthday, Jesus' Birthday, Holly Davis, Zondervan Publishing; This is a delightful book that compares the circumstances of a modern child's birth with Christ's.

The Pine Tree Parable, by Liz Curtis Higgs, Tommy Nelson Publishing; This is a great book from the seasonal series by Higgs.

What Nick and Holly Found in Grandpa's Attic and Adorenaments Activity Book (book and activities featuring the names of Christ) by Family Life

Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas by Susan Titus Osborn and Christine Tangvald, Standard Publishing (This is out of print, but is the best "around the world" book I've seen for younger children; I just met the author, and she has copies available for purchase. You can contact Susan Osborn at susanosb@aol.com; she'd probably even autograph it for you. I only paid $5 at the conference for the book, but the regular price plus s/h might be more.) Note: A member of our local home school group uses the "around the world" idea and writes to missionaries to collect more info about international Christmas customs. Then they pray and support the missionaries with whom they correspond. Great idea! Thanks for sharing it!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

And, here's a Christmas reading project Idea: Have children record the story of the nativity from Luke, or a favorite Christmas book, onto an audio tape. Children can ring a jingle bell to indicate page turns, and older kids might enjoy adding extra sound effects. This makes a great, inexpensive gift for nursing home patients, grandparents or younger siblings or cousins!

I'll add more ideas throughout the advent season. Be sure to check the November/December 2006 archives to the right for ideas as well. You are welcome to share your ideas, too, by leaving comments below or in the guestbook.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry