The wrapping paper has been torn- the gifts played with for many hours already.
There’s something special about staying in your jammies all day long, and eating a “gourmet” Christmas meal with your slippers still on.
And now cherishing the days in between celebrations.
Each of the last few days I’ve heard, “I wish we had another ornament to make!” come from the lips of one of my girls. One hundred and forty-four ornaments done (plus more than thirty extras) and I am ready to wait at least eleven months to make any more… but I wouldn’t trade those precious hours for anything. I think my kids really did find “Truth in the tinsel” this year, and it’s been such a joy to watch their little minds wrap around the mess and the glory of that most awe-filled story.
Here are the last twelve days of ornaments… (for the first twelve, go here!)
13. Bethlehem… Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.
14. Stable… Although the Bible does not mention that Jesus was born in a “stable” we know that Jesus was placed in a manger, which very well could have been in a stable (or someplace similar), for there was no room for them in the inn.
15. Manger… A feeding trough for the animals was baby Jesus’ first bed.
16. Cloths… Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths. The shepherds would find Jesus wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
17. Sheep… The shepherds were watching their sheep at night when the angel of the Lord appeared to them.
18. Angels… Suddenly a great company of angels appeared before the shepherds- praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest!”
19. Shepherds… The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Then they spread the word about this precious child.
20. Temple… When Jesus was eight days old, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple to present him to the Lord. While there, both Anna & Simeon blessed him and praised God for him.
21. Star… A new star appeared in the sky the night baby Jesus was born. The wise men would follow this star to find Jesus.
22. Wise Men… The wise men followed the star to find Jesus. They bowed down and worshipped him.
23. Gifts… The wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (We used this recipe for our “gifts”.)
And we made some extras to give away…
24. Cross… I LOVE this precious reminder, and thought it a perfect way to end!!! That Jesus didn’t stay a baby! He grew and He lived (through the mess and the pain) and He died on the cross to save you and me! What great love!
This was Isaiah’s very favorite ornament…
To be honest with you, there were a few days that I wanted to give up. It took us at least thirty minutes every day to read the Scripture and to make these ornaments together (some days over an hour from start to finish) and it seemed like a lot amidst our already busy days… BUT now I am so thankful that we took the time to treasure God’s Word and to have these precious reminders of the Truth God brings. Better than any other Christmas present, is being able to pour God’s Word into the hearts and minds of my little ones… to show them His great love and His incredible sacrifice!
How was your Christmas?
{Things may stay a bit “quiet” around here for a little longer, as I continue to love on our family and celebrate with others… playing in the snow, putting finishing touches on some presents, trying to get caught up on the laundry. I’m so thankful for each one of you and the kindness, encouragement, and love that you’ve shown! Have a blessed week!}
I’m thinking about doing this next year… my oldest two will be 5 (almost 6)and 3 (almost 4) come Christmas – do you think they’ll both be old enough to benefit from it, or should I wait another year or two?
Hi Anjanette! I think that your two sound like they will be in perfect age range for Truth in the Tinsel and could really benefit from it either or both years. My 3 year old and 5 year old enjoyed it quite a bit! Although I did need to help the 3 year old with a number of the ornaments, I love that it was something I could do with her (& all our kids)- it forced me to do it together with them, and not just throw something in front of them to do all on their own. But my favorite part is getting them learning the true awe-filled story in a precious way! :)
Thanks for asking!
~Jessica
Good for you for making it all the way through :) We did a much simpler version this year – last year I got totally over whelmed. I hope you had a lovely Christmas!!
I’d love to hear what you did!! I had quite the number of overwhelmed moments!! If I had everything ready in advance, that would have helped a lot. So glad you had a wonderful Christmas!