The ADVENTure of Christmas

I love Christmas time.  I love it!  And in case you didn't get that, let me reiterate:  I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

It is a time of hope.  A time of wonder.  A time of joy. 

A time of baking, crafting, wrapping, and creating.  

A time to take a break from school.  

Just kidding.  

Kinda.

But not really.

One of the big perks of homeschooling is that we get to choose what our kids learn and when they learn it.  We get to choose what to place emphasis on and how much emphasis to place on those things.

This year, we're choosing to heavily emphasize Christmas.  Specifically, the meaning of Christmas.  I mean more than just the "Jesus is the reason..." type lingo.  I mean talking to the kids about what the symbols of Christmas mean.  The trees, the carols, the ornaments, the decorations.  You get the idea.

This book has been a God send!  Honestly, I really didn't know the history behind many of the traditions that our family uses to create a festive atmosphere.  

And so, while I read to my kiddos and we discuss this amazing time of year, I too am learning.  (Apparently this old dog can learn new tricks!)  

It's great to be able to learn the history behind our traditions.  I am glad that my children will be able to explain how each part of our tradition represents the birth of Christ.   It is my hope that in each ornament, decoration, craft, and cookie that they will see the hope that Christmas brings.  And that it will fill their lives with His love.  And that that love will bubble up and spill over to all those they come in contact with.  That's my Christmas wish!

 This book also ties into the Advent ornaments that we made to decorate our classroom tree.  Each ornament has an activity on the back and when I planned activities, I tried to correlate them to a section and activity in the ADVENTure of Christmas book.  

We're also using the "Christmas Around the World" curricula from Galloping the Globe and Expedition Earth for our Geography.  Each day, we're focusing on a country and making/doing a craft or activity that would be similar to what the children of that country are doing.  This also gives us a great opportunity to pray for those countries who might not know the Good News of Christ's birth, nor know Him as Savior.

 We learned that many Japanese are not Christian, but participate in the commercialism of Christmas.  

They decorate their trees with many things, including fans.

The ADVENTure of Christmas book also has a section on Christmas in other countries. 

  

 

All in all, it's been an ADVENTure.  One that we plan on continuing until the day of our Savior's birth.  We're having a great time learning about the One who is coming.  And, in the process, the joy grows!