Advent 2011: Day 25- Happy Birthday Jesus!

There was no actual lesson prepared on Easy Fun School for Christmas Day. I'm creating all the Advent posts tonight on December 1st and scheduling them out on the perspective dates through out  the month. Pro to blogger-scheduling ahead of time. Con- the pictures on about half of them flipped to vertical even though I shot them all horizontally. So, at this point, we plan to read Luke's account of Jesus' birth and make a birthday cake celebrating Christ's birth. This idea came from a Really Woolly ornament I picked up last year.



Oriental Trading Company has loads of Happy Birthday Jesus materials as well.  I'm ordering the Really Woolly Birthday Kit. You can find more details here. We'll exchange gifts from each other with Billy's parents who will be in from New Mexico. An order will be placed for several children's Christmas books centered around the theme of celebrating the birth of Christ in a way our children can relate to at their given ages. I prayer to continue to allow God to lead me to materials, supplies and resources that glorify Him first in all of our celebrations.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21
¹⁸ Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, ²¹ so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.


Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Love the LORD Your God

 ¹ These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. ³ Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.^[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.



This picture is from this blog I came across and I really relate to this quote from Jeanne Winter's blog about throwing Jesus a birthday party:

"Our Christmas does not revolve around Santa. We're not fanatics about it –we don't banish all things red, fat and jolly from our holiday– we simply focus on Jesus' birthday. What little child doesn't understand and get excited about a birthday party? We read stacks of Christmas story books that all tell about Jesus' extraordinary birth in wonderfully unique ways. They get it and they love it!

A highlight of our family traditions in making our holiday all about Jesus is to make a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. It's our main Christmas dinner dessert ... because everybody gets a cake on their birthday, right?! We let the kids decide what kind of cake each year and they join in the party planning ... just as if Jesus were a part of our family. It's so precious to see my kids growing up grasping basic Biblical truths!"

I used the alternate they suggested of Jesus that Bible Story Printables had the ornament pre-made for.

We'll be reading Luke 2

Luke 2: 1-20

The Birth of Jesus

 ¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

 ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 

   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.