Christmas Resources

I've collected several ideas on my Happy Birthday Jesus Board on Pinterest

Family tradition: We are starting this year an Advent involving the names of Jesus. In future years I foresee expanding on this as the boys get older. Below is a screen shot of my folder of Advent ideas. I really like the idea of adding to the Christmas tree every day that we've done this year. I hope to make ornaments for each year's and eventually just have an Advent Tree in our front dining room.

TV shows: We enjoyed watching a Charlie Brown Christmas especially as Linus quotes directly from Luke 2.

Movies: This year we've seen so far, St Nicholas and The Toy That Saved Christmas by Veggie Tales and God Made Christmas by Baby Faith. We own the Nativity Story which I'm looking forward to watching Christmas Eve.

Picture: Every year since we got together in 2004, we'd had our picture taken in front of a Christmas Tree. It's been fun the different ones we've stood in front of and a friend made ornaments out of them a couple years ago and gave me the matching fabric to continue that tradition. I have more, these are just the ones I could find the fastest to post here:

2004, our first house

2008, Christmas Party at the Taylor's

2010, our current house

Events: In our area, they include a living Nativity scene that an area church does every year. It's beautiful.

Activities from Advent chains to coloring and preschool packs we don't lack anything fun in this department. They come from 1+1+1=1, Confessions of a Homeschooler, Musings of Me, 2Teaching Mommies, Spell Outloud and Over the Big Moon. 

Books we read: This has been so much fun finding books that recall and bring along the birth of Christ.  Our Tiny Bear Bible, Preschoolers Bible, My Very First Bible and Beginner's Bible all tell the story of Christ's birth. The Busy Bible has a felt Nativity that tucks away in the stable within the book. 

This year we've added "J is for Jesus", God Gave us Christmas", 2 different books entitled "Happy Birthday Jesus", "The Beginner's Bible: My Christmas Manger" and "The Pine Tree Parable" . (3 are being shipped as I type) I bought "The Story of Christmas" last year.

 

I have a current plan to add one Christmas book each month with my regular supply order so that next year, the boys can unwrap a book each day to read in the month of December. Here's my wish list in progress going forward in alphabetical order. Several suggestions came from other Christian Homeschool sites and I also just searched through ZonderKidz store on their website:

 Crafts: I found a great Nativity puzzle, Make a Nativity Scene Sticker Set, Color Scratch Star Ornament, Happy Birthday Jesus bags and stamps from Oriental Trading Company as well as a Happy Birthday Jesus fun foam ornament to put together. 

 Nativity and angel window clings at Walmart.
Coloring and Activity pages from all kinds of online sites for free!

Our favorite toy is a little people Nativity set that I admit to keeping up year round, because after all we should be recognizing Christ and His birth every day :-) We got ours last year at Target. Munchkin plays this game where he brings me every person from the Nativity except Jesus. I say "No, that's not Baby Jesus. Where is Baby Jesus?" until he does. He giggles every time.