The following links go directly to YouTube videos. I carefully chose renditions where the volume was decent and the recording was clear. They include a variety of artists. Enjoy!
Every other Friday we have a visit from our Occupational Therapist (OT). She has been with us for a few years now and we love her to pieces. She works primarily with Elisha (he has autism, ADHD, and sensory issues), but sometimes she works with the family as a whole.
This week our activities focused around decorating gingerbread cookies, making foam gingerbread men (and women), and making foam stick puppets. There was the usual anxiety and stress (compliments of Elisha), due to change in our usual routine, but we pushed through.
Have a look at the finished projects.
Decorating Gingerbread Cookies
Elisha holding his cookie. (Pardon his cranky face - he was in a funk).
He did a good job.
Moses and his cookie.
Malachi and his cookie.
Zion and his cookie (held by the OT).
Hosanna and her cookie (held by the OT). I love her pretty smile.
The collection of gingerbread cookies.
This is what greeted the kids Christmas morning last year.
When I think about Christmas decorations from my childhood, certain images are recalled almost immediately. Today, I want to take you down memory lane.
1) Pipe Cleaner Candy Canes
We made pipe cleaner candy canes by twisting a red and a while pipe cleaner together. Then we curved a hook in it and hung it on the tree. Sometimes we took one pipe cleaner and made a candy cane using Tri beads in Christmas colors (that would be red, green, and white for us).
2) Paper Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes have more to do with winter than Christmas, but we always ended up making them on our Christmas holidays. These would hang in the windows until the moisture from the windows would make them all soggy and they would start falling apart (Don't tell me that didn't happen to your snowflakes.)
3) Paper Chains
Bright and colorful paper chains often wrapped around the whole tree. You know the ones made with construction paper and a stapler? Do you know how much paper (and how many staples) it takes to make a paper chain that goes all the way around a huge Christmas tree? (Neither do I.)
4) Popcorn Chain
What do you get when you mix a giant bowl of popcorn (this time without butter) with a long thread and a sharp needle? A popcorn chain for the Christmas tree and sore fingers. We only did this once and I am pretty sure I know why.
5) Fancy Baubles
When I was little most of the shiny decorations were breakable and our tree was full of them. I love all the Christmas baubles on fancy trees, I just don't like cleaning up the splinters of glass when the balls fall on the floor and I step on them. I am so thankful for the invention of "shatterproof" baubles made of plastic. In my mind they look just the same and they are safer to have when the kids take the ornaments on and off the tree all day long for the whole month of December.
6) Garland
I can't tell you if we have had garland on any of our family trees since we started our own family, we might have, I just don't remember. I do remember always having garland wrap around our family Christmas tree growing up.
7) Tinsel
I also remember hanging tinsel on after the garland (as long as we didn't have any pets at the time - You do know that tinsel is bad for cats and dogs and other small animals allowed to be loose in the house, right?) because the tinsel always came after the garland. And after the tinsel always came...
The Star or The Angel
Growing up we have always had a star or angel adorn the top of our Christmas tree. It was always put on last. There were a few times when it was too heavy for that skinny top branch and it would sag, but most of the time it fit just right. I heard from a reliable source that my sister tied a Ken doll, dressed in a suit, on top of her Christmas tree this year and they are planning to get him some angel wings (it is so hard to find man angels these days!).
9) Stockings
We had a variety of different stockings growing up. I am not sure why we never had the same ones, but my guess is that it was probably because the stockings were packed in a box somewhere and we couldn't find them. I have made stockings a few times now for my kids, so I understand this crazy phenomenon of losing those "TWO" boxes that you only use once a year. I am guessing that is why they have started making those bright red and green buckets. We have those now and we love them. This year I found 2 complete sets of stockings.
Last, but definitely not least, was the...
10) Nativity
We always had some form of nativity on display at Christmas time. One nativity was ceramic and painstakingly hand painted by my aunt (my dad's brother's wife). The other nativity that stands out in my mind was probably purchased at a local department store, but we were allowed to touch it. It had a wooden stable with that funky moss all over it and the little resin nativity characters. I have fond memories of playing out the Christmas story with those characters.
What are your fondest memories of Christmas Decorations from your childhood?
I am linking up to Top Ten Tuesday and the Hip Homeschool Hop.
Check out all the rest of my posts and our Christmas Link Up.
I am also linking up with some fabulous bloggers to bring you some amazing Christmas posts. Please take a few moments and visit the other mamas on this list and check out what they are writing today.
A Slob Comes Clean - Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home - Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy - Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud - Children's Books
Mama's Learning Corner - Children's Crafts
Many Little Blessings - Edible Gifts
An Oregon Cottage - Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing - Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters - Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom - Gifts Kids Can Make
Mama's Laundry Talk - Laundry Gifts
*special thanks to Angie for making the graphic button for our series.
Before we were married, my husband and I had a few talks about our family traditions. These usually centered around the holidays... you know the drill: How do you celebrate Christmas? Presents on Christmas Eve, or Christmas day? Do we watch the game on Thanksgiving? Etc.
Things which had been known to cause WAR in my Mom's family, such as the football game on Thanksgiving Day, were really a non-issue with us. We agreed on everything. It wasn't until a couple of years after we got married that a tradition was added which is probably the favorite one for all of us. This is the tradition of The Special Plate.
Then about 13 years ago, my great Aunt Bernice gave us this plate for Christmas, with a note taped to the back of it.
“This plate is to celebrate anything anyone wants to celebrate. An A on a report card, a fabulous choir concert, an anniversary or birthday. Who ever has something to celebrate should eat on the Special Plate for that day. And I want you to know Dawn, that you are the only one in the family who makes it a priority to eat together as a family. That is why I am giving you this plate.”
It's not made of fine china, porcelain, or even stoneware, but just plain, cheap melamine. It is colorful and fun. It is set at the table for which ever family member has a special day. It may be a birthday, Father's or Mother's Day, a new job, a perfect spelling test, or whatever. If it is a special day for someone, they get the special plate. I forget sometimes, but they are always quick to remind me, "Mom! It's his birthday today! We need the Special Plate!"
And just to remind me of how much this tradition means to my family, I received a short, sweet email from our last foster child, a girl who is now grown and married. It said, "We miss it up there. Tonight I told John we have to go to the dollar store and get a special plate. I was thinking about you too!" And that made me smile, really big.
Thank you Lord, that I can pass on family traditions that are meaningful.
I want to thank Dawn for her awesome guest post. I look forward to bringing you more great posts about Creating Family Traditions.
Do you have a special family tradition?