Christmas at the Sathers’

Isn’t Christmas wonderful? I’m in such a Christmas mood this year and I really don’t know why. We were snowed in this weekend – actually missed church for the first time in forever. We used our time at home to write and put together our Christmas letters – 119 of them! We’re also preparing to begin our Advent celebration this evening. Due to circumstances, we haven’t celebrated it formally for a couple of years and I’m really looking forward to it this year.

So since I’m in such a great Christmas mood I’ve decided to give you all a little e-booklet that I recently put together titled, “Memory-Making Made Easy”. If you are looking for easy, inexpensive gifts to make with your children for family members and friends, you will enjoy the ideas I’ve put together.

Memory-Making Made Easy

Here’s the link: Memory Making Made Easy

Purposeful Planning

I decided to post an excerpt from my book, “Purposeful Planning” about how we celebrate some holidays. Tiany is giving away two copies as door prizes so I thought I’d give you a little peek inside. This is part of my celebrations chapter. We love to celebrate and as my husband says – “You celebrate what you value.” We’ve found this to be true so we prayed and discussed what we value, and then planned how we would celebrate. I have included a little surprise at the end, so be sure to scroll all the way down.

Lent, Advent,
and the Twelve Days of Christmas

In addition to Easter and Christmas, we celebrate Lent, Advent, and the Twelve Days of Christmas. Remember I said we celebrate what we value? Oftentimes the rush of the season, especially Christmas, seems to take away from our enjoyment. Adding Lent before Easter, Advent before Christmas and the Twelve Days of Christmas after Christmas helps us to slow down and enjoy these holidays more. It has also helped us to celebrate what we value.  We value Christ’s gift on the Cross, so spending time during Lent reading about His sacrifice and going without TV or desserts helps us to focus on all that He did for us.

Advent helps us to anticipate the baby Jesus’ arrival. We’ve used Advent wreaths and calendars to help us count off the days until Jesus’ birth.

The Twelve Days of Christmas has by far become a favorite at our house. If you’re not familiar with it, it begins Christmas Day and includes the next eleven days. It’s taken a lot of stress off me because I do most of our entertaining during the days after Christmas, rather than trying to fit everything into the days before Christmas. People are usually very happy to get an invitation for a day or two after Christmas.

One family we know has a farm and invites their friends to bring their Christmas trees over on the twelfth day. They have a bonfire with all the trees, drink hot chocolate, and toast marshmallows. It’s gotten to be an annual event that their friends and family look forward to and it doesn’t interfere with most people’s Christmas plans.

We put twelve small gifts into the children’s Christmas stockings. They get to open one on each of the twelve days. During the year I look for special little things – this would, of course, vary with your children’s ages. My big children still look forward to these little things.

Annual Planning

Like I said, this is just a short quote out of my book, “Purposeful Planning”. The book is mainly about our “annual planning weekend”. We pray about and discuss each area of our lives so we can seek the Lord’s plan for the next year.

At the end of the Holiday Homeschool Open House I will be giving away five copies of “Purposeful Planning” in addition to the two that are being given as door prizes on Tiany’s site. To be eligible, for the random drawing, just leave a comment with your name and e-mail address. Everyone who comments and isn’t chosen to receive one of the five free copies will be given the opportunity to purchase it for only $5.

More information

So – comment away! I’d love to bless many of you with this time-tested way the Lord has used a simple plan to keep our family on course.

Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com

© 2007 Phyllis Sather
All rights reserved

Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com