Have a Birthday Cake for Baby Jesus!

Every year on Christmas day we celebrate with a birthday cake for Baby Jesus. It has been a tradition for years and years, and this year was no different. Our cake is an angel food cake, with "strawberry fluff" filling, and whipped cream tinted green. The fluff is whipped cream, strawberry Jello, and frozen strawberries (thawed). It's a good thing that Christmas calories don't count!

It's a little thing, but it is one of the ways that we make sure that Jesus is the center of this day, this season, of celebration.

We hope you had a very merry Christmas season, and that your soul rejoices each day as you remember that Jesus came to this earth because of His great love for you.

Make a Candle Holder!

The last craft post for this season, but it's one of our family favorites! This simple candle holder can be made by even the youngest of crafters, with just a bit of help.

The base is the top of a 2-liter bottle. Once you've cut that off, simply brush on a layer of glue, and add tissue paper. You can add multiple layers, use different shapes of cut tissue, or even attach the tissue to the underside of the bottle/base.

Add a ribbon and a candle, and you've got a sweet little decoration for your Christmas celebration!

Use Toilet Paper Tubes!

Toilet paper tubes are an excellent craft resource, and they are easy to come by. This first project is a little silly, but also kinda cute.

To make a shepherd, wrap a toilet paper tube in paper (we used tissue), then add a circle face. The head covering is another piece of tissue, glued around the top and then tied with yarn. Tie a pipe cleaner crook, and glue on a cotton ball sheep. Simple and sweet!

If you want an entire Nativity, and you don't want to look for many supplies, head over to Catholic Icing for an adorable printable set. She wraps hers onto toilet paper tubes, but we just printed ours on card stock and taped them into tube shapes. There are lots of pieces in the set, including the stable!

Be an Angel! Or a Sheep! Or a Shepherd!

This is the first of a couple posts sharing some fun and easy Christmas crafts that we recently did with families at church. Enjoy!

Dressing up as characters from the Christmas story is so much fun, for both kids and adults. Here are a few simple projects that will make you into angels, sheep and shepherds!


An angel halo can be made with wire star trim/garland, but to make it extra sparkly, add some regular tinsel or tinsel garland. Wrap it all up and be an angel!


This sheep hat is just strips of construction paper made into a headband with ear shapes stapled on. Cotton balls complete the look, and baaaa...you're a sheep!


Shape two pieces of tissue paper onto someone's head (it's easier to work with someone, rather than placing it on your own head). Then wrap some masking tape around the head, and now you're a shepherd!

Special thanks to Anders for modeling the sheep and shepherd. We would have made him an angel too, but thought that might be going a little far...

Learn About Christmas Around the World!

We love, love, love to look at Christmas decorations, especially the ones at the Museum of Science and Industry. They have trees up from countries all around the world, as well as some display cases. You learn a lot of interesting things, and we've even been known to try out some traditional Ethnic Christmas dinners. Yesterday we learned of The Smallest Camel, a legend in Syria which says that gifts are delivered by the smallest camel of the Wise Men. Who knew?

Print Christmas Ornaments!

Mollie made these little printable ornaments for on her blog, Wild Olive, and we wanted to share them here too. You just print, trim, and hang them! Or, for acting out the Christmas story, attach the cut out people to popsicle sticks to make little puppets!

Download the Nativity Ornaments

Listen to Christmas Music!

Around our house, there are some rather varied tastes when it comes to music. Especially Christmas music! People are always switching the tunes, and here are a few of our favorites...

Mom: Christmas Memories by Evie (we still have this on cassette only!)

Dad: Christmas Through Your Eyes by Gloria Estefan

Mollie: Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens

Anna: Swing Bells! by The Glad Singers

Anders: Holiday Spirits by Straight No Chaser

The three youngest in the family haven't started weighing in yet, but it's only a matter of time before we'll be adding to the list!

What are your Christmas favorites?

Tag Your Gifts!

It may be a little early for wrapping, unless you're like a certain mom in this family, who likes everything to be wrapped before Thanksgiving. (This has resulted in needing to unwrap presents for price adjustments and/or exchanges as little people change their minds...)



Anyway, I whipped up some little printable tags today to share with you! Download the PDF, then trim the rectangles. Fold them in half and punch a hole on the gray dot. Loop some string through the hole and you're all set!

Make a Nativity!

There are lots of ways that you can make a little Nativity scene. Some are simple and some are much more complex. This one is really easy. We based our design on this spool Nativity, but used slightly different materials.



The bodies are just doll pegs in two sizes (we got them at Hobby Lobby). They are wrapped in scraps of cloth and secured with a bit of hot glue. Mary and Joseph have head coverings that are glued to their heads, and Joseph has a ribbon tie. Super simple! (Though not quite as simple as this set.)

The faces are left blank, because we rather like that aesthetic, but you could easily paint faces on.

Have fun!