Our Countdown to Christmas

I’m so excited to start our Christmas countdown this weekend.

With the new baby due in a couple weeks, I wanted to get everything prepped and done.  I didn’t want to miss out on this time to focus on the birth of Jesus because of an infant in the house.

I am truly grateful for some great resources that have help me to make it all possible without having to spend a lot of time getting it all planned and put together.  Truth in the Tinsel, What’s in the Bible and Grapevine Studies provided all the tools I needed.  All I had to do was print, cut and organize it.

As you can see from the calendar above, I’m not doing everything.  I’ve mixed and match parts because there were elements of each that I loved.

For example, I loved that What’s in the Bible? – Everyday Emmanuel focuses on the traditional advent activities, which incorporates the Advent Wreath.  Not only that, but I also love how it tackles some big questions about Christmas by providing online videos for us to watch.  And lastly, I love the simple family activities that inspire just being together as a family.

Since we are incorporating Everyday Emmanuel I’ve decided to use the 12 day alternate schedule from Truth in the Tinsel.   We did Truth in the Tinsel last year and I absolutely loved “the Talk” and “More” sections.  But instead of doing the crafts, I’ve decided to just use the new printable ornaments.  Talk about making things SIMPLE!

To really help my son retain the bible stories I’ll be using Grapevine Studies: Beginner Birth of Jesus.  By incorporating this my son will not only be hearing the word, but he will be seeing it through the my stick figuring as well as creating it with his own hands.  And research says that you can enhance your ability to learn and remember by incorporating as many senses as possible.

Most importantly I love that we will be able to learn about Jesus even when were at the hospital!