12 Creative Ways to Make the Holidays Meaningful...Continued from page 2

IDEA #9: SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE

Tamara Willey writes, "Remember our military. We may not know right now where our troops will be come Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we do know that there are men and women serving so that we can have a restful, worshipful holiday. Consider sending care packages to service members who get no mail as well as those who are already on the prayer bulletin boards. Personal words of hope from Scripture, and especially notes from children and young people, healthy and fun snacks, and pictures from home to paste on their all-neutral brown tents or walls are especially appreciated. If you would like a reply, send a Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope (SASE) with it. Also let them know that you are dependably praying for whoever the recipient of that letter is: not just a one-time prayer, but prayer for him and his whole base and mission success and wisdom for leaders and relaxation of tension between service members. Kid-made items are also fun, like homemade picture frames or prayer bracelets. You can also send booklets that are made by Christian servicemen and women for service members to encourage their faith. You can find these at your local bookstore, but keep them positive and helpful and brief. Good wholesome literature or DVDs are welcome as well--adventure and humor are good choices."

IDEA #10: BALANCING SCHOOL AND LIFE

Many homeschoolers take creative approaches to balancing schoolwork with the extra scheduling demands of the holiday season. Melanie writes, "Some years we've taken one month off from our usual studies of history, science, and language arts (no breaks for math). I let my older children each pick a topic they want to research, read about, and then work on some related project we agree upon. For example, this year they each picked out a lapbooking project from www.handsofachild.com. These unit studies come with a study guide and learner-oriented directions. Other options for your child's unit study could be a head start on a 4-H project, a unit study on a period of history or a scientist, a hands-on building or handiwork project, or even a month's worth of culinary work (meal planning, shopping, and cooking for "home economics" credit). The individualized topics mean less involvement for mom at the busy time of year and more flexibility for the children as the hectic holiday calendar fills."

IDEA #11: SHARING THE REASON

"We try to take advantage of evangelistic opportunities this time of year," Cindy says. "Plates of homemade cookies are distributed to the neighbors annually, and the kids enjoy helping with this. Cookies are baked, packaged, and frozen for weeks before Christmas in anticipation of our Christmas Eve cookie distribution. Spreading the baking out over an extended period of time makes this project reasonable even during this busy time of year."

Melanie agrees that this is a good time of the year to share the gospel with others. "Reaching out evangelistically to neighbors is something we emphasize during the holidays. Many non-Christians, who have no apparent spiritual interest most of the year, seem to at least have some spiritual sensitivity at Christmas. We've prepared gift baskets of homemade cookies and a copy of a Christian film to deliver to neighbors. We've hosted a Jesus birthday party, complete with singing, a birthday cake, crafts, and someone sharing their salvation testimony." Melanie also shares this possibility: "We are involved with reaching out in Christian love to visiting international students from a nearby college all year long, so for us that may mean a couple extra guests at our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table. Most stateside students return home for the holidays, but due to cost and distance, that's not true for many foreign exchange students. Give your local college a call and ask for their Office of International Studies. Tell them you'd like to host a student for the holidays and see who the Lord may put in your path. It's missions without the travel!"

IDEA #12: THE ADVENT

Melissa writes, "We always read through one of Arnold Ytreeide's Advent stories (Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, or Tabitha's Travels) daily through the advent season. The children look forward to this time and begin asking weeks beforehand when we will begin."

Cindy adds, "The Christmas before my husband and I were married, my sister presented us with an advent calendar and a book called Family Celebrations by Ann Hibbard. The calendar is a large felt tree with spots to Velcro into place 24 felt ornaments, and the patterns for these things are contained in Hibbard's book. The ornaments have pictures to symbolize the names of Christ, the prophecies He fulfilled, the Christmas story, and the gospel message. The book gives suggestions for daily Bible reading, Bible memorization, and a Christmas hymn to sing that follow the theme of each ornament. We use this calendar December 1 through December 24 for our family devotions."

Whatever your family's traditions might be, try to take some time this year to slow down and enjoy some restful time together. In the midst of all that goes on at this time of year, let's do our best not to forget what we're really celebrating this holiday season.

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Jonathan Lewis is a homeschool graduate and enjoys working with his family on Home School Enrichment Magazine. In his spare time, Jonathan can be found reading, playing chess, and spending time with his family.

This article was originally published in the Nov/Dec '07 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. For more information, visit http://HomeSchoolEnrichment.com