I have a present for you. OK, kind of a present.

I organized all our past Christmas posts and ideas into one big spot! Now you will be able to easily see (and click) our Christmas crafts, book and movie reviews, gift guides, traditions, parties, our thoughts on Santa and even our past Advent ideas–all at once glance! It makes me happy just looking at it. Kind of like our personalized Impress Your Kids Christmas Pinterest Board. (Whoa. How’s that for a title?)

I put a button up in the sidebar or you can click this one to see it in it’s Christmasy goodness…

Enjoy!

We’re home! Home from a Christmas-y Disney vacation. And it was SO fun. Disney is, of course, always fun to me. But my kids are at just the right ages to love and be mesmerized by everything. Oh, there were meltdowns and lack of sleep and too much sugar, for sure. But still, lots of fun! Our Truth in the Tinsel experience so far has been slightly abbreviated since we were in a hotel room but the kids have still loved it! We did it every night after a full day in the parks and it was super fun.

{our ornaments, hung on the back of our hotel door!}All week I’ve received emails and direct messages and facebook updates from people who are using and loving Truth in the Tinsel. Two different missionaries have offered to translate the book in their country’s native language, one mom asked to create craft supply kits for you to buy (to save you from a trip to the craft store!), churches have asked if they can use it as their ministry’s curriculum and parents from all over are saying things like, “I can’t believe how much my kid retains from day to day! He’s really getting it!” I even got an email from a mom who’s Mother-in-Law bought the book to do BY HERSELF because as a new Christian, she felt she needed the basics of the Christmas story! How cool is that?!

This has nothing to do with how great Truth in the Tinsel is, but how GREAT and ALIVE God’s Word is! When we sit down with our kids and actively read Scripture with them, things happen–spiritual things! If you haven’t started Truth in the Tinsel yet, I really encourage challenge you to buy a copy and set aside the next 12 days to impress Gods’ greatest gift on your kids’ heart!

And in honor of well, people who wait to the last minute (like me!) and those who have good intentions but then forget about them in lieu of real life (like me!) and people who like a good deal (me! me!), I’m putting Truth in the Tinsel on sale for today only!

It’s the 12th day of December–we’re halfway through–only 12 more days left to spend some one on one time with your kids and the Bible. Use code 12DAYS to get 20% off the book! It expires tonight at midnight (ET!) so don’t wait!

And to sweeten the deal, I’ve created a special 12 Days Schedule just for you! (This will make a lot more sense after you buy the book…)

December 13th: Day 1 {Light}

14th: Day 4 {Gabriel}

15th: Day 5 {Mary}

16th: Day 9 {Joseph}

17th: Day 14 {Stable}

18th: Day 15 {Manger}

19th: Day 16 {Swaddling Clothes}

20th: Day 18 {Angels}

21st: Day 19 {Shepherds}

22nd: Day 21 {Star}

23rd: Day 22 {Wise Men}

24th: Day 24 {Cross}

If 12 days is still too much for you, don’t worry! I’ve got 4 alternate schedules in the back of the ebook–Just the Basics (with 6 activities), By Book of the Bible (6+ activities), Characters (10 activities) and Prophecy (7 activities). So, this can work for every busy Christmas schedule this year!

Plus, if you buy the book you’ll get to join in on all the fun of our Facebook page! You think I’m kidding but it is so cool–people from all over the world updating pictures and tips on their crafts and activities. My kids love scrolling through the pictures and recognizing a craft that looks like theirs. Plus, if you need  help or don’t understand something, you can ask a question and BOOM you have about 4000 people who can help you out! (OK, they don’t ALL respond, but still!)

Finally, I want to give a BIG shout-out to my friends Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife, Jenn from Mama Jenn, Jen from When You Rise, Jacquie from Echoing Him for moderating the Facebook page while I was gone! And to my Virtual Assistant, Ashley Pichea for answering eleventy-billion emails and jumping into the Facebook page, too. (If you ever need a Virtual Assistant, hire Ashley!!)

So, are you ready to find the truth in the tinsel? Ready to impress your kids this Christmas? If you’ve been using Truth in the Tinsel, I’d love to hear how you like it! Leave a comment below!

ps–if you’ve left me a Facebook message or sent me an email and I haven’t responded, I apologize! Some stuff may have been lost in the vacation shuffle. Please contact me again!

For Asa’s part of homeschooling, I’m taking a page from Five in a Row and reading the same book to him every single day for a week. Then we do activities based on that book. This week we’re doing one of my very favorite Christmas books, The Pine Tree Parableby Liz Curtis Higgs. I’ve blogged it about many times before (even made a video of it!) because it is so fabulous. It’s one of those Christmas books that isn’t technically about baby Jesus and the manger but still manages to get the entire real true story of Christmas in there without being trite or cheesy. I cry every single time I read it!

It’s the story of a Farmer’s wife who has a prized Christmas tree. Year after year, she doesn’t sell it. Until one day when a too-poor-too-even-buy-a-tree family comes to their farm. She suddenly realizes she has to give the tree to them. They don’t deserve it, they can’t afford it, but she gives it freely! (Are you catching the parable yet?) The ending says, “Yes, it was a sacrifice, but isn’t that what Christmas is all about?” Yes. Christmas is not really about a birthday party. It’s about a sacrifice–Jesus “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8)

Who knew all that could be in one little picture book, huh? I told you it was good!

Now, for a little glimpse into how we use a book like this in our homeschool, here are some of our “Christmas Tree School” activities from this week…

Asa loves puffballs. So, we have about 4billion of them. I filled up a tub with red, white and green puffballs. Then added a few plastic ornaments from Ikea.

The kids mainly like to pick them up with tongs or chopsticks. I think Asa must be trying to eat this one. Or maybe he’s being Rudolph?

Then I got out these cute Christmas tree muffins tins. So, I asked Asa to “decorate” the trees by putting puffballs in–either all one color, or different colors. I’ll admit, I added the yellow one on top.

I saw this cute Christmas tree ornament on Pinterest (of course) and wanted to do it but thought, “Ugh, I don’t want to get green paints out!” But lo and behold, when I went into my craft closet, I had green craft sticks! So, I quickly glued the sticks together and let Asa glue the buttons on. I usually squeeze white glue into a muffin cup and let him use a q-tip to apply it. He was really into this and did every bit of it by himself.

The last thing was this fun magnet game. He just puts the magnets on the circles. I thought it would be like he was decorating the tree. He didn’t get into it. But I still think it’s fun! (FYI: I made those puffball magnets with hot glue, the metal surface is a cookie sheet and I got the printable from 2 Teaching Mommies!)

Would you like to win a copy of The Pine Tree Parable for yourself? Tommy Nelson is giving one away today! It’s the oversized board book edition and it’s awesome. Just leave me a comment about your Christmas tree–real? fake? is it up yet? decorated? Whatever you’d like to share o tannenbaum!

ps–How’s Truth in the Tinsel coming along?

Tommy Nelson provided the book for giveaway. photo source: ian sane