Today Lydia looked at her calendar and said, “Mommy! I can’t believe how fast the days have gone. It’s almost Christmas!” You don’t usually hear that from a kid! But it does feel that way. This month has gone by quickly–I can’t believe Christmas will be here in just days!

There are really just 3 days in this advent week. So, here are the 3 (or so) activities we’ll be doing:

1. Candle & Peace

I’m excited about introducing the word “peace”.  There are several verses I want to read to help explain this sometimes misunderstood word:

Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Luke 2:8-15 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

I love that Jesus came to earth as a baby to give us REAL peace and this His peace will rule and reign forever. What a gorgeous picture!

To help us understand what “peace” is we’re going to do a little tactile learning after lighting our candle. I’m going to ask them what things make them feel peaceful (a warm blanket, cup of milk, hugs, etc.) and then we’ll just do all those things–snuggle, hug, listen to music or whatever they suggest. Then I’ll ask them to imagine an even greater peace than that. A better “feeling” if you will. I hope it will help them understand that the peace Jesus brings isn’t just for the world at large but for their own hearts. {And you know what? I don’t really have time to snuggle and drink milk this week…but isn’t that just what we need to show? Some real peace in the middle of the last-minute Christmas prep?!}

2. Candy Cane

We’ll be “redeeming” the candy cane this week. I finally broke down and bought The Legend of the Candy Canea few weeks ago. Of course, then J Is for Jesusbook surprised me at church last Sunday and now I have TWO candy cane books! Anyway, we’re going to read the book, talk about the different lessons we can learn–and the things we can remember when looking at a Candy Cane.

I found this amazing Candy Cane lapbook based on the Legend of the Candy Cane–lots of fun stuff for homeschooling, but if you could use the ideas individually, too. Also, I hope we have time to make this fun Candy Cane button craft. I love button crafts. So cute!

3. Charlie Brown Christmas

We’ll be watching this movie because I think it epitomizes the world’s peace problem. Yup. World Peace could be fixed with Charlie Brown! The problem is that everyone does get so caught up in [insert their problem here], that Christmas ends up being the commercialized mess Charlie Brown dreads. And the only fix is the peace that Jesus’ birth and life brings.

I know my kids won’t understand all THAT. But I do want them to see that Christmas is a time to calm down and reflect on Jesus and his birth. To focus on the PEACE he brings.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our Advent Activities this year! I’d love to hear from you if you did any of these activities with your kids. Let me know how they went or how you improved upon them!

Here’s your printable supply list with free downloads!

Merry Christmas!

Merriam Webster defines peace as a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; harmony…  Jehovah-shalom means “the God of peace.” God could never give to others a peace that exceeds understanding if He Himself were not perfect, unfailing peace.

Judges 6:22-24

When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.”  The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.”  Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Isaiah 9:6
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

“Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions” – we pray for God’s peace each time the boys awake with nightmares, each time they see something scary… and a dove has long been a symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit – God’s Indwelling Spirit that gives us His peace!

Thank you, Lord, for Your Peace!

We made the peach pit necklaces I linked to this week! They were easy and fun. We made so many we decided to give them to all the girls in my family (2 aunts, 1 cousin and 1 grandmama) at a little family birthday shin-dig. Here’s my mom (the aforementioned Grandmama) and Lydia sporting their “fruit of the spirit” necklaces!

Hmmm, kinda hard to see, huh? Well. here’s Lydia’s bunny, Flopsy rockin’ a peach and strawberry Fruit of the Spirit necklace...

Aren’t they adorable? And so easy: just a little paint, some green craft foam, ribbon and a hot glue gun! I might have to go buy some more peaches so we can add to our collection.

They are so colorful and fun–I think they’d look good in any color–not really matching a specific fruit. You could even glue them to other things: hair clips, clothespins, ribbon bookmarks, picture frames and more! They are so yummy I want to eat them.

Kinda.

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!