THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS.....

Tonight is the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas. We have several yearly traditions that we do for each night counting down to Christmas. First, we hang a traditional Christmas ornament on the tree and we discuss the meaning behind it and what the symbol truly represents at Christmastime. Next we do a family craft/activity, then we open the treat hidden in the advent calendar and we all gather around the Christmas tree and read a Christmas story by candlelight. Tonight, we hung the Snowflake ornament.

The Snowflake represents Individuality. We talked about how each of us have been created by Heavenly Father to be unique, different and special in our own way, just as each snowflake is different. Each of us have been born with specific talents, and strengths, and each of us have a purpose on this earth. After we talked about the meaning of the Snowflake, we made many different snowflakes and hung them on the patio door.
Once they were up, it was easy for the boys to see that no two snowflakes were the same. Every one we made may have started out the same size, but as we opened them, they saw that as we cut and shaped them, each once had a unique and distinct pattern. Next, we colored some snowflakes. Here are Logan's snowflakes. He made them each a little different as well.
After we finished the snowflakes, we opened our treats from the advent calendar and we all sat down by candlelight to read
The Little Match Girl.

Half way through the story, I had the boys take off their socks and we stepped outside and walked around in the dark on the cold patio. I asked them to imagine a life where they had no shoes, or coat, or warm house to live in. After five minutes, we happily returned to the warmth and comfort of our cozy living room. Although the story of the Little Match Girl is sad, there are two beautiful lessons in this story. The first is to recognize all our blessings and to be grateful for what we have. The second lesson is that families are forever and there is most definitely a life after our earthly existence. As Hans Christian Andersen says, "She lifted the little girl up in her arms, and they soared in a halo of light and joy, far, far above the earth, where there was no more cold, no hunger, and no pain-for they were with God."