If we can agree that every Sunday should be a party, some Sundays are even more so!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS PARTY!
Christmas Eve morning there will be one service with multiple services that same Sunday evening. Wanting to make the morning special with my kids, we’ll ‘go tell it on the mountain.’ We worship and serve a God of celebration, so let’s do this!

Immediately after the children’s moment in the one service, we will enjoy birthday cake (picked up from BJ’s), party hats and horns (picked up from Dollar Tree), play ‘decorate the Christmas tree’ by wrapping little people with green crepe paper with a bow on top (picked up from Dollar Tree), and making megaphones from paper cups. The kids will decorate their own cups with stickers and such, use a sparkly pipe cleaner, and go around making noise like nobody’s business. Jesus being born is worth making some noise about! Our lesson will be on The Great Commission as we heard the shepherds did just that (Luke 2:20). Go and tell…go and tell!

PAJAMA, POP TARTS & PRAISE PARTY!
New Year’s Eve morning we will be back to regular programming, but Sunday school will be a large group celebration since the volunteer base will be lower than usual. AND it gives my weekly faithful Sunday school teachers a break from Ur (usual routine).

Wearing our pajamas to church, eating from a plethora of pop tarts, we will also decorate snowman cookies and play in snow. All to celebrate how Jesus loves us SNOW much! We will cut paper snow flakes and use cars, trucks, spoons, and more in tubs of fake snow. Oh, and we’ll sing and dance!  These are just a couple of our favorite dance praise songs:

What are your favorite praise dance songs?

By the way, the winner of Glenys Nellist’s new book ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas (blog giveaway) is Misty Dolph. Misty is a preschool worship leader at West Cobb Church and a preschool teacher! Thank you and Merry Christmas to everyone who commented.

“They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Psalm 145:7

The goal of the first Christmas Party at my new church was to offer a sticky (excuse the pun) faith formation experience with the children and their families where we serve one another and take a break to play together. When we play together we learn we belong together. Between the games and the food, we accomplished our goal.

Using tacky sweater stickers from Oriental Trading, the photo backdrop from the Preschool’s Breakfast with Santa, and the chance to decorate their own small Christmas tree cookies (tea cakes recipe) with squeezable icing, there was more than enough to do with families lingering as long as they wish in each station.

These were the station signs:

Christmas Card Station: We are so glad the witnesses to Jesus’ birth told the story and someone wrote it down for us to know and to have in the Bible. Who do you think it was that told about what they had seen? Write a Christmas card to someone special. Tell about your family and what’s going on in your life. Then sign it, take it home and your parents can write the address on the envelope to mail this week. (Gel pens, various blank Christmas cards.)

Guessing Station: There were so many people in Bethlehem that Mary & Joseph couldn’t find a room at any inn in Bethlehem. Yet when the baby was born, they knew what to name him: Jesus. Jesus is the sweetest name we know! Write your name on the line and guess how many pieces of candy are in each jar. (One jar filled with miniature candy bars, one jar with skittles, and another jar with starbursts.)

Voting for Tacky Christmas Tshirt or Sweater: Funniest, Largest, Scariest, Clever, Most Original, Most disturbing.

Census Station: Mary & Joseph went to Bethlehem because they had to take a census. A census is an official count or survey of a group of people giving details about the people. Please take this census as a family (I don’t remember where I got the questions, but these are fabulous)…

Game Station: What is your favorite card game and how did you learn to play? Choose a game, find a place to play, and invite others to join you to join in the fun. (UNO, regular deck of cards, Pass the Sweater Game)

Chili Fritos Station: What is your favorite Christmas food? Comfort food is food that makes you feel good and reminds you of people and celebrations that make you feel good. Celebrations like Christmas always have special foods that make the season so very special. (Chili, Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, bowls, spoons).

Coloring Station: What’s your favorite Christmas color? Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus colors our life brighter when we follow Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our love, all our minds, and love our neighbors as ourselves? (Enlarge multiple ornament coloring sheets.)

Hot Cocoa Bar: Knowing Jesus came to earth to show us how much God loves us makes us all warm and fuzzy inside! (Candy canes, Swiss Miss in a crockpot, marshmallows, spoons, etc.)

Gingerbread Nativities: Why is the frosting so important to this station? Just like we needed frosting (aka meringue powder found at Michael’s) to hold the nativity together, we need Jesus to hold our lives together. He came at Christmas to be born for us so we can be saved from a life of sin and selfishness. At Easter Jesus died on the cross to forgive us our sins and selfishness so we can have a forever friendship with Jesus and one another both here on earth and in heaven. That’s a reason to celebrate! Where were you born?

Nativity Craft Station: What happened on the day you were born? Jesus was placed in a manger by Mary & Joseph because there was no room in any inn in Bethlehem. Enjoy making a manger for your family to take home. Use the model as an example, but change it up as you see fit. (Lots of ways to do this station based on what is already in your storage/supply room. Pinterest it!)

Minute to Win It cup games made for a hilarious way to close out the night and even the youngest siblings could play with inexpensive, yet colorful props for photos. We had a ball! A home-school mom even asked to borrow much of what we put together for this event for her home-school group. I considered her asking as the ultimate compliment.

“Sing to Him a new song! Play your best with joyful shouts!” Psalm 33:3 CEB

We’re going to Bethlehem…Bethlehem, Georgia, that is! At our October children’s ministry networking luncheon, Kate suggested we partner with one another and take older elementary students to Bethlehem for Christmas. Bethlehem United Methodist Church presents a live nativity in downtown Bethlehem each year, so we are travelling to Bethlehem on the Friday before Christmas!

Each church has promoted it among their own, secured or are sharing transportation, picked up glow necklaces, and ordered tshirts for everyone: Christmas green with white print…United Methodist Church logo of cross and flame on the front pocket…”Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:15 on the back. We wanted something that could be worn beyond the Advent season.

The plan is to leave our churches early Friday afternoon and meet up at Fort Yargo State Park just outside of Bethlehem, Georgia for hiking, playing, snacks, and putt putt golf. $60 reserved a covered pavilion to share with $5 parking per vehicle. This gave us a great first destination to meet up not knowing what holiday traffic in Atlanta would look like.

After contacting the fabulous Children’s Ministry Lead there, we have all been invited for a hotdog dinner at the beautiful Bethlehem United Methodist Church. We’ll play get-acquainted games, share some table-life, then all head to the live nativity together for the 7pm presentation.

With Chick-Fil-A around the corner, the plan is to stop for ice cream before heading home.

I love the creative connection of our Children’s Ministry teams! Ever been to Bethlehem for Christmas?

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:15

Ever gotten your hands on a book with so many possibilities it got hold of your heart? Well, that’s exactly what happened the first time I laid eyes on Glenys Nellist’s new book ’Twas The Evening of Christmas. Glenys Nellist, an English gal engaged in fabulous ministry with children in Michigan, is a grandmother, a mom to four young men, and Coordinator of Children’s Ministry for the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church. Glenys has written several children’s books based on scripture. Her books fill my shelves because her words in rhyme make the Bible sing.

A poem published anonymously in 1823 as A Visit From St. Nicholas, is affectionately known by it’s first line, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. In 1837, Clement Clarke Moore claimed ownership. Glenys wrote the birth story of Jesus with this cadence and rhythm. She has a true gift of poetry, especially using child-friendly phrases that children (and I) love.

I got my hands on this book in October, just as I was planning the Kids and Candles Christmas Eve service. The very next day I was joining a team of long-time children’s ministry folk and the book made its way around the table in no time. Since then, several of us have collaborated on the many ways we’ve incorporated it into our advent events and Christmas Eve.

Glenys shared 3 of her top ideas to use ‘Twas The Evening of Christmas in the classroom is 1) Students act out the story as a narrator reads, 2) Read aloud in a service with images shown on the big screen (permission can be obtained from Zonderkidz), and 3) Make it interactive by reading each stanza, but omit the last word and have kids fill in the missing rhyme. We are doing #2 with a spontaneous nativity as children come forward with various headpieces as shepherds, angels, stable animals on Christmas Eve. I shared the story at our Preschool last week as the Mystery Reader with idea #3. The children LOVED it!

Elena Selivanova has illustrated this book with great beauty and uncluttered images. The focus is on the baby and isn’t that the way it should be? I especially loved the way Elena depicts Mary always looking at Baby Jesus and the eyes of the shepherds as the angels come to bring the good news of His birth.

I’ve already ordered several copies TWICE, and am giving them as gifts this season. What’s next? Glenys will be adding to her Love Letter series with Easter Love Letters From God to be published January 30th. Just in time for Lent! This latest book in the Love Letter series has seven stories with seven lift-the-flap love letters from God, beginning with the ride into Jerusalem and ending with the resurrection.

I’m thrilled to share as part of this blog post, Zondervan is providing a free book giveaway of ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas! Comment below with your favorite part of the Christmas story and you’ll be entered to win. The winner will be announced next week! (This giveaway is open to residents of the USA only, who have a physical street address…no PO boxes).

“As Mary and Joseph got ready for bed, they snuggled their baby and kissed his sweet head.” – Glenys Nellist, ‘Twas The Evening Of Christmas

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

Little people can make the traditional Christmas season gingerbread house OR we can get our “Jesus is the reason for the season” on and do a little something different: edible nativities aka gingerbread nativities.

The base is important, so line a deep-dish paper plate with foil to keep the ‘hay’ in place.

Prepare the stable using the graham crackers and the frosting onto the foil-lined plate using craft sticks. Be generous with the frosting and it should harden well for the little people to continue to decorate without fear the thing will collapse. In my new church, I have a dear friend who is helping me set up with homemade, edible ‘paste’ after church, but before the grand event this week.

Must-haves for decorating: M&Ms/Skittles (pop of color), pretzel sticks, animal crackers, and the Pepperidge Farm People cookies (found ours at Publix). Leftover candy from the fall festival is good place to start. This year I’ll also pick up fruit tape and chocolate chips, raisins, and anything else that would make for a fun stable. When all the decorating is finished, top it off with a good crunching of a Shredded Wheat bar over it all for hay. Then all goes home in a 2.5-gallon Ziploc bag.

Christmas Bible Question: According to the Bible, what animals were in the stable the night Jesus was born? Answer: No animals are listed in Luke 2.

This station will be one part of our Kids Family Christmas Party this Sunday.  There will be chili Fritos, T-shirt shaped Christmas cookies, games, and a tacky Christmas T-shirt/Sweater contest.

“You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” Psalm 128:2