I'm Thankful for Christmas

I love the Christmas songs and the season never lasts long enough - for me, anyway. 

Choose some songs familiar to the children - I'm using all Christmas songs.  Don't forget to try some Christmas hymns from the Hymn Book - "Silent Night," "Joy to the World," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and others the children might be familiar with.  Print the titles on strips of paper.  Cut out shapes of Christmas ornaments from colored paper or use real ornaments.  Tape the strips of paper on the back or bottom or the ornaments.  Tie a long piece of ribbon (yarn, string, curling ribbon) about 3 feet long onto each ornament.  Hang them from the top of the board so they dangle down. 

Tell the children that the greatest gift God gave us was His son.  Christmas is a time to celebrate His birth and to be grateful for for His life.  Ask the children to think of something that they are thankful for this past week.  Choose a child to share their thoughts and then have them choose an ornament.  Sing the song.  After the song, you could ask what in the song could we be thankful for, or continue choosing a child to share their thoughts and then picking an ornament.

Some ideas could be: getting together as families, quiet times with family, giving a special gift to someone, enjoying special holiday foods or family dinners.

Christmas Nativity

The Christmas songs in the Primary Songbook tell the story of the nativity so beautifully.  Without "lavish" costumes, you can have a "nativity" scene for each song that you choose.  Here are a few ideas for a fun activity this week or next week.  I have done it both weeks with different songs.  The children love it!

One example:

• Samuel Tell of the Baby Jesus p. 26
• Samuel stands as if on a wall
• Mary holds a doll  of to the side as if in a vision
• When Joseph Went to Bethlehem  p. 38
• Joseph acts out the words while the children sing
• Mary walks with Joseph
• Joseph sits beside Mary as she holds baby Jesus. He smooths the baby's blanket
•  Joseph turns down the lamp (acts this out) then holds the baby
• Away in a Manger  p. 42
• Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus act out the words as the children sing
• Picture a Christmas  p. 50
•  Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus sit to the side.  Angel stands behind.  A child holds up a star behind them.  two or three shepherds kneel close by.
• Stage a family (using the children) as if having a family home evening talking about the nativity
• Sing both verses

Substitute songs that the children know.  Choose different children for each song.