Day 18 Advent Candle: Light the first two candles and then the Shepherds' Candle. Bible Verses Isaiah 61:1-3,10-11 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise To spring up before all the nations. (NASB) The subheading in my Bible for chapter 61 of Isaiah says "Advents of the Messiah". This chapter speaks of both comings of the Lord and how He comes as a liberator to those who are prisoners--both actual and spiritual! Article/Devotion Isaiah 61 Listen to a contemporary artist, Matt Maher, sing Isaiah 61. Peggie's Place Christmas Devotionals These are short, encouraging messages--pick one! Dinnertime (or anytime!) Discussion Even though Jesus is the source of all joy for Christians, He still wants us to CHOOSE "gladness instead of mourning" and an attitude of praise instead of "fainting" (or despair). Think of what a difficult daily choice it must have been for those who were waiting for the Messiah all those many years! What are some of the choices that we often face and how do you make sure you choose the right way? (For example, especially at Christmas, we have the choice to be greedy for "stuff" and be depressed or angry that we don't have enough...OR...we can choose joy and contentment for what God HAS given us.) Word to Know Exult: Properly, to leap for joy; hence, to rejoice in triumph; to rejoice exceedingly, at success or victory; to be glad above measure; to triumph. Note that this is a different word than "exalt" which means: 1. To raise high; to elevate. 2. To elevate in power, wealth, rank or dignity; as, to exalt one to a throne, to the chief magistracy, to a bishopric. 3. To elevate with joy or confidence; as, to be exalted with success or victory. [We now use elate.] 4. To raise with pride; to make undue pretensions to power, rank or estimation; to elevate too high or above others. He that exalteth himself shall be abased. Luke 14. Matt.23. 5. To elevate in estimation and praise; to magnify; to praise; to extol. He is my father's God, and I will exalt him. Ex. 15. 6. To raise, as the voice; to raise in opposition. 2 Kings 19. 7. To elevate in diction or sentiment; to make sublime; as exalted strains. 8. In physics, to elevate; to purify; to subtilize; to refine; as, to exalt the juices or the qualities of bodies. Both definitions from Webster's 1828 Dictionary Book Suggestion The Real Story of St. Nicholas A brief article about the real "Santa". Saint Nicholas This is a lengthier, just-the-facts, ma'am article about the true Saint Nick. Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer. (There are many storybooks that tell the same legends of the real Saint Nicholas, this is just one.) *If you do NOT want to read anything about Saint Nicholas/Santa at your house--and even if you do--check out this GREAT site with holiday stories, both classic and new, to read online! Christmas Potpourri--Holiday Etexts Advent Extras Art "Downhill Daring" by Norman Rockwell (1949) Norman Rockwell always wanted to be an artist. At the tender age of 14, in 1908, he began classes at the New York School of Art. He soon went on to the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League. He was both painter and illustrator, preferring the latter because it was more suited to his "storytelling" technique. His work was highly influential in the branching out of illustration from the realm of fine art painting. By age 16, he had already painted four Christmas cards and as a teen he became the art director for the Boy Scout magazine Boys's Life. At 22, he was living in New Rochelle, New York and shared a studio with cartoonist Clyde Forsythe. That year, 1916, Rockwell painted his first of 321 covers for The Saturday Evening Post. He considered it the best showcase for his work about the common man in America. Norman Rockwell enjoyed success for his entire artistic career. But he suffered a blow when a fire in his studio destroyed many of his pieces and his collection of historical costumes and props which he used in his paintings and illustrations. He eventually moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts where he died at the age of 84 in 1978. That is where the Norman Rockwell Museum is located. Be sure to visit this site! Check out the Eye Openers pages for a walk-through of some of his work and see the Education section as well. I enjoy this quote from Norman Rockwell because it sums up his work so nicely: "Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed." For a wonderful selection of his Christmas artwork, be sure to check out the book A Norman Rockwell Christmas by Margaret Rockwell. Norman Rockwell Prints Here, you can look at many of Rockwell's illustrations! Christmas Carol or Hymn Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas This upbeat Christmas carol was introduced to the world by Judy Garland in the 1944 film Meet Me in Saint Louis. Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane were busy songwriters during the golden age of Hollywood. They composed songs for classic musicals like Girl Crazy and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. They were called on to write a song for Judy Garland's character in Meet Me in Saint Louis which would reflect the tender but sad moment between sisters who were moving to Saint Louis, leaving love behind. The original beginning says, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas; it may be your last; next year we will be living in the past." And the last lines read, "Someday soon we all will be together; If the Fates allow; Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow; So have yourself a merry little Christmas now." Meet Me in Saint Louis was a film produced during the end of World War II and was to be Judy Garland's "break out" role that transformed her from a child star to an adult actress in the eyes of her fans. She spent a few years prior to the making of the movie visiting with and entertaining troops. She considered it an honor to boost the morale of the young men fighting for their country. So, when songwriters Martin and Blane approached her with the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", she turned it down flat! The lyrics, she said, were too dismal and the nation needed to hear something more positive! They agreed and the version we know and love today is what they produced for Judy Garland. Later that year, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was released as a single. The world came to know and love this Christmas carol as a song of hope for the soldiers who longed to come home and for the Christmas joy families once shared to return as well. Holiday Tradition & History Saint Nicholas, Santa (see the links under the Book Suggestion section!) Santa Through the Ages 'Round the World at Christmas NORAD Tracks Santa A fun site that "tracks" Santa as he makes his deliveries around the world. Holland The Christmas season in Holland, where the legendary Santa Claus comes from, begins in early December on the eve of the true St. Nicholas's day. Many families in Holland, or the Netherlands as it is also called, will celebrate Christmas twice: once on St. Nicholas Day on December 6th and on December 25th to celebrate Christ's birth. Most families get their Christmas trees in late November to be sure that it is decorated and ready for the arrival of "Sinterklaas" on December 6th. Because homes can be very small in this densely populated country, many people have begun leasing a Christmas tree from local garden centers! They lease a tree with its roots still intact and then after the holidays it is returned to the garden center to be replanted or sold. In the windows of many homes can be found the "Advent Star" which is a 3-dimensional star light. On Sinterklaas Eve, children will attend special parties where they play treasure hunt games and have sweet treats. Often they will give surprise presents in a "secret Santa" type of swap to their friends, usually gifts that are suited to the friend's hobbies or other interests. When they are home with their families that evening, children leave their shoes or clogs out to be filled with presents and also leave hay and carrots for Sinterklaas' horse. Farmers in certain areas of Holland blow their long, wooden horns each evening in a special Advent ceremony to announce the coming of the Christ child. (Think the Alpenhorn of the Ricola commercials!) Sinterklaas is a serious tradition in Holland! Children have believed for years that he lives in Spain with his special helper, "Black Pete"--"black" because he is a Moor and has a dark complexion!--who records in great detail every child's behavior for the year. Sinterklaas is dressed in his bishop's robes and rides a white horse. Children really believe in the gift-giver and know that when he uses several helpers who dress like him and can attend the St. Nicholas day processions around the country. After all, Sinterklaas can't be in two places at once, right? ;o) The men who act as his assistants during the traditional procession will wear "blackface" to imitate Black Pete (not exactly PC, huh?). On December 6th, Sinterklaas arrives by steam boat to nearly every major port in Holland and most other cities, too. The main celebration is in Amsterdam where he rides on his white horse in a huge procession. As he rides along, children swarm the streets to see him and he will ask them about their behavior and may even ask them to recite Bible verses! Sinterklaas is known to make appearances at individual homes as well...his body double, I mean! Hehe. Everyone opens their gifts and has a special meal. Then, Christmas Eve arrives on the 24th! Christian families will go to an evening church service and everyone wraps their gifts for one another. They enjoy wrapping them in funny ways or adding jokes or rhymes to the package and hiding them around the home. Children hang their stockings like they do in America, but in Holland they do it because of a traditional story. The legend goes that a very poor widower could not give his daughter any gifts for Christmas and when Sinterklaas arrived at their home, he took pity on them and left a bag of gold in the girls stockings which were hanging at the fireplace to dry. On Christmas morning, the family will have a breakfast of "kerststol", a white bread filled with raisins and candied fruit with a sugar glaze on top, and other favorite family dishes. Children open their gifts which are usually only small items because they have received most of their goodies on St. Nicholas Day! At noon, the family stands around table for 3 minutes of total silence to pray or meditate on the meaning of Christmas before starting their meal. Sometimes on December 26th, families will have a 2nd (or technically 3rd!) Christmas when they travel to see family that lives far away. Coloring Pages, Cooking and Crafts Printable Christmas Activity Sheets From BiblePlanet.com Holiday Designs from LadiesInRed.org, you can use these as templates or for coloring. Michael's Crafts We don't have a theme today so here is a good selection of craft projects if you're itching for something to do! Don't forget that Michael's stores have very low-cost craft projects for kids all year long and these are great for homeschoolers! Pepernoten You can make the crunchy, spicy cookies that Sinterklaas and Black Pete hand out to the children of Holland! 2 1/2 cups (300 g) flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup (75 g) brown sugar 1 egg yolk 4 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves pinch of salt 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds (optional) Knead all ingredients into a soft ball. Butter two baking sheets. Form about 50 marble-sized balls. Place them on the two sheets, so that they are the same distance from each other. Flatten each ball slightly. Bake at 350º F. (175º C) 20 minutes or until done. The cookies will be very hard, but they will get softer as they get older. Christmas Fun! A Christmas Carol...performed by guinea pigs. Don't ask, just watch. LOL! Monkey's Christmas Learn about Christmas with a cute stuffed animal (A monkey? Not sure...) as he travels and shares fun times in his stuffed life. LOL There are more interesting pages of Monkey doing all sorts of things like cooking, making crafts, meeting people from around the world, etc. And now for something less silly! Here is a nice poem for the Advent season. 'Twas the Beginning of Advent by J. Todd Jenkins 'Twas the beginning of Advent and all through the Church Our hope was all dying-- we'd given up on the search. It wasn't so much that Christ wasn't invited, But after 2,000 plus years we were no longer excited. Oh, we knew what was coming-- no doubt about that. And that was the trouble-- it was all "old hat." November brought the first of an unending series of pains With carefully orchestrated advertising campaigns. There were gadgets and dolls and all sorts of toys. Enough to seduce even the most devout girls and boys. Unfortunately, it seemed, no one was completely exempt From this seasonal virus that did all of us tempt. The priests and prophets and certainly the kings Were all so consumed with the desire for "things!" It was rare, if at all, that you'd hear of the reason For the origin of this whole holy-day season. A baby, it seems, once had been born In the mid-east somewhere on that first holy-day morn. But what does that mean for folks like us, Who've lost ourselves in the hoopla and fuss? Can we re-learn the art of wondering and waiting, Of hoping and praying, and anticipating? Can we let go of all the things and the stuff? Can we open our hands and our hearts long enough? Can we open our eyes and open our ears? Can we find him again after all of these years? Will this year be different from all the rest? Will we be able to offer him all of our best? So many questions, unanswered thus far, As wisemen seeking the home of the star. Where do we begin-- how do we start To make for the child a place in our heart? Perhaps we begin by letting go Of our limits on hope, and of the stuff that we know. Let go of the shopping, of the chaos and fuss, Let go of the searching, let Christmas find us. We open our hearts, our hands and our eyes, To see the king coming in our own neighbors' cries. We look without seeking what we think we've earned, But rather we're looking for relationships spurned. With him he brings wholeness and newness of life For brother and sister, for husband and wife. The Christ-child comes not by our skill, But rather he comes by his own Father's will. We can't make him come with parties and bright trees, But only by getting down on our knees. He'll come if we wait amidst our affliction, Coming in spite of, not by our restriction. His coming will happen-- of this there's no doubt. The question is whether we'll be in or out. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Do you have the courage to peer through the lock? A basket on your porch, a child in your reach. A baby to love, to feed and to teach. He'll grow in wisdom as God's only Son. How far will we follow this radical one? He'll lead us to challenge the way that things are. He'll lead us to follow a single bright star. But that will come later if we're still around. The question for now: Is the child to be found? Can we block out commercials, the hype and the malls? Can we find solitude in our holy halls? Can we keep alert, keep hope, stay awake? Can we receive the child for ours and God's sake? From on high with the caroling host as he sees us, He yearns to read on our lips the prayer: Come Lord Jesus! As Advent begins all these questions make plea. The only true answer: We will see, we will see. Home Holiday Preparations Today's Tips: *Make sure that you are keeping your Christmas cards organized and/or displayed as they come in! *Don't forget to organize your OTHER mail and be sure to pay bills on time before Christmas if necessary. Movie Time The Year Without a Santa Claus I LOVE this goofy animated movie. My Christmas season is not complete if I don't hear those songs by the Heat Miser and Snow Miser. It'll be on television along with those other "animated" (can we still call them that? LOL) specials with Rudolph and Frosty. Home | Contact teachingmom 3.0    ©2003-2007 teachingmom.com All rights reserved. *Copies for personal home use permitted, however no part of the TeachingMOM Advent Calendar may be reproduced on the web or sold in any format. Permissions were personally granted, as necessary, for the use of images, articles, and book excerpts found within this portion of our website. Thank you.