Christmas visitor

So I found this great idea on pinterest and I had to make my own and share with the family.
This would be great for a Sunday School teacher or just for teaching about Christ at home. Thank you Latter-Day Homeschooling for the idea.

It's basically the idea that we are good throughout the year because of Jesus and not because we are wanting gifts from Santa. Jesus in our lives is the greatest gift of all and this project helps to demonstrate that.

I started with this picture of Christ that I found here. You can also find other pictures of Jesus in red and white by googling "Jesus/Christ in red robe", "Christ and children around the world". You just have to use a picture that has Christ in red and white for the full effect.

Then I found this picture of a door at deconstruct the girl blog. You can use any type of door, but I really liked the way the two doors opening looked after I said all the clues.

I then printed both pictures and cut through where the two doors close. Then I cut the tops of the door so they would lie flat, but open like doors when I pulled on the paper.

Then I took the door photo and placed it over the photo of Christ. I matched the pictures up so that you can see Him when the doors are opened.

Finally, I taped the photo of Christ onto the photo of the door. I will be making a more permanent display with wood for next Christmas so I can use this lesson for church and other teachable moments during Christmas time. (I will post those when I get there.)

And thanks to Tami Greene at Latter-Day Homeschooling, I used the clues below (with a few differences in the order of the clues.)

• He has spent his life giving to others
• He loves little children
• He gives us a wonderful, special warm feeling
• He has special, wonderful powers
• He can get into our homes even if the doors are locked
• He gives the very best gifts
• We want to give gifts back to him, but He doesn't need anything we could buy; He just wants us to give to other people
• He has a beard and a kind face
• He 's often pictured in red and/or white clothes
• He sees you when you're sleeping and He knows when you're awake.
• He knows if you've been bad or good.
• And He encourages us to be good so we will be ready when He comes.

I showed this to each of my three kids (one at a time) and two said Jesus and one said Santa! When I opened the door and they saw the picture of Jesus, their eyes lit up and they smiled. The kiddo that said Santa, was even more happy to see the picture of Jesus and had tears in her eyes.
After I showed it to them, we talked about how Christ and Santa are similar by going over each clue and then talking about the other symbols we have at Christmas that are reminders of Jesus. I gave them a candy cane (red & white striped; not the colorful kinds), and talked about the meaning of giving gifts, the star on the top of the tree, and the nativity scene itself that we have on the mantle.

Although my kids are older now, 12, 13 and 14, they thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. This would be great for younger kids so they can appreciate the similarities and the true meaning of Christmas.

We donate gifts every year to Toys for Tots, the Giving Tree, or the Road Home but this year we got to make it a bit more personal. (Please donate all year long to places like the Road Home, the Utah Food Bank and other charities because homelessness and hunger don't just happen at Christmas time. Click the links to help the Road Home, Utah Food Bank, American Red Cross and the United Way just to name a few.)

Well, I have a lovely student in my class who's mother works very hard and loves her children very much. Being a single mom can be very hard especially around Christmas time, so Iggy's Sports Grill graciously allowed us to buy some gifts and clothes for the family, along with inviting them to lunch or dinner at the restaurant.
When my kids, my husband and I arrived at the house on Christmas with all the gifts in tow, the family was so surprised and overwhelmed with joy. Mom cried and hugged us, along with the kids, and we left the house with a feeling so amazing, it cannot be put into words.
I would highly recommend finding a family, child(ren), or anyone a bit down on their luck, that you could give the gift of Christmas to. Because it's not about the new video game console or power tool at Christmas time, but the feeling that someone knows that you care about them and you know that Christ cares about you.

Merry Christmas to you all; all year long!