C is for carols and countdowns

Carols....
For as long as I can remember, one of my favourite holiday songs has been Amy Grant’s song Oh Little Town of Bethlehem. It is a great little melody and pulls in the song Emmanuel as well. I love those songs that incorporate a few all in one and this one does a great job of putting me in the Christmas spirit. It is one of the first Christmas albums I ever owned ( I still have the original cassette tape), and Amy Grant was one of the first Christian artists that I started to listen to. Her Christmas albums continue to be amongst my favourites.

and countdowns...
I was introduced to the idea of the Jesse Tree through a blog (Simple Mom) that I frequently read. The whole concept is to “think of a Jesse Tree as a sort of advent calendar, except that in addition to a countdown to Christmas, you go through a family devotion in the Bible, starting with creation and ending with Jesus’ birthday. It’s geared towards the kids, so the devotional times are short, easy, and visual.” (http://simplemom.net/jesse-tree/) Soooo, this year we are going ultra simple – the kids get a paper ornament which they can colour if they want to, as well as the suggestion of a family activity to do together. Some days I may throw in an extra candy or something – or make them search for the activity but that depends on the time available each night. They each have their own chocolate countdown calendar that they may have in the morning before school (yikes – chocolate before school I know- I know). We are only day 8 but the kids are eager to read what comes next and to light the candle each evening. So far it’s been a great way to get away from the candy focus. We may plan on getting real ornaments some year but to be honest – right now I am happy with this arrangement!