The Story of Passover

During this time Exodus 12:1-13 is read with brief comments and with the elements held up at the appropriate moment.

The Lamb Bone: The lamb was killed, its blood spread on the doorposts and lintel of the house to protect the home from the tenth plague, the slaying of the firstborn. God said He would pass over the house when He saw the blood.

Jesus, God’s first born, the Lamb of God, shed his blood for us so that death would pass us over.

The Unleavened Bread: Dough was not given time to rise since the Hebrews had to be ready to leave quickly. No one knows the day or the hour Jesus will return. We must be ready to go when He comes.

The Second Cup: Cup of Plagues
“God poured our 10 plagues on Egypt, the last of which, the slaying of the first born, convinced Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave the land.

As Christian, let us recall the lives Jesus had delivered us from.
After this explanation the father invites he participants to recount these plagues. He reads each passage aloud; They repeat it and then dip a finger into the grape juice, letting a drop fall onto the place symbolizing the plagues.

“Now let us lift our cups and drink, thanking God that He not only delivered the nation of Israel from the plagues, but that through Jesus, He delivered us from the plague of sin which brings death that we all deserve.”

Here is a good place for everyone to go around the table and confess their sins to one another.

The Bitter Herbs
Each person places horseradish on a matzo and eats it, “This symbolizes the bitterness of Israel’s slavery and our slavery to sin.”

Eating of Caroseth
Each person places charoseth on a matzo and eats it, “This symbolizes the mortar that was used to make bricks by the Israelites.”

Eating the Egg
The father presents the roasted egg.

“This is a reminder of the Temple’s destruction in A.D. 70.” The egg is dipped in saltwater, the symbol of tears, and then eaten.

Eating of the Meal
At this point, the Jewish family eats a full meal.

Eating of Afikomen
This Greek word loosely translated means, after dinner. After dinner, the children hunt for the hidden matzo. Whoever finds the piece gets a token reward, maybe a coin or candy. When found, the Afikomen is broken and shared. Likely it was at this point that Jesus said, “This is my body given for you”

Read Luke 22:19 and share communion: “During Jesus’ Last Supper, he took the bread and broke it saying this is my body, do this in remembrance of me.”

The Third Cup
“Exodus 6:6 says, ‘I will redeem you’. Redemption means to buy out of slavery. The lamb sacrificed and offered on Passover was the price to deliver the nation of Israel from their sin. This third cup is what Jesus drank with his disciples as a symbol of his blood. He was saying I will redeem you.”

Read Matthew 26:27-32 and take communion

Searching for Elijah
“The Jewish people believe, according to Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6 that Elijah will prepare the way for the Messiah. They are looking for the Messiah year after year, not recognizing that Jesus, the Messiah, has already come. Pray for the Jews and everyone else who does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Here the children search for Jesus, and peeks out the door.
Father: Is he here?
Child: No, he is not here.
Father: Maybe next year Jesus will come. Maybe tomorrow. For no one knows the day or the hour He will come, so we should be ready for Him always.

The Fourth Cup of Praise
As everyone lifts this cup, the father quotes Exodus 6:7 “I will take you for my people. The Jewish nation looks forward to a golden age where everyone will be at peace. We, as believers in the Lord Jesus, eagerly wait for his return when He ill take us to Heaven.”

So with the Passover ceremony finished, everyone drinks the fourth cup proclaiming “Even so Lord, com quickly Lord Jesus.”

Here are some fun ideas you might want to try with your family:

*When the plagues are read, pass our sunglasses for darkness, round band-aids painted green for boils, toy frogs and locusts, etc. They kids might not be the only ones to get a kick out of this part of the Seder.

*During the eating of the egg, you can play the “egg game.” Prepare an egg for each guest. After the father eats his egg, explain that whoever ends up with the unbroken egg is the winner and receives a small prize. Face the person sitting next to you and tap eggs end-to-end and point-to-point. Continue to play around the table until only one unbroken egg is declared the winner.

Yesterday I shared with you the beginning of the Christian Seder my family has during the Easter weekend. We try and have this on Good Friday to reminisce about the “Last Supper”, but sometimes we have it on Saturday. We reserve Sunday for a relaxing time of Church and casual dinner.Christian Seder continued

The Four Questions
At this point, the youngest child and the father interact to explain why Passover is celebrated. After asking the first “stage setting” questions, the child will ask four detailed one. (In our family, we share the questions among all the children.)

Child: Why is this night different from all other nights?

Father: Once we were slaves to our sin, like the Jews who were slaves in Egypt , but now we are free , and we set aside this night each year to remember the great things God did for us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, Jesus, so that we might not perish and be slaves to sin, but so we might be free and have abundant life.

Child: On all other nights we eat either bread or matzo, but why on this night do we eat only matzo?

Father: Matzo reminds us of two things. There was no time for the Jews bread to rise when it was time to leave Egypt. This unleavened bread reminds us the Jews were delivered from slavery in Egypt, and were given new life. And we as Christian, were delivered from sin and also have new life.

Child: On all over nights we eat whatever vegetables we want, but why on this night, do we eat only bitter ones?

Father: We remember how bitter our sin was and the how bitter the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt was.

(Since our family doesn’t recline at the table, we skip this question and usually substitute it with a different one of our choosing)

Child: On all other nights we eat either sitting up or reclining, but why on this night do we all recline?

Father: Before we were slaves, but now we are able to recline and express the rest we enjoy as free people.

Here are some fun ideas you might want to try with your family:

*Conduct the first part of the Seder in the living reclining on homemade pillows with the names of your guests.

*Make up four questions centering on present day Israel
Why is the land different from other lands? Then pray for the peace of Israel and Jerusalem.

*Ask a fifth question for the Jewish children who died in the Holocaust and never got a chance to ask.

It’s snuck up on me again! The Easter Holiday season.

I just pulled out my Easter file and for the rest of the week I’ll be sharing with you our Easter traditions starting with a Christian Seder. We’ve shared the the “Last Supper” with our immediate family for the last couple of years, and although it hasn’t been a “sane” experience, I think we’ve been ironing out the less than kid friendly parts, and hopefully this year will bring a little more peace.

I’m sure there are lots of ways to do a Christian Seder, but this is how our family does it. I’d love to hear if you do something similar and what yours looks like. Chrysalis has a great post on an easy Christian Seder.

Christian Seder

Come to the Table

At each place setting provide the following:

Parsley (2 sprigs)
Charoseth (1 Tb) Chopped apples, nuts, honey, cinnamon, and a touch of grape juice. (This is my families favorite!)
(4 servings, 3 oz each)
Saltwater (1 bowl per 4-5 people) Add enough salt to cloud the water
Horseradish (1.2 tsp, and as “biting” as possible)
Matzo (Plain, 1/4 square)
2 candles (white) and candlesticks in table center

At the leader’s place setting also provide:

1 bowl of saltwater
1 lamb bone (meatless and oven roasted until brown)
3 whole squares of matzo and 4 napkins (Matzos are stacked between the napkins on a plate)
1 roasted egg (boil for 10 minutes; then place under oven broiler until shell is brown)

An extra setting for “Elijah/Jesus”

Same as the “per person” setting with the exception that only one glass of juice is poured and left next to the plate. For the Jews, this symbolizes the future appearance of Elijah, who will signify the coming of Messiah. For Christians, it symbolizes the return of Christ.

The Passover Ceremony

Cleaning of Leaven
A few crumbs of leavened bread are dropped on the floor. The father or another male leader then sweeps them up as a symbol that the house is ready.

The Lighting of the Candles
The candles are lit by the mother who recites, “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us by Your commandments and has ordained that we kindle the Passover lights. Jesus you are the light of the world. Help our light shine out to those who do not know you.”

The First Cup: The Cup of Sanctification
The father lifts his cup and explains, “Sanctification means to be set apart. We are setting apart this ceremony as special to the Lord.”

The Jews remember Exodus 6:6a, “I will bring you out (set you apart) from under the burdens of the Egyptians. God performed miraculous deeds to free Israel from Egypt. As believers, God’s greatest miracle was the price God payed, death of His only son Jesus, to free us from the bondage of sin and death.”

Everyone drinks.

Washing of Hands
Here the father washes in a basin. “This is a reminder of the priest’s need to wash before the could go before God on behalf of Israel. As Jesus celebrated His last Passover with his disciples, John 13 records that he took a towel and washed their feet instead of washing his hands. He also said that we should do this to one another.”

Take wash cloths and each person washed the hands (or feet) or the person to their left.

Dipping the Parsley
Everyone dips his parsley, one sprig at a time, into the saltwater and then eats it.
“The first dip refers to the tears shed in slavery by Israelites. But we also recognize the tears we’ve shed while in slavery to sin, without forgiveness and freedom Jesus offers. The second dip refers to the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea and the miraculous deliverance of Israel as a result (Exodus 14:13-31). We also thank God for our miraculous deliverance from sin.”

Breaking of the Middle Matzo
The father takes the middle square of the 3 whole Matzos, breaks it in half, puts one half back and hides the other half where he wants. Everyone closes his eyes while this is done. The children will look for the hidden piece later.

“These three squares of Matzo represent the beautiful picture of the Trinity. The middle representing Jesus-broken and hidden away.”

There’s much more to the Seder, but I’ll save it for tomorrow’s post!!! Please come back and see how you can get your kids involved in this Christian Seder.

Years ago I started a new Christmas tradition of writing letters to Jesus with my children. I didn’t know it would turn into a treasured, Christmas tradition and a way to see how my children’s faith has grown over the years.

I started writing these letters out of a desire to give a gift to Jesus on Christmas. After all, it is HIS birthday.

When my kids were too little to write, I wrote for them and let them draw a picture and sign their name. Here’s a sample of my 15 year old’s first Jesus letter when he was four. (I did have to prompt him to think about what he was thankful for.)

Dear King Jesus,

I love you King Jesus. Thank you for my toys my grandma gave me. Happy birthday Jesus. I’m so glad it’s Christmas. Thank you for being in my heart. Thank you Jesus for I was a baby and you made me. Please Jesus let me have baby Sabrina. (I was pregnant with Timmy at the time and that was our girl name.)

Love,

Chris

There’s no set day we write these letters, but on Christmas Eve we all find a quiet corner, get down our Christmas stockings where we put our “presents” for Jesus and read the letters we’ve written over the years. (I started writing my own letters a few years ago.) They boys really get a kick out of the ones they wrote when they were little and it’s really neat to see how much they’ve grown in their relationship with Jesus from one Christmas to the next.

So if you’re looking for a new Christmas tradition, why not write a letter to Jesus tonight. And if you’re reading this after Christmas, don’t put it off until the next year. Start your letter now, and tuck it away in a safe place, so you can pull it out and read it again next year.

I don’t think Jesus will mind getting a belated birthday present!

Posts from the Past…

Who couldn’t use a little less stress during the holidays. Hopefully these Saturday posts will ease your holiday chaos and please feel free to share your own ideas! Come back next Saturday for another great idea!

In the past I had just wrapped my four kids’ presents and put the name tags on them, then I’d separate them into piles for each child. It made opening presents with four kids less chaotic on Christmas morning.

Then a couple of years ago I started selecting different wrapping paper for each child. No pesky name tags, and I can just threw the presents underneath the tree. The different wrapping paper is easy to find. Of course, it’s important to remember which paper goes with which kid so I just keep a sample with their names on it hidden until Christmas morning.

We started a new Christmas tradition that the kids ABSOLUTELY love. We’ve never emphasizes Santa a the fat, jolly guy who brings presents down the chimney (though some years they truly believed.) Instead, we told the real story of Jesus, but it wasn’t until a few years ago I got a brainstorm of an idea that helped mix the fun of finding presents under the tree without reducing Christmas to Santa’s presents.

Christmas Eve me and hubby hide the presents around the house. In the morning we reenact the Christmas story and then the children look for their presents like the wise men looked for Jesus and brought him presents. It really takes the focus off Santa and onto Jesus without compromising on the fun.

How do you make Christmas morning special?

What do you think of the Christ-mas tree???

(Nashville, TN) – Boss Creations, a new holiday décor company, has introduced the new “CHRIST-mas” Treeâ„¢, featuring the unique trait of a trunk in the shape of a wooden cross.  Company owner Marsha Boggs says the tree was specifically designed to counter the “war on Christmas.”

“When I became a Christian a few years ago,” says Boggs, “I was appalled by the secularization of the Christmas holiday.  When retail stores started substituting   ’Happy Holidays’ for ‘Merry Christmas,’ and schools began calling their Christmas programs ‘Winter Plays,’ it all seemed ridiculous to me.  That’s why we have created products that remind people what the Christmas season is really all about – the birth of Christ.”

The “CHRIST-mas” Treeâ„¢ is size adjustable up to 7.5 foot tall to accommodate various ceiling sizes.  Additionally, the company offers ornaments, wreaths and gift items all with Christian-based themes.

Legal fights over Christmas symbolism continue to create headlines such as a recent ban on religious songs in a New Jersey school district where the federal appeal judges noted “such songs were once common in public schools, but times have changed.”  Lawsuits regarding Christmas trees being taken down from public buildings have sparked anger across the country. Boggs says Boss Creations’ mission is to uphold the traditional meaning of the Christmas season, and from their sales, the company will be supporting two non-profit organizations that work as advocates for religious freedom.

A portion of the proceeds of all “CHRIST-mas” Treeâ„¢ sales will go to support the American Center of Law & Justice, an organization recently hailed by BusinessWeek as “the leading advocacy group for religious freedom,” as well as to the Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. 

A Netbook

A KitchenAide
Which I got for my birthday!!

A contract…

What do you want?

Posts from the Past…

Who couldn’t use a little less stress during the holidays. Hopefully these Saturday posts will ease your holiday chaos and please feel free to share your own ideas! Come back next Saturday for another great idea!

In my efforts to steer materialism away from December the 25th, and create new family traditions, I thought a great idea would be to give gifts on St. Nicholas Day. Only problem is, it always sneaks up on us and we miss it. I’m planning on a remembrance of St. Nicholas and his “spirit of giving” this Sunday! Here’s some thoughts on what I have planned.

Read: Santa and the Christ Child by Nicholas Bakewell

For years, we’ve known the true story of St. Nicholas and how he loved Jesus and gave his money and possessions to the less fortunate. In fact, my favorite Christmas decoration is a ceramic sculpture of Santa Claus kneeling down worshiping the baby Jesus.

Watch: Nicholas, The Boy Who Became Santa

This is a wonderful cartoon video about Nicholas. Here’s the box summary. Nicholas was still a young child when he discovered a very special secret that changed his life. It was the gift of giving, by which he brought happiness to many people; but in sharing this great gift Nicholas had to face many dangers.

Here is a fascinating story of the boy whose love and care for others make him one of the most popular figures of all times. Today, more than sixteen centuries later, the entire world celebrates the kindness and generosity of the man we call Santa Claus.

Discuss: Nicholas’ life and contrast it with today’s version of Santa Claus. We can also talk about ways we can give to others throughout the year.

Do: Every year we write a letter to Jesus and put it in our stockings. We never wrote the letters on the same day, but writing it on this day seems like a way to remember St. Nicholas’ love for Jesus. Then on Christmas Day we can read all the letters we wrote from previous years.

Exchange: Gifts to one another in honor of St. Nicholas. (This is Grace’s favorite part! She loves playing Santa and remembers and looks forward to it every year!)

Does anyone else incorporate the real story of St. Nicholas into their holiday traditions? I’d love to hear what you do!

I used to dread the holidays. Sometimes I still do. I grew up in a NY Italian family that celebrated every holiday together. Then I got married and moved away and holidays weren’t something I looked forward to anymore.

At first it was me and hubby. I tried doing the festive thing for Thanksgiving and Christmas and kept some of the traditions and even dressed up at times. Then kids came a long and I bought those cute suits for the kids, several years in a row, but realized we’d always be dressed up with no place to go.

Some years we went to see family, but when the kids got older and our family grew it was much easier to stay home. Soon the holidays came and went, and we barely made it out of our pajamas. Often it became just another day and each year I’d grieve inside. I’d grieve not having family around, but most of all I grieved the fact that even though I belonged to a church and a Christian community, no one, I mean no one except for two Easters, invited us over for the holidays and many knew we had no family in town.

Many years we invited others over with us (one year we had a dozen college students) and those were the best times, but deep inside I still grieved the lack of community, of true family and fellowship. The last couple of years since my family moved to town we’ve had small intimate holidays with friends joining us as well. This year it will just be our family and my mom who’s living with us.

Still, I wish we could share the holiday with someone. Maybe someone who once felt like us, though we’re not sure who that person or family might be. I’d happily clean off my dining room table (which is covered in Christmas decor at the moment) and make room for them.

Here are some past thoughts about community and holidays:

Finding Community: Is God Enough?

Ho Hum Holidays 2006

Thanksgiving: Now That’s More Like It 2008

My daughter’s been listening to Christmas music for weeks now. She wrote her Christmas list even before that and she can’t wait for snow because that means it will be Christmas. Do you thinks she’s a little excited? Here’s her Christmas list as she wrote it. Think you can decipher it?

Barbie and the three muscuters the moves. (pretty easy, wait it gets harder)

a Barbie doll the three muscaters the blond one. (she drew a picture of this!)

a ariall dress up costume.

DSI uv many trad my DS for a DSI not a lot (like that’s going to happen )

Tumble Dog that locs like Jety (our dog, Jedi) and mymabe soot wus Peeck (pink) and

Style Lrab Jewelry

Desigin and crazcookn’ and

Barbie glamour

and a byoot ful nekulis so prity (I can read this, can you?)

and a we litlist Pet Shop Gam for we cyoot

and miny baby bel cees

Alvin and the Chipmunks the squeakauel

What a list! It might take me to next Christmas just to translate it!

So here’s the post I promised on our trip to North Carolina where my daughter taped for the Raggs PBS show. I kind of wished I would have blogged about it right on the spot no matter HOW exhausted I was, but here it goes.

Grace was excited for her first plane ride, even more than being taped for a television show. But when we arrived at the airport our plane was delayed two hours! Instead of calling my hubby to come back and pick us up, we waited. I was disappointed we’d arrive in Charlotte much later than anticipated. I wanted to get out and explore the area, but knew it would probably be too late.

Still the alone time with my daughter was special. She got really excited when the plane took off and noticed that all the houses and cars looked like little toys. I smiled, remembering my many flights to Florida and back, looking out all the windows and seeing all the little toys. Grace also love drinking pop on the plane. Thankfully, I had the state of mind to limit it to sprite or she might have been more bouncy and excited. We were pleasantly surprised by the snack they provided us with!

I thank God for the invention of videos and cameras because I have it all recorded!

After changing planes and finally landing a member of the Raggs crew greeted us with a smile and a sign with Grace’s name. I kept it for her scrapbook (whenever I get around to making it!)

 We were driven to the posh downtown Aloft hotel and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was surrounded by everything we needed from restaurants to drugstores and ice cream shops. It was around dinner time when we got to the hotel and when we went to the room Grace noticed the Flat screen tv on the wall! She was really excited about that and wanted to watch it, so I indulged her while I unpacked. While the room was posh, I did find it lacking in literature and the standard hotel bible! I couldn’t find the information I needed on restaurants and internet access even on the television hotel information system. Thankfully, dialing zero worked and I got all the info I needed from the helpful staff.

After a while Grace decided she wanted to check out the pool before dinner. We went downstairs to the 3 foot lap pool and discovered two very chatty kids swimming. I knew they had to be Ragg’s contest winners as well. Grace swam for a little, but the two kids who were four and five couldn’t keep up with her and she got bored.

So we checked out the area for dinner and decided on Five Guys famous burgers and had a fun time with the photos as you can see!

After dinner we went back to check out the pool, but no one was there so we went to the room to get all our clothes ready for the next day.

The next morning I woke well rested, but Grace didn’t want to get out of bed! I finally coaxed her out, we got ready for the Ragg’s taping, and waited outside for our ride. It started to drizzle but that didn’t stop Grace from playing in the rain. Luckily she’d be doing hair and makeup in the studio!

Everyone was great when we arrived. I was expecting the green room to be filled with kids. There were only a couple of families and they were spread out so Grace didn’t engage with them. My biggest fear for the taping is that her true personality (like the ones in the photos) wouldn’t come out. Sometimes it takes her a while to warm up and I hoped playing with the other kids would loosen her up. But she stuck to my side and visited the Raggs website for a while, but when the staff tried to talk to her she was tight-lipped!

Great, I thought! We fly all this way and Grace clams up! Well, I found an activity that really got her jumping, literally! But I’ll save that for tomorrow since this post is getting pretty long as it is!

As you’re reading this my seven year old daughter and I are on a plane (her FIRST plane ride,) heading for North Carolina to tape the Raggs PBS show and get interviewed by Dumpster the Cat.

Life has been so crazy I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about this yet, but here it goes…

Mid summer I came across a contest for 4- 7 year olds to win a chance to appear on the Raggs PBS show. Since we don’t watch a lot fo TV,  she didn’t know who Raggs was, but was excited about the possiblity of her first plane ride! I vaguely remember a Dog band coming to our State Fair and playing a small concert, and thought that was who it was. So we decided to enter!

I didn’t have much time to get my entry in so after carefully reading the directions on how to enter, I got out my Flip camera and started shooting. Needless to say, my sassy, funny daughter froze up when I was taping her. We tried over and over again, each time she loosened up a bit. Then when I finally thought I had a decent audition tape, I noticed there was a logo on the box behind her head. YIKES! The rules said no ad logos, so we moved to the hallway and did one last take. By now, she was getting really sassy and her full personality came out. I downloaded the tape (thank you internet submissions!) and that was that. I didn’t think much about it.

Weeks later we auditioned for the Wizard of Oz and got in. I noticed there might be a conflict with the Raggs taping. But winning was such a long shot. I didn’t think much more of it until I got an email from Raggs with a BIG congratulations at the top. At first, I thought she was 1 of 100 chosen to go on a second interview. But Cameron, the very helpful Raggs assistant set me straight. My daughter was a winner and would be taped. Later Raggs would decide which segments to use, but we were on our way!

So we’re on our way. We fly back tomorrow, and then the next day we have our first performance of the Wizard of Oz! (Yes, we have special permission to miss two days of tech week!) I’ve already seen photos of other kids on the Raggs adventure and it looks fabulous! And we hope to meet up with some families at the hotel later.  So if you’re reading this, say a prayer for us and our adventure, for save and easy travel on this wonderful, whirlwind of a tour! And my daughter’s true personality to shine!

Remember that song “my girl wants to party all the time, party all the time, party all the time…” Okay, I know I’m dating myself a bit, but it’s the time of year when my kids are having birthdays and I have parties on the brain. In the past, I would put together some elaborate parties for my kids like the Pony Party where I rented real ponies for the backyard and made the garage look like a farm with cardboard barn and real hay. Too bad one of the little kids was allergic to hay.

Or how about the princess party where my hubby built a gigantic pink cardboard castle maze and the girls had to find the prince. That was awesome! There’s been an army party, carnival party (where I played a clown,) magician party and many others. In fact, it seems for my older two we did a lot of these extravagant backyard parties. Needless to say, they’re not hubby’s favorite because he always ends up building something, but they make great scrapbook pages!

Seems like the younger two tended to want swim parties and “go to the bouncy place.” Not much creativity there, and I felt in a sense they were cheated to the backyard party fun, but it made life and the parties much easier. Still, I long for those fun home parties that make great scrapbook pages!

Though my almost 7 year old really wanted to go the the “Doll House” for her birthday I suggested we have a Littlest Pet Shop party and she agreed. I already found some fun things to do! At one point, years and years ago, I thought of starting my own party planning business. I had the ideas, all I needed were the supplies! Who knew I could have owned a party store franchise? 

Though my ambitions for party planning don’t go beyond my own backyard, Party Land looks like a great opportunity for those who want to catch a ride on the party train! In the last couple of months with my kids’ school alone, we’ve rented or owned such equipment as a punch fountain and popcorn machine. Party Land supplies that and much more.

So while I’m content to stick with planning parties in my own backyard, it sure would be great not to have to worry about all the stuff for my parties. But like so many other things in my life right now, this too will have to remain a dream. Or I can always write a character that owns a Party Land!

If you’re still with me by the end of this post, I’d love to hear about your favorite party or how you “celebrate” special occasions. Go ahead, don’t be shy! I’m still looking for a theme for my 9 year old’s birthday!

and other meaningful celebrations. Even though Easter was late this year, my busy spring has me behind schedule. Still it’s not too late to dive into these family traditions. How do you celebrate the true meaning of Easter?

Easter Resources

Easter Seder Part 1

Easter Seder Part 2

Easter Seder Part 3

Jelly Bean Poem and Prayer

Easter Story Cookies

Resurrection Eggs

St. Patrick day already! I love the holiday (here’s why,) but it got away from me. Hope you find new meaning and faith today!

Maybe it’s because we have less money to spend than usual. Maybe I’m tired of all these holidays where advertisers are begging you to buy their stuff. But I’m tired of adding to this American consumerism during the holidays and while I believe in stimulating the economy, I don’t believe in spending $4 on a card to tell someone I love them.

So for this Valentine’s day, I bought my kids all a $1 Chunky bar and .50 card. I’ll be away from half of my family today, but I plan on taking them each out when I get back and spending some quality time alone with them. Last time I took my oldest to the store with me and bought him lunch, it was really good for our relationship. Each of my kids needs alone time with me! And I think that’s the best gift I can give!

It seems like it’s the never ending winter and thanks to the Ground Hog, there’ll be six more weeks! I could really use a vacation to warmer weather, how about you?

Because we still have TWO homes (please pray we sell quickly, like yesterday!) not sure we’ll be getting away this year, but if we do, we’re probably headed to Orlando for another playdate with family and Disney. We skipped Disney last year because we went the year before, and well, it is expensive! But I’m ready for the magic again and the best way to afford the magic is with Discount Disney World Tickets.

My writing friend just went there for her son’s wedding! How magical would that be? A ride in Cinderella’s carriage. With family in Florida and Orlando, I’ve never ever stayed on Disney property. Sometimes we’d rent a hotel suite or go on one of those timeshare tours, but I’d love to be close to the action. They say the Disney hotels are just as fun as the theme parks.

My RIL (real life friend) says I should write an ebook on how to do Disney. I’m a planner, unlike my writing May hour by hour schedule may drive my family crazy, BUT they get to see EVERYTHING! And we’re always prepared for the rain!

Okay, I better stop before I depress myself! Even if we did go, it wouldn’t be until May or September. I’ve been to Disney in the Summer, standing in lines FOREVER and I’ll never do it again! Enough talk. I’m going to peak at Discount Disney World Tickets and hope I don’t bust!

Just had to come back and tell you that the Disney tickets don’t expire! Read for yourself! “Magic Your Way Tickets with the No Expiration Option never expire. So any unused days will be valid forever!” How cool is that?

What’s your favorite Disney Theme Park? Mine is Animal Kingdom. But I love the Magic Kingdom, MGM, EPCOT, and I think there’s a new one. Guess I’ll just have to go and find out for myself!

After reading these authors Christmas traditions I want a Christmas do-over! Why doesn’t it seem like Christmas here? The weather is chilly, the tree is up, we’ve had family and friends gather over the week? But the real reason is that we’ve been too busy to reflect upon what Christmas really means.

Well, it’s not too late and tonight we’ll engage in our favorites. Unfortunately we skipped the Christmas paper chain where we write down the name on a friend or family member on the link of the chain and tear off one a day and pray for them. It’s the way we count down for Christmas. And decorating the tree this year was more like a “hail Mary.” With unpacking our moving boxes, the tree was just another thing to unpack and we didn’t even listen to Christmas music while doing it! And what about those Christmas movies. Scrooge, the musical, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, etc. We’ve hardly watched any, but there’s always next week.

And there’s tonight when we will write our Christmas letters to Jesus, take down the stockings and read out letters from years past, and play secret Santa.

Then there’s tomorrow morning when the kids will run downstairs to find the presents under the tree GONE! We will reenact the Christmas story with costumes and all and then go search for our presents like the Wise Men searched for Jesus!

Come to think of it, I don’t need a Christmas do over! Christmas will be just as wonderful and magical as it is every year!

Merry Christmas!

Years ago I started something with my children that has now turned into a Christmas tradition. We write letters to Jesus.

I started writing these letters out of a desire to give a gift to Jesus on Christmas. After all, it is HIS birthday.

When my kids were too little to write, I wrote for them and let them draw a picture and sign their name. Here’s a sample of my 14 year old’s first Jesus letter when he was four. (I did have to prompt him to think about what he was thankful for.)

Dear King Jesus,

I love you King Jesus. Thank you for my toys my grandma gave me. Happy birthday Jesus. I’m so glad it’s Christmas. Thank you for being in my heart. Thank you Jesus for I was a baby and you made me. Please Jesus let me have baby Sabrina. (I was pregnant with Timmy at the time and that was our girl name.)

Love,

Chris

There’s no set day we write these letters, but on Christmas Eve we all find a quiet corner, get down our Christmas stockings where we put our “presents” for Jesus and read the letters we’ve written over the years. (I started writing my own letters a few years ago.) They boys really get a kick out of the ones they wrote when they were little and it’s really neat to see how much they’ve grown in their relationship with Jesus from one Christmas to the next.

So if you’re looking for a new Christmas tradition, why not write a letter to Jesus tonight. And if you’re reading this after Christmas, don’t put it off until the next year. Start your letter now, and tuck it away in a safe place, so you can pull it out and read it again next year.

I don’t think Jesus will mind getting a belated birthday present!