Waiting for Christmas

We like to read the book Waiting for Christmas, to kick off our Advent season. In 1851, the first Advent calendars came into being.  A German man, Gerhard Lang, is credited with making the calendars available to the public.  This book is about this little boy's memories of his mother making an Advent calendar with little cookies called Wibele, a traditional German cookie.

This book is part of a series, Traditions of Faith from around the World.  These books illustrate how Christian holiday customs have evolved around the world.  This one is my favorite.  The illustrations are brightly colored and it is just long enough to read to a group of children.

If you haven't gotten an Advent calendar yet, never fear Mibo is here.  Click here to print off this cute calendar.

If you'd like to make the traditional Lebkuchen that is referenced in this book, here is a recipe:

Yields: 18 Lebkuchen cookies

For the Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses

For the Glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Set aside.
3. Beat the egg and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Beat in the honey and molasses until thoroughly combined.
5. On low speed, stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
6. Turn the dough out from the bowl onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour as kneaded, until a stiff dough is formed.
7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
8. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 9×12-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 18 3×2-inch rectangles. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
9. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, water and lemon juice and brush or spread on top of the cookies.
10. Allow the glaze to firm, and then store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Illuminated Christmas

Today we read The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans (best selling author of The Christmas Box). This story is about a man that buys a special candle from a chandler that thinks he needs "illumination". On his walk home this special light helps him see people that remind him about how we are all a part of the same family.

After we read the story, we made tinfoil ornaments in the shape of candles with flames.

Christmas goody basket

Every day I put new goodies in the Christmas basket. Yesterday there was our first book The Christmas Cobwebs, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a family read-aloud (hilarious with many teachable moments), and all the ingredients to make the snowflake ornaments. We made the ornaments today after our Jesse tree devotion. Then we hung them up in a room. I'm sure we'll make more as they were so much fun.

Day 6 - Jacob's Ladder

Genesis 28: 10-17 How wonderfully comforting to hear from God that he would personally see to it that you would be taken care of, even though you are a failure at most things you attempt. God used this helpless man to become the source of blessing and means of salvation to the entire world through his son Jesus, whom he would send many years later. The ladder we hung is a symbol of the communication we now have with God through his son Jesus. What a wonderful reminder.