The Legend of the Christmas Tree

We read The Legend of the Christmas Tree written by Rick Osborne today.  It is a story about a family that goes to cut down their own tree for Christmas.  They come across a tree farm that has 3 beautiful trees and a special box that sat beneath one of them.  This family learns about the legend of the Christmas tree through the retelling of the farmer.  They also start a new tradition of their own.

I highly recommend reading this book, because doesn't everyone wonder why we put trees inside our house at Christmas?  After reading this book we made these trees.

The supplies that you need for making these trees are:

1. hot glue gun
2. styrofoam cones
3. pipe cleaners (red and white)
4. ribbon in different colors
5. sequins of different sizes
6. small beads
7. straight pins with balls on the end
8. green felt
9. gold plastic stars
   

1. Cut the felt in a triangle shape, large enough to cover the styrofoam cone.  
2. Hot glue the felt to the cone, folding the bottom and top edge over.
3. Hot glue or pin ribbons or twisted red and white pipe cleaners for garland.
4. Make ornaments by sticking a straight pin through a bead, then a sequin, then a slighly larger sequin.
5. Glue a star to the top.  (or in our case we had to pin ours through a hole in the bottom of the star)
   

Isn't our forest pretty?  And look, it snowed.

Day 22 - A Star

The Star

Mathew 2:1 -12

It was very fitting that the son that is very interested in astronomy got the star ornament today. He doesn't know it yet, but his big present this year is a nice telescope - ssssshhhhh....don't tell. He was very interested in the story of the magi following the stars for many years and searching and searching for signs and then there it was - THE star, THE sign, THE Messiah. It's like our search for God. We have to really want him, search for him, and it may take a while to fully understand the depth of his love for us. But then, with our childlike faith, and the awe and excitement as the Magi had, we take him into our hearts and then we grow and grow through our relationship with him. I wonder if the wise men fully understood what they were searching for, or if they just had faith that he was the savior? I wonder if they kept tabs on him as he grew up?