"I" for Intelligence

Gospel Art Book Boy Jesus in the Temple

We will do this activity at the local library aka heaven on earth.

Scripture: Luke 2:40-52 The story of Jesus teaching in the temple.

Question: How do we increase in wisdom?

Scripture: D&C 93:36 "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth."

Activity: Blissfully roam around the library and gather a few books. Sit down at a table (in the children's section for us) and open up your books. Read. Look at pictures. Share and learn. Enjoy knowledge and grow in intelligence!! Hold up a copy of the scriptures to end with. What was Christ doing in the temple? Teaching His Father's word. So of all things we should study, what is most important? Our scriptures!!

Bear Testimony

"S" For Service

Christ Reasoning with Peter, by Giotto di Bondone (Italian Painter from the late Middle Ages)

Song: I'm Trying to Be like Jesus (CS pg. 78-79)

Activity: Have some footprints making a path around the house to the picture of Christ washing His disciples feet. Have the picture covered so it will be a surprise. To get to the picture, a family member will have to say something related to service, whether it be a scripture, a way to serve or song they can think of on each footprint.

Scripture: John 13:4-15 (Story of Christ washing His disciples feet)
Emphasize verse 15 "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."

Activity: Further explore the concept of service by having a special desert. Everyone will work together to help out. Have strips of paper with things like "Please put on table cloth.", "Please put plates on the table.", "Please light the candle." etc. in a can and let each family member draw one strip to see what they can do. This is what our family is going to indulge in! I wonder who will pull the "Please put on whip cream."... Hopefully it's my 2 year old!!

Bear Testimony

"T" for "Thirst no More"

For legal purposes (and personal integrity) I attribute this image to Living Water International www.water.cc I do not endorse them, I only put the web address because those are the conditions to be able to use this beautiful photo. Woah. Mouthful. :)

Scripture: D&C 63:23 "But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.

Story: “The Woman at the Well,” Friend, Mar 2001, 8 found here.

Activity: Construct our own mini-well, instructions found here. Gather supplies for an additional well to give to a family with young children in your ward.

Questions: Our bodies thirst for water, what do our spirits thirst for?
What do we do to get the water Christ spoke of to the woman at the well in our lives?

Bear Testimony

Activity: Go as a family to give the well materials to another family of your choice. Print out instructions for them as "well" as this poem (by yours truly):

Our Heavenly King and Father
Sent down His precious Son
The source of all joy and truth
Eternal life begun.

Each and every day
Christmas time or not
The living water flows
And is not to be forgot.

Our well is filled and topped
with love up to the brim.
Happy Holidays and memories!
All glory to be to Him!

"M" for Miracles

Scripture: We will read “Christ’s Ministry and Miracles,” Ensign, Jan 2007, 40–45 found here as a family.

Activity: Make a large block letter M on a piece of paper. As a family come up with as many miracles you can think of that have happened to your family. Write them down on the M. Say a prayer of thanks for all the many miracles in our lives. Hang the M up somewhere to be seen often.

Question: What was the greatest miracle of all times?

Song: Did Jesus Really Live Again? (CS pg.64)

Bear Testimony

"A" for Atonement

"This window in St Michael's Cornhill in London depicts Christ agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and the soldiers, led by Judas the betrayer, coming to arrest Him." Image Courtesy Creative Commons license on flickr.com by Lawrence OP April 9, 2009

Scripture: Isaiah 49:16 "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

Song: God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son (Hymns pg. 187 Verses 1-3)

Quote: "Jesus Christ was appointed to be our Redeemer before the world was formed. With His divine Sonship, His sinless life, the shedding of His blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, His [painful] death on the cross and Resurrection from the grave, He became the author of our salvation and made a perfect Atonement for all mankind.

Some years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley told “something of a parable” about “a one-room schoolhouse in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough no teacher had been able to handle them.

“Then one day an inexperienced young teacher applied. He was told that every teacher had received an awful beating, but the teacher accepted the risk. The first day of school, the teacher asked the boys to establish their own rules and the penalty for breaking the rules. The class came up with ten rules, which were written on the blackboard. Then the teacher asked, ‘What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?’

“ ‘Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on,’ came the response.

“A day or so later, the lunch of a big student, named Tom, was stolen. The thief was located—a little hungry fellow, about ten years old.

“As little Jim came up to take his licking, he pleaded to keep his coat on. ‘Take your coat off,’ the teacher said. ‘You helped make the rules!’

“The boy took off the coat. He had no shirt and revealed a bony little crippled body. As the teacher hesitated with the rod, big Tom jumped to his feet and volunteered to take the boy’s licking.

“ ‘Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?’ the teacher asked.

“After five strokes across Tom’s back, the rod broke. The class was sobbing. Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. ‘Tom, I’m sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!’ ”

President Hinckley then quoted Isaiah:

“ ‘Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. …

“ ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our [sins].’ ” (Isa. 53:4–5.)

No man knows the full weight of what our Savior bore. His [deep] suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He took upon Himself all the sins of all other mortals, caused Him “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18).

**(See below) The Atonement and the Resurrection accomplish many things. The Atonement cleanses us of sin on condition of our repentance. Christ’s resurrection gave us the assurance of life after death.

Our Redeemer took upon Himself all the sins, pains, and sicknesses of all who have ever lived and will ever live (see Alma 7:11–12). He knows our trials by firsthand experience.

Because the Savior has suffered anything and everything that we could ever feel or experience, He can help the weak to become stronger. He understands our pain and will walk with us even in our darkest hours.

We long for the ultimate blessing of the Atonement—to become one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love (see Alma 26:15; Morm. 5:11; Morm. 6:17; Moses 7:63)." (James E. Faust, “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: The Savior’s Atonement,” Friend, Mar 2002, 2)

** Display GAK pictures 227, 230, 239

Activity: Trace each family members hands. We know what Christ did with His hands for us. Now what can we use our hands to do for our Savior. Write down ideas or draw a picture inside the handprint. Cut it out, then glue on a nice square of Christmas scrapbook paper. Add a bow on top.

Bear Testimony

"S" for Sacrifice

GAK 244 Christ and the Rich Young Ruler

(You will need to spend some time with your family making some cookies beforehand... and don't eat any!!)

Song: I Stand All Amazed (Hymns pg. 193)

Scripture Story: "A rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he should do to have eternal life. Jesus told the man that he must obey the commandments. When the rich young man said that he had been obedient to the laws of God, Jesus said the man needed to do one more thing. He needed to sell all he had, give to the poor, and follow Jesus. The rich young man was very sad. He did not want to do what Jesus told him to do. He loved his riches more than he loved God." (Summary GAK 244 Matthew 19:16-24; Mark 10:17-25; Luke 18:18-25)

Question: How was this young man different from Christ? What did Jesus sacrifice for us?

Scripture: Alma 34:13-14 ''Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal."

Demonstration: "To sacrifice is to give up something valuable or precious, often with the intent of accomplishing a greater purpose or goal." (Gospel Topics) Set out the plate of cookies you baked. Offer your family the choice to eat the cookies or sacrifice their portion to a neighbor. Will this make your neighbors happy?

Quote: " Sacrifice is a demonstration of pure love. The degree of our love for the Lord, for the gospel, and for our fellowman can be measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for them. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ manifested the supreme example of this love. His life and ministry established a pattern for us to follow. His divine mission was culminated in a supreme act of love as He allowed His life to be sacrificed for us. Having power over life and death, He chose to submit himself to pain, ridicule, and suffering, and offered His life as a ransom for our sins. Because of His love, He suffered both body and spirit to a degree beyond our comprehension and took upon Himself our sins if we repent. Through His personal sacrifice, He provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven and, through Him, to find our way back into the presence of our Heavenly Father.

The sacrifice he requires of us is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Ne. 9:20) that can lead us to repentance. When we consider His example, the demands made upon our time or means are slight in comparison. We should, therefore, give gladly and count it as a blessing and an opportunity." (M. Russell Ballard, “The Blessings of Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1992, 75)

Bear Testimony

Christmas should not be a time, but a state of mind.

GAK 239 The Resurrected Christ

Read the following quotes:

"To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world." ~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927)

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." ~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English author. From 'A Christmas Carol'.

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" ~ Bob Hope, American film actor and comedian.

Sing your favorite hymns. Take the time to bear testimonies as a family of the divinity of Christ. There is no better place to bear testimony than in the walls of your own home to those with whom you’ll spend eternity!!

Christmas is a time for all the senses.

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by mulacmail 12/2007

Sing Do you Hear what I hear?

Go on a Christmas "senses hunt". Collect in a basket things that have to do with Christmas and your senses throughout your home (e.g. bright wrapping paper to see, pine cones for smell, peppermint for taste… etc.). Then compare to another basket having to do with Christmas senses at the time of Jesus’ birth. In that basket you can have hay for touch, some sort of perfume for the gifts from the Wiseman for smell, a beautiful star for sight, warm milk for taste (perhaps from the stable animals??), angelic music for hearing and anything else you can think of!

Christmas is a time to reflect on the atonement.

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by spacepotato 10/24/2007

Sing He Sent His Son Children’s Songbook pg. 34-35

Look at a CANDY CANE, what do you see? Stripes that are RED like the BLOOD shed for me! WHITE for my Savior, Who's sinless and pure! "J" is for JESUS, My Lord that's for sure! Turn it around And a staff you will see --- Jesus, my SHEPHERD, Is coming for me! (this poem was found on dltk-kids.com and had no author quoted)

Display a picture of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Review what happened pertaining to the atonement, crucifixion and resurrection. Enjoy some candy canes while you read the following:

"During His brief ministry, He healed the sick, caused the blind to see, raised the dead, and rebuked the scribes and Pharisees. He was the only perfect man ever to walk the earth. All of this was part of His Father’s plan. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered so greatly that he sweat drops of blood as He pleaded with His Father. But this was all a part of His great atoning sacrifice. He was taken by the mob, appeared before Pilate with the mob crying for His death. He carried the cross, the instrument of His death. On Golgotha He gave His life, crying out, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

His body was tenderly laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea. But three days later, on that first Easter morning, the tomb was emptied. Mary of Magdala spoke to Him, and He spoke to her. He appeared to His Apostles. He walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And, we are told, He was seen by some 500 others (see 1 Corinthians 15:6).
He had said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Accordingly, He appeared to those assembled in the land Bountiful in the Western Hemisphere.

Here, He taught the people as He had taught them in the Old World. This is all recorded in detail in the Book of Mormon, which stands as a second witness of the divinity of our Lord.
And to repeat, both He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph, the Father introducing the Son, saying: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17).
Now, the next thing of which I am certain, and of which I bear witness, is the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without it life is meaningless. It is the keystone in the arch of our existence. It affirms that we lived before we were born in mortality. Mortality is but a stepping-stone to a more glorious existence in the future. The sorrow of death is softened with the promise of the Resurrection. There would be no Christmas if there were no Easter. "

Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Things of Which I Know,” Ensign, May 2007, 83–85

Christmas is a time to SING SING SING!!!!!!!

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Irish Typepad 1/2008

Read: “I learned too what power there can be in music. When music is reverently presented, it can be akin to revelation. At times, I think, it cannot be separated from the voice of the Lord, the quiet, still voice of the Spirit. Worthy music of all kinds has its place. And there are endless numbers of places where it can be heard.”
- Boyd K. Packer, “The Spirit of the Tabernacle,” Ensign, May 2007, 26–29

Record your family singing your favorite Christmas songs or songs about Jesus on cassette tapes or video. Then send it to one of the missionaries serving from your ward or branch. Try to involve things the children can hold like nativity figurines or pictures.

Christmas is a time of good cheer.

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by carrie 12/2007

Sing Smiles Children’s Songbook page 267 (at the top)

Have a row of 5 stuffed animals and tape on frowny faces to them. Tell your children the animals are stressed out about Christmas. They want to get just the right expensive gift, go to fancy parties and eat wine and cheese! Eeeww! Wine! No thank you, that’s against the word of wisdom! They are such bah-humbugs, they need to learn that Christmas is a time of good cheer (happiness) because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have 5 smiley faces nearby, let the children choose one. For each back of the smiley faces you can have the following references:

John 16: 33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

D&C 68: 6 “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come. “

D&C 61: 36 “And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you;”

D&C 78: 18 “And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."

2 Cor. 9: 7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

As you read the scripture let them change out the frowny faces for smiley faces.

Christmas is a time of thanksgiving and gratitude.

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by gare and kitty 12/2006

Read the following by President Hinckley:

" Merry Christmas! my beloved friends. I greet you wherever you may be as members of the Church family. We are met tonight to pay homage to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, whose life and death mean so very much to each one of us. This is a gathering for prayer and song and speech, in tribute to the Master of all, the Lord Omnipotent, who condescended to come to earth, to be born in a stable, in a conquered nation, under the humblest of circumstances.

He was the Prince Almighty who left the royal courts on high and came among us to teach us and to lead us in His quiet and wonderful way.
As we now embark on the third millennium since His birth, we think of His tremendous influence upon the world. We feel profoundly grateful to have been born in this wonderful season of His glorious work.

How grateful we of this Church should feel. We live in the fullness of times. Mark that phrase. Mark the word fullness. It denotes all of good that has been gathered together in the past and restored to earth in this final dispensation.

My heart tonight is filled with thanksgiving unto the Almighty God. Through the gift of His Son, who is the God of this world, we have been so magnificently blessed. My heart rings with the words of our hymn, “Count your blessings; name them one by one. Count your many blessings; see what God hath done” (Hymns, no. 241)."

Gordon B. Hinckley, “First Presidency Christmas Devotional: ‘My Redeemer Lives’,” Ensign, Feb 2001, 70–73

String some popcorn as a family, and for each popcorn to go on, name something you are grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for. OR Make a gratitude jar by putting in a piece of candy each time you say something you are grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus for. Give it away to a neighbor with a note of things you came up with as a family and your testimony of Christ.

Christmas is a time to bring forth good fruit.

Read Matthew 7: 16-20
" Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good bruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

Display GAK 213 (Jesus Healing the Blind Man) 234 (Jesus shows His wounds) and any other favorite pictures of Christ.

Free Clip Art image found on google.com

Make a picture of a tree and say This is Jesus’ tree. Come up with as many ideas as you can to label the fruit- that is things that Jesus did in His life that were “good fruit”.

Add a couple apples of things you have noticed about each other in your family. E.g. Mom wants to put up an apple of Christina giving her sister a hug when she was hurt. We can bring forth good fruit just like our Savior.

Christmas is a time to give “the best” gifts.

Read 3 Nephi 14:9-12
"Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets."

Wrap a few “yucky” gifts like a dirty sock, a chewed up apple or a crumpled newspaper. Have the children open them. How would they feel if these were their real Christmas gifts? Take a large piece of poster board and divide it in half Label the columns good gifts and best gifts. Brainstorm gifts for each categories, for younger children try to draw pictures of what they say. Good gifts could include a Barbie or toy truck. Best gifts should include things like service, a humble heart, kind words, love, thankful prayers to Heavenly Father, the life of Jesus Christ, etc.

Sing I Feel My Saviors Love Children’s Songbook pg.74 Focus on learning Vs.4
"I’ll share my Savior’s love, By serving others freely, In serving I am blessed, In giving I receive."

“ Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved. There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. It is the time to love the Lord our God with all our heart and our neighbors as ourselves. It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much, he who gives time gives more, but he who gives of himself gives all.Someone has appropriately said, “We make a living by what we get, but we build a life by what we give.” It is through giving, rather than getting, that the Spirit of Christ enters our lives.”
Thomas S. Monson “First Presidency Christmas Devotional: ‘My Redeemer Lives’,” Ensign, Feb 2001, 70–73

Christmas is a time to be celebrated by all nations and people of the world.

Have a Mexico, France and Italy flag. Also have a map they can point to and a picture of Christ.

In Mexico children decorate their homes for Christmas with colored paper lanterns and flowers. Children in Mexico often celebrate with a presebra which is a replica of the manger scene with Jesus was born nearly 2000 years ago!
In Mexico children have a great deal of fun when they participate in a parade called a posada. These parades represent Mary and Joseph searching for a place to stay on the night Jesus was born. Some of the people in the parade dress as Mary and Joseph and some dress as angels. The parade goes from door to door searching for shelter just as Mary and Joseph did the night Jesus was born. Just as Mary and Joseph could find no room in the inn, neither can the participants of the parade. Sometimes the people in the parade will say a prayer in front of the manger scene and then they will have a party!
(Have them hold the Mexican flag.Pretend to have a parade around the living room)

Almost all the homes in France display a Nativity scene or creche which reminds everyone of the true meaning of Christmas. (Have them hold the French flag. Do we have a nativity in our home??)
On Christmas Eve restaurants and cafes in France stay open all night! The restaurants are serving a special meal that is called "le reveillon." The word reveillon means to wake up! Reveillon symbolically represents the spiritual awakening to meaning of the birth of Jesus!
Children of France are busy munching away on sausages, oysters, ham and pastries while you are putting away roast turkey! French children also eat a cake which is called a "Christ Cake." A Christ cake is coated with sugar and is decorated to look like the Christ child. (Pretend to make a Christ cake.) One very interesting custom in France is to leave a candle burning in case the Virgin Mary passes by! Something else that you might find very interesting is that the children in France receive their gifts on December 6th!

Children in Italy celebrate Christmas with a big focus on Jesus! They start celebrating Christmas 8 days before Christmas and continue until after the Feast of Ephiphany. On December 23rd, children dress up like shepherds and they go from house to house playing shepherds songs. People give the children money for the children to buy treats!
In Italy families kneel before the presepio which means manger. The manger figures are hand-carved and are usually very detailed. The manger scene is set out in the shape of a triangle. This pyramid structure is called a ceppo. The ceppo is built out of wood and is several feet high. It is decorated with colored paper and cones! The shelves in the ceppo is filled with small gifts and candy. (Have them hold the Italian flag. Pretend to put candy in the ceppo.)
The children in Italy are not looking for Santa Claus but are looking for Befana. Befana is a witch-like character and she rides on a broom. The story about Befana says that on the night that baby Jesus was born, she was asked by the Three Wise Men for directions to Bethlehem and she said she was too busy! Later on that night Befana saw a light in the sky and decided to go to Bethlehem. She looked and looked but could not find the stable. Legend says that each and every year she continues to look for the Christ Child. Since she was not able to give the Christ Child a gift, legend also says that she gives gifts to good boys and girls.

Info found on : http://www.homeschooled-kids.com/cmasworld.html
Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Bella Beita B&B 1/2008

Now hold up a flag of where you are from and talk about ways you celebrate Christ during Christmas.