advent – Homespun Sugar

Christmas School

Michelle Underwood Homeschool, Uncategorized December 20, 2021February 1, 2023A Christmas Carol, A Gift to Give, advent, All Creation Waits, Charles Dickens, Christmas Books, joy, Thankful for You List, The Christmas Doll 0 Comment

December 20, 2021 - Monday

JOY

During December I intentionally slow down and strive to enter the rest of the season. My hope - to surrender to the Lord, lay aside my agenda and the agenda of my curriculums, and simply follow Jesus. Advent is an important part of that slowing down.

Each December has looked different for us. We have used various advent studies over the years. I hope to share those soon.

The overarching theme for our advent season this year was joy, and my desire was to infuse joy into all we did.

Memory verse:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13, NIV)

Advent:

As I was praying for fresh manna for advent this year, a beautiful devotional arrived in my inbox from The Keeping Company. They are the makers of the Cradle to Cross Advent Wreath we have used for years. This year they released a new devotional that focuses on the twenty five names of Jesus. It is beautifully done. We particularly enjoyed the beautiful art that accompanies each day, and used it for December art study. (Recommended for older children.)

Science and Nature:

In addition to our daily advent study, we have been journeying through the book All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings, by Gayle Boss. Each day focuses on a different animal and how God created each one to prepare for and survive the winter months. This book is very well written and full of awe inspiring facts about the wonders of nature. (Recommended for upper elementary children and older.)

Nature walks continue to be part of our weeks as we enjoy the fellowship and the adventures of our Wild and Free group. We have been blessed by warm December days – something we are not taking for granted. One of my favorite hikes was through a wooded preserve where we found a variety of winter treasures, from Hedge Apples, Black Walnuts and giant oak leaves. For the pièce de résistance - we had a Christmas party complete with a hot cocoa / snackuterie board. You can read more about that here…

Hymns:

Each year we pick a new Christmas hymn to learn and study. This years I chose Joy to World (it goes well with my joy theme). We used the lyrics for copy work*. In addition to copy work, the children learned to play the carol on the piano, and study the history.

* Did you know that you can create your own handwriting worksheets at www.worksheetworks.com?! I love this site!

Children’s Literature
December is one of my favorite months for read alouds. There are so many fantastic Christmas books we enjoy year after year.

LIST OF FAVORITE CHRISTMAS PICTURE BOOKS – coming soon

LIST OF FAVORITE CHRISTMAS NOVELS – coming soon

As I reorganized my bookshelves this fall, I stumbled upon the book The Christmas Doll. You can read my full review HERE. It was one we had never read, so I set it aside for December. It was a beautiful story, and nicely complimented the books we read in November - A Place to Hang the Moon and the Railway Children.

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Our primary study for December was Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. The book stretched the children slightly, but I found they adjusted to the language and literary style as we progressed through the story. We chose to listen to the audiobook by Tim Curry (available through Audible), and enjoyed his narration. I was uncertain if my children (9 and 11) would be too sensitive for the material, but I found it to be age appropriate. The book itself is written in a manner that did not invoke fear (in my children). What I have discovered is that novels like the Wizard of Oz or A Christmas Carol rely on children’s imaginations, as opposed to picture books and movies that do the imagining for you. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE picture books! And we did enjoy A Christmas Carol picture book by Brett Helquist, and the graphic novel by Sean Wilson. The images did create some uneasiness, but overall they felt appropriate. We also enjoyed The Muppets Christmas Carol movie, which was nicely done for younger children. For the grand finale our family attended a theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol at a local University. As you can image... by the end of December, we all knew the story inside and out; though there are layers upon layers to still be discover with future readings.

In addition to the novel A Christmas Carol, I took this opportunity to introduce the children to Charles Dickens. We really enjoyed Who was Charles Dickens by Pam Pollack, and A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson. If you have not yet discovered Deborah Hopkinson, I highly recommend you make her acquaintance. Her historical picture books are some of my favorites - including Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen.

When I asked the children how they would rate the novel, my oldest gave it a 5/5 and my youngest a 4/5. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much they enjoyed this timeless story. The novel sparked many delightful conversations and memories. It makes me excited to read some of Dickens other books with my children like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield.

Character Development

We flow from gratitude in November to giving in December. As we cross over into December – our posture of gratitude should become more pronounced as we prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior. A foundational element of gratitude is giving. As parents, we get a lot of practice giving in December, and our children become experts at receiving. My hope is that they would also develop the skill of giving, not just to those they love, but to those in need.

Thankful for You

Together we created a "thankful for you" list - where we listed the people in our lives that we are thankful for. From there we embarked on a different craft each week, creating gifts we could give to the people on our list. This year’s package included Canna Lily bulbs from our garden in burlap bags the children sewed, and homemade felted wool bookmarks. We were able to combine art and giving - both of which bring us joy! Felted wood bookmarks are so much fun to make. There are various tutorials on youtube you can follow if you are interested in trying your hand at this fun craft.

A Gift to Give

In addition to giving to those we know and love, there are many ways to bless those less fortunate at Christmas. Gifts to Give at Christmas has a collection of ideas on how to incorporate a tradition of giving in your family.

An Intentional Christmas

Michelle Underwood God is Good December 10, 2021January 21, 2022advent, Christmas, focus, message interpretation, Passover, tradition, worship 0 Comment

Jesus is the sweetness of life perfected. He is the most beautifully wrapped gift ever given. His light glows brighter than the most extravagant Christmas tree. He is Christmas!

December 1, 2021 – Wednesday

As December arrives, our family embraces the opportunity to celebrate with the world the priceless night, over 2000 years ago, when Love came down and rescued us. Love gave up His throne for a manger and the perfection of heaven for the imperfection of this fallen world. Yes, we celebrate His birth! But even more significantly, we celebrate the reason why He came! It’s the most amazing rescue story of all time. Love came down to rescue us so that through Him we could have life and we could have it abundantly.

I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect - life in its fullness until you overflow! John 10:10, TPT

Since my children were very small, I have prayed for wisdom on how to keep Christmas holy. Christmas as the world knows it, is not biblical. But, the story of Christmas is (Luke 2). Unlike Passover and other biblical feasts, there are no guidelines in the Bible on how to celebrate this historic occasion. Yet… the world cannot resist. At the very heart of Christmas is the desire to celebrate the King! It is what we were born to do. We cannot contain ourselves. Whether we realize it or not, we were made to worship Him. It is woven into the very fabric of our being.

Oh come let us adore Him!
Christ the Lord!

We have the right message! Worship! His birth is indeed praise worthy. It is our interpretation of that message we must seek wisdom on. Christmas is as intentional as we make it. The more we seek Him, the more we find Him (Jer 29:13)! Worship without intention is simply tradition. We can trim the tree, wrap the presents, and turn on the carols all without even thinking about Jesus if we are not careful.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13, ESV)

As we acknowledge Jesus through worship, we not only honor Him, but defeat the powers of darkness in our life. Worship is one of our most powerful weapons – that is why the enemy works so hard diminish its presence in the world. The primary tool he uses - distraction. Anyone ever feel a little distracted during December? We get so busy and distracted that we often crowd out the space we purposed to make for the King! Distraction and busyness arn't something reserved for December. It is an everyday, all year thing. It has become so familiar, we scarcely even recognize it.

Intentionality requires focus. If we want to be intentional about Christmas – we need to focus on Jesus. If we want to be intentional in life – we need to focus on Jesus. Have you ever sang an entire worship song, your thoughts trailing with distraction? We can even miss the worship in worship! Ugh. The battle is real y’all!

Do it ALL for His glory

Worship is a posture of the heart. It can and should be a part of ALL we do! Colossians 3:23 instructs us to “put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others”. We should do it ALL for the glory of the Lord (1 Cor 10:31). Jesus is in the details. He is in the generosity and giving of a special gift, the soft glow of the lights, the love that goes into home baked treats, and the holiness of the most beloved carols. The traditions of Christmas are indeed infused with the Spirit of Christmas – for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. He is gentle and humble (Matt 11:29) - we can miss Him if we aren’t careful. His holiness demands our worship – yet He never will. Because Jesus longs for relationship – He woos us without forcing us.

²³Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others. ²⁴For we know that we will receive a reward, an inheritance from the Lord, as we serve the Lord Yahweh, the Anointed. (Col 3:23-24, TPT)

So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of [our great] God. (1 Cor 10:31, AMP)

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. (Matt 13:16, NASB)

Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. (Matt 11:29, TPT)

Rest assured… there is no place Jesus won’t meet us!! Whatever the Christmas traditions of your family – I can assure you that Jesus is there. You just need to look for Him. Yes… I know there are pagan roots and materialism woven into many of our beloved traditions. So let’s redeem them! The enemy loses his grip on anything that is saturated with the goodness of God. As we intentionally seek Him in all we do, we will find Him.

The traditions we choose to embrace with our family should be used to glorify the Lord. Some are holy. Some are fun. Some are yummy. Some have been passed down through many generations. It isn’t the traditions that make Christmas holy, it is the presence of God. Love, peace, hope and joy… that’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown. Our traditions should honor our Savior - be full of love, bring peace, restore hope and overflow with joy! If they do… we are on the right track.

Frosty or a manger on the front lawn? Santa or no Santa? Elf or no elf? Decorations before or after the first of December? White or multicolored lights? Gingerbread or sugar cookies? Eggnog or hot cocoa? Gifts to the needy or visit a nursing home? Stay home or travel? The decisions are endless… So is His presence.

Folks – I have a news flash for you. It isn’t really about how we adorn Christmas. It is whether or not we adore Christmas! It isn’t the red and green He is after… it is our hearts. So do what you love and do it ALL for the glory of God. Chances are that your traditions reflect the beautiful qualities that make you… you! That is why your traditions are your traditions. Look a little closer and trust me… you will find Him there. Then do it ALL for His glory.

The world adorns Christmas with glowing lights, beautiful gift wrap, and sugary sweets. Pretty fitting if you ask you me. Jesus is the sweetness of life perfected. He is the most beautifully wrapped gift ever given. His light glows brighter than the most extravagant Christmas tree. The traditions of Christmas may at first glance appear to be of the world, but with unveiled eyes we see the beauty of our King. Much like a mirror, as we see Him in the details, we will start to reflect Him to the world.

The traditions of Christmas reflect the heart of our King, and are inspired by our design to worship Him! Worship is at the very heart of Christmas. As we adorn Christmas, let us also adore Christmas. Travel with me down the road less traveled this Christmas. There is a star shining bright in the sky that will light our path.

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Matt 2:2, NASB)

Finding Jesus in the Details...

If you choose to hang lights… do it with joy. Do it with intentionality. Do it for the glory of God. Declare that your home is a city on hill, a lamp upon a stand, shining bright for all to see His goodness in our land.

14 “Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? 15 And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. 16 So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”

Do you have the opportunity to host, or are you invited to a Christmas gathering? The opportunities to glorify the Lord during the holidays are endless… I recently went to a homeschool gathering and the mom who hosted put put her heart and soul into the event. She made our children feel treasured, inspired the moms with her generosity, and loved on each of us through her time and thoughtfulness. She created the most beautiful cocoa bar and Christmas snackuterie board with the contributions of each family. I was amazed at the beauty of community and sharing, sprinkled with love!

So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! (Ecc 9:7, NLT)

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31, NKJV)

I come from a long line of decorators and lovers of Christmas. You can read more about that in The Power of Christmas. Decorating brings joy and spreads joy. When you walk into a beautifully decorated home at Christmas, it is as if you are embraced by the smells, the sights and the sounds of Christmas. It is so grand! You know you are home and that you are loved - all without a word. This beautiful tree is in my cousins house in Texas. It speaks to the gifts God has given her. She is a beautiful decorator, person, and lover of Jesus. This is just an example of what it can look like when we put our heart and soul into what we love (Col 3:23). All we have to do is use the gifts He has given us.

23 Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others. (Col 3:23, TPT)

I also like to decorate... but my gift is more with food. I find such joy in feeding people. I have slowly figured that out over the years. It all started in college when I would host cinnamon roll breakfasts at 7am at my house. Since then my passion has only grown. It is who God made me to be. God's gifts come naturally and bring joy! We bless others with our gifts!!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!(Ps 34:8, NKJV)

Christmas is a time to give and love on others. There are so many opportunities to share what we have during the holiday season. In Matthew 25:40 Jesus tells us that when we give to the least of these we give to Him. Do you want to know how to give gifts to Jesus this Christmas season? Give to the least of these by reaching out to those in need. Our family has a tradition each Christmas that we pray promotes generosity in our children. We wrap up $25 for each of our four children and enclose a World Vision catalog. We let them flip through the pages and decide as a group what they would like to spend their money on. It has been so refreshing watching them embrace this opportunity year after year.

For more ideas on ways to give - hop on over to Gifts to Give at Christmas.

“And the King will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you cared for one of the least of these, my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.’ (Matt 25:40, TPT)

But when you demonstrate generosity, do it with pure motives and without drawing attention to yourself. 4 Give secretly and your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly.” (Matt 6:3-4, TPT)

If you haven't already... incorporate an advent tradition into your home. Advent helps to keep our focus to Jesus. We love the Cradle to Cross Wreath to accompany our advent study. Each morning we light a candle and begin with our devotion. We have used numerous advent studies over the years... this year we used the new devotional that comes with the wreath on the names of Jesus.

An Advent Celebration (Coming Soon)

This is just the tip of the ice burg… God will reveal Himself to you as you seek Him; He will use your tradtions, unique gifts, interests and talents to love on the world this Christmas!

Chocolate-Drizzled Pumpkin Muffins

Michelle Underwood Recipes December 4, 2020March 13, 2021advent, Gratitude, muffin, Pumpkin, recipe 0 Comment

We love these pumpkin muffins! It was a recipe I found on the blog Riddlelove years ago. It has become a staple in our home. The original recipe is gluten-free and grain-free. If you do not have the almond or coconut flour on hand, either or both can be substituted with wheat flour. You can find the full recipe HERE.

They are delicious right out of the oven as well as refrigerated overnight.

Just mix all ingredients up in your blender, bake, drizzle and serve:

Today we enjoyed these muffins as a part of our advent celebration, along with the advent devotional by Ann Voskamp, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas. It is a beautiful journey through the lineage of Jesus, with daily suggestions on how to make your Christmas more holy. Each day comes with ornaments you can print or purchase. We chose to print them and are hanging them on our Gratitude Tree we left up after November. Additionally, we LOVE our beautiful advent wreath. Each day we light a candle as we read our devotions. If you are interested in purchasing one, they are available HERE.