Toy car, Etch A Sketch and Jingle Bell Necklaces

A few weeks ago, my mother made and gave me a folder that has a Christmas story, scripture and Christmas song for each day of December up to the 24th. With it came a tall candle with 24 notches on it from top to bottom. So every day we light the candle and let it burn down to the next notch while we read our Christmas story and listen to the song etc. It is wonderful, I love it and the kids think it is fun. Last night Joey and I watched a Christmas Devotional with our friends the Marchants. I loved Thomas S. Monson's story about when he was a boy and first learned that it is better to give than to receive. I wont be able to retell it as well as he, but here it goes.

Young Thomas received an electric train for Christmas. He loved it. It was everything he wanted and more. He saw his mom wrapping a wind up train (not as nice as his) and wanted that coal car that was a part of the set. He threw a fit about it and his mother was not happy, but gave him the coal car. She then took him with her to give the wind up train (sans the coal car) to a neighbor boy that didn't have any presents that Christmas. Elder Monson recalled how happy and delighted the boy was to receive that wind up train and didn't even know that a coal car was missing. Thomas asked his mother to wait for him while he ran home. He got the coal car and gave it to the neighbor boy.  The End.

I thought that the story in the folder for today was a little bit too long and mature for the kids, so I told Elder Monson's story. I then had Luke and Isabel draw a picture of a toy that they thought would be fun for a child that was poor to get on Christmas morning. I then had them write about that toy and why they think it would be fun. Isabel drew and wrote about a toy car and Luke, an Etch A Sketch.  Tonight we will go to the store and have Isabel pick out a car and Luke an Etch a Sketch to buy for a child that is poor.

We then did spelling words. I gave them all Christmas related words, gift, snow, bells, etc for Isabel and ornaments, mistletoe, chocolate etc. for Luke.  I had them do their math worksheets and write birthday cards to the December birthday people.  After lunch we made jingle bell necklaces.  Just some jingle bells on string.  Luke watched Ninja Warrior on TV and Isabel and I read together and she helped me wrap some presents.