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All posts for the month December, 2008

Book Review: "Christmas in the Country"

Published December 23, 2008 by amandamarkel

I picked up a copy of Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant from our library because I’d heard a lot of good things about it. As I started previewing it to see if it was something I wanted to use in school, I was initially impressed.  Cute story about a girl who lives with her grandparents in the country, and the three of them getting ready for Christmas.  All kinds of fun things like chopping down a Christmas tree, decorating, presents, and a family gathering.  Yes, it mentions Santa, but I can work around that.  I was especially impressed because they go to church together on Christmas Eve.  So, the real meaning of Christmas is there.

Then I got to the part where they go to church on Christmas Day, and I read this:

“I went to church again with my grandparents, later that Christmas morning.  They let me take my doll.  The service was short because the preacher knew everyone wanted to play with their toys and bake their hams.  He just reminded us what Christmas was about and sent us home.”

That was kind of a deal-breaker for me.  It gives a completely bad idea of what a pastor’s job is, and takes the focus right of the true reason for Christmas.  I suppose if it had been a fantastic book except for that, I could have just skipped those two pages, but it wasn’t–it was only OK to begin with.  So, we didn’t use it, and I won’t be checking it out again.

My Problem With Santa

Published December 23, 2008 by amandamarkel

OK, to be honest, I have a few problems with the whole Santa thing (which is why we don’t “do” Santa around here). First, all of the qualities of God he’s given.  Omniscient (knows when you’re sleeping, knows if you’ve been good or bad), omnipresent (how else could he possibly deliver all those gifts all over the world in one night?!?), and darn well near omnipotent (how else can you explain the things he does–flying reindeer, world travel, eating all those cookies–sounds pretty close to all-powerful to me!).

Then there’s the fact that I don’t understand why the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior needs anything to be more special or more fun.  I feel this way even more at Easter with the whole Easter Bunny nonsense–because our Savior’s resurrection isn’t good enough on it’s own?  We need a candy and toy delivering bunny to make it better, somehow?  Church holidays should be able to stand on their own without our help, at least I think so.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem teaching my children about the real Saint Nicholas–about his faith in God, and about his generosity to others, which stemmed from that faith.  But, I can’t imagine that if the real Nicholas knew what kind of farce his kindness to children has morphed into, he would be very happy with it.  

But what really steams me is the way parents push the whole Santa thing, which makes me believe it’s really more for them than their children.  Take this quote, for example:

“Q: What do you do when your kid asks if Santa is real?  A: Jacob is 7 and Connor is almost 6, so we’ve had this question a lot lately.  I remind them that we believe in some things even if we can’t see them–like how we believe in God.  There are so many heavy, serious things that kids today have to handle–they need a little magic too!”

Now, it’s one thing to play pretend with small children.  It’s not for us, but I (mostly) keep my opinions to myself, and I’m certainly not judging people who do Santa; my own parents did with me.  But the thing is, when I was about seven or so, and asked my mother if Santa was real, she didn’t lie to me, or try to convince me otherwise, she just asked me what I thought, and then I knew.  If you’re going to do Santa, I think that’s the best way to go about it–let your children figure it out on their own, and when they do, accept it, don’t try to convince them otherwise, or make the lie worse, like the mother in the quote above.  She crosses a serious boundry with her response to her children, because not only does she lie to them to try to get them to keep believing (and at an age when her oldest is probably ready and able to discern the truth), she makes a one-to-one comparison to God:  ”We believe in some things even if we can’t see them–like how we believe in God.”

Warning!  Warning!  What serious Christian parent could possibly think this answer to a child’s question about the truth of Santa is appropriate or wise?  What happens to that child, when, at the age of eight or nine or whenever, he really does find out the truth about Santa?  Now, we’ve got not only the regular disappointment and potential disillusionment over finding out that your parents have been lying to you your whole life, but also a potential crisis of faith.  I can see it now:  ”But mom, you said Santa is just like God; we can’t see either one of them, and I was supposed to still believe.  Now that I know Santa doesn’t exist, maybe God doesn’t either.  And since you lied to me about Santa, why should I believe you about God?”

Now, I’m not saying that every child is going to lose their faith, stop trusting their parents, etc., but if even one does, isn’t that too many?  (And just for the record, I did actually know someone who did have this crisis, and it took him a long time to work through.  That’s what first started me re-thinking the whole Santa thing back in high school.)  Is it really worth it to take that chance when we’re talking about something as serious as faith in the Almighty?  Since when did making Christmas “magical” become more important than nurturing a child’s faith in the One who created him?

Christmas School: Miscellaneous Resources

Published December 22, 2008 by amandamarkel

We had a blast with Christmas school the last two-plus weeks!  I was very fortunate to have a wide variety of resources to use: Books, CDs, and DVDs.  Some I got from the library, some I picked up from either the warehouse sale this fall or Amazon.com when I had gift certificates.  Many I already had, even before we had children.  So, I had a good 10 years or more to collect some of this stuff, without even knowing then that I’d be homeschooling now, but it was all put to good use this year.

We started “Christmas School” on December 5, the day before the commemoration of Nicholas of Myra.  I thought that since it was so timely, it would be good to start with Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend.  This is a great children’s book that introduces readers to Nicholas’ faith and generosity, as well as the fact that he was a real person.

That day, we also began our Christmas trip around the world.  I found a fun book(Christmas Around the World) that gives a basic introduction to the Christmas activities in twelve countries, including how to say “Merry Christmas” in that country’s native language, what the main symbol of Christmas is in that location, and a general overview of when the holiday is celebrated (not always on December 25), and what that celebration looks like, from food to activities to present opening.

I found one other book at the library that I used in our trip around the world: Christmas in the Philippines.  This book wasn’t a storybook, so it’s not like I could just sit down and read it to Turkey and Bunny, but they did enjoy looking at the pictures (and there were many), of what Christmas looks like in that country. There were also some interesting looking recipes at the back, but Asian cooking is not my strong point, so I don’t know if any of those were good.

A book that provided me with some craft activities, as well as possible explanations for the meanings behind the 12 Days of Christmas was The Adventure of Christmas.  There are lots of great ideas in this book, for a variety of ages, so I’m sure I’ll be using for many years to come.

 

One storybook we really enjoyed was The Lion Storyteller Christmas Book.  It’s as good as the original Lion Storyteller that we’ve been reading in school, and we read a lot of the stories in it.  Some of our favorites included: “Old Befana,” “Wenceslas’ Winter Walk,” “A Flower for Christmas,” “The First Christmas Tree,” “Francis’ Christmas Pageant,” “Father Joseph’s Christmas Song,” “Brother Comgall’s Christmas,” “Papa Panov’s Visitors” (a great story illustrating the words of Jesus in Matthew 25: 31-46), and “The Cobbler’s Sons.”  There was also a whole section of Bible stories at the beginning of the book, and we might try to read some of those before it goes back to the library.

Turkey and Bunny also had two coloring books they enjoyed using.  The first, the Christmas Around the World Coloring Book, had beautiful pictures detailing Christmas celebrations in many different countries.  In retrospect, this book was probably a little too detailed and advanced for them, but they didn’t color all the pictures, so we’ll probably be able to use it for several more years.  The second, Christmas Traditions, is a fun book that we picked up at our favorite Christmas festival. The pictures were much less complex in this book, and it had the added bonus of Turkey and Bunny having seen a lot of the characters at the festival, so that was probably the more popular of the two. Both also had pictures of the Nutcracker story, so they were very useful on the days we were learning about that story.

My favorite purchase at the warehouse sale (as soon as I saw it, I knew I needed it for Christmas school), was Sacred Songs of Christmas.  This is actually a book and CD set, and includes the lyrics and music for 19 Christmas hymns and carols.  It’s a beautiful book, and in addition to the lyrics, contains stories, poems, and verses from other hymns.  We gained more insight to some of the hymns we associate with Christmas, as well as some of the characters and places in the Christmas story.

We also had a few other Christmas CDs that we listened to during different school activities.  The best was the Classical Kids Christmas CD.  I continue to be impressed with this series of CDs for children, and the Christmas version is my favorite so far.  It’s organized much like a children’s Christmas program, and includes songs from around the world, and showcases some of the other holidays associated with Christmas in various Christian cultures.  The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas was also helpful to us, primarily for listening to the 12 Days of Christmas on the days we were doing our special Christmas math activity, but also for providing festive background music on a few occasions, and listening to songs such as “Feliz Navidad” and “Adeste Fidelis” when we were learning about Christmas around the world.

While the Nutcracker was our primary source of videos in Christmas school, we did have one other show we watched, the final day of school.  It was an episode of The Seasoned Traveler, which is a PBS show.  This particular episode, entitled “Christmas Markets,” allowed us to see what Christmas markets are like all around Europe, but particularly in Germany. It may not have been a story like the Nutcracker, but Turkey and Bunny really liked it, because it was real–a show about a real event, at real places, that real people can go to.

We had a lot of resources to go through this year, but I’m already looking ahead to years down the road, and what we might add to our school as the children get older.  Included on that list are The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (I still remember reading about the Herdmans when I was in grade school) and The Annotated Christmas Carol (which is probably still several years off–I don’t think Turkey and Bunny will really “get” it; they don’t really “get” the Muppet version, either!).

That’s a lot of books–it’s a good thing Turkey and Bunny like reading as much as I do!

Christmas School: Nutcracker Resources

Published December 22, 2008 by amandamarkel

 

We took two days of our Christmas unit to read, watch and listen to various Nutcracker stories.  We read the classic:  The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet.  Turkey and Bunny were really amused by this story, and I like it because it’s one of the few secular Christmas stories that has nothing to do with Santa.  We also watched the Nutcracker ballet–two different versions.  First we watched the classic Baryshnikov, which my father actually bought for me when I was a little girl, after we had seen a performance of the ballet in downtown Chicago.  Turkey and Bunny loved that, and it would have been enough, except that I stumbled across the San Francisco Ballet performance of the Nutcracker on PBS, and I was so impressed by the costumes, sets, and general interpretation that we watched that one, too, and the children liked it just as much, if not more.  We, of course, had to watch the Nutcracker segment on Walt Disney’s Fantasia after learning about the ballet, and they thought that was equally entertaining.  I also have a beautiful recording of the Nutcracker that Ryan bought me one Christmas, so we listened to that music while doing our school activities one day.  I think Turkey and Bunny have successfully ingrained the sounds in their brains–they won’t be forgetting that score any time soon!

Christmas School: Bible Storybooks

Published December 22, 2008 by amandamarkel

I have a wide variety of Christmas storybooks, (in addition to reading both the Matthew and Luke Christmas stories straight from the Bible on different days), each that tells the Christmas story in a different way. We really enjoyed these, and tried to read one book each day (which also included The Nutcracker and Saint Nicholas).  

My personal favorite is The Crippled Lamb, which I’ve owned for almost 15 years.  That book was a little hard for me to read aloud this year in light of Moose’s problems, but I made it through, and the children loved it. We also read both The First Christmas (which Ryan bought for Turkey the Christmas before he was born) and The Very First Christmas.  They sound similar, but are wildly different.  I really like The Very First Christmas; The First Christmas is good, but it places the wise men at the stable the night of Jesus’ birth, so I just skipped the end of it.  Bunny especially enjoyed reading The Three Wise Women of Christmas, and I think we all enjoyed learning a little bit more about Anna, who tends to be easily overlooked because her story in the Bible is so short.  Our final Bible storybook was From Heaven Above, which is based on the Christmas carol by Martin Luther.  The illustrations are especially nice–Turkey and Bunny really enjoyed the close-up of Jesus in the manger.  We will also be using a storybook for Epiphany:  The Visit of the Wise Men. This title gives a more accurate portrayal of the journey of the magi, so I don’t have to worry about editing as I read.  I’ve also found a book that’s already on the schedule for next year:  Fear Not Joseph.  I couldn’t get my hands on it this year, and I couldn’t afford to buy it, so it had to wait, but I’m really excited to have a storybook from Joseph’s point-of-view, because that’s one thing we don’t really have.

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Published December 19, 2008 by amandamarkel

We concluded our trip around the world, as well as our two-week Christmas unit, today by learning about Christmas celebrations in Germany.  We listened to a German Christmas carol (“Now Sing We, Now Rejoice”), and talked a little bit about the difference between hymns (more formal), and carols (much more laid back, and very well suited to singing while strolling down the street).

We also turned once again to the Lion Storyteller for one more Christmas story–a legend from Germany, but one that, ironically, takes place in England:  ”The First Christmas Tree.”  I had some mixed feelings about this story, because part of it was darker than the other stories we have read, but I felt that the ending was worth it, really driving home the fact that Jesus is the only sacrifice required by God.  And, while Turkey and Bunny did seem a little troubled by part of the story, they didn’t seem scared, so I think we struck a good balance.

Following learning about the custom of decorating Christmas trees, we made a really neat Christmas tree that has an almost stained glass effect when you hang it in a window.  Turkey and Bunny practiced making the small snips with their scissors that the project requires, but in the end, when working on their actual trees, I made the snips for them.  Bunny just doesn’t have the fine motor skills yet to make cuts that small, and while I’m certain Turkey *could* have done it, once he saw me making specific shapes in Bunny’s tree, he wanted me to do his, too.  They did have a great time with color selection and gluing, and some trimming (mostly on Turkey’s part–he’s way better with scissors than his sister is!).

They also had a tree decorating coloring sheet in their Christmas Around the World coloring books, and a picture of Kris Kringle in their Holiday Traditions coloring books.  We may not “do” Santa here, but I do think it is interesting for them to learn about the way other cultures view the legend of St. Nicholas.

The highlight of the day (other than the tree project), was learning about “Christkindlmarkts.”  That is my favorite thing about Christmas in Germany, and I really hope to attend the Nuremberg market someday.  I have been to the Chicago Christkindlmarket, and from what I can tell, it’s a pretty good replica.  It was also my very favorite Christmas tradition when I lived up in the Chicago area (schnitzel sandwich and hot spiced cider, anyone?), and I can’t wait to take the children there in a few years when they’re older.  I’ll confess to actually having had dreams about it, I enjoyed it so well, and miss it so much.

After I explained to them what a Christmas market is, we watched an episode of “The Seasoned Traveler” from PBS.  I saw this show a few years ago, and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to find this year that’s it’s available on DVD.  I don’t know how I never caught before that the show is geared toward seniors who like to travel (I know, the title should have tipped me off, but I really thought “seasoned” just referred to people who were experienced travelers!), but I don’t think that really matters, and Turkey and Bunny loved seeing the different markets in Germany, as well as other places in Europe.  They were quite surprised that those were actual places, especially the Nuremberg market, with a children’s area, complete with carousel and ferris wheel, and I think they really want to go to a Christmas market now!

I wish I could find the Christkindlmarkt video that we watched every year in my German class in high school.  I have no idea what it was called, but it was really cool, and told a story about a little German girl, while she went exploring through the market (I think maybe in Cologne?).  I know Turkey and Bunny would enjoy that, since it focuses on a child, but try as I might, I can’t even find out what it’s called, much less if I can get a copy anywhere.  I think that’s the only thing that would have made our Germany exploration better, though–we had a great time with Christmas around the world, and Christmas school!

Fröhliche Weihnachten and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Baking 2008

Published December 18, 2008 by amandamarkel

Here are the results of what we made this year:

  • Peppermint Fudge
  • Oreo Truffles
  • Strawberry-Vanilla Cake Balls 
  • Gingerbread Men
  • Decorated Sugar Cookies
  • Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
  • Apricot Almond Thumbprints
  • Chocolate Candy Cane Crunch Cookies

I think that’s it–some standards carried over from previous years and a few new things.  Gotta admit, I’m relieved I’m done.  Cookie baking is not my favorite thing–too putzy–but the children love helping, and I love sharing our treats with others (primarily Ryan’s co-workers).

Now, the goal for next year is to actually get them done before our church’s cookie walk so I can donate some.  That was the plan this year, but time slipped away, and I just didn’t get them made.  Haven’t looked at the 2009 calendar, but hopefully next year there will be more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas for me to get this stuff done!

If I was Smart…

Published December 18, 2008 by amandamarkel

Here’s how I *should* have handled the whole gingerbread house issue:

I *should* have really read the directions, instead of just scanning them to make sure I had any items necessary to complete the project.  Had I done this, I would have realized the lengthy drying times between steps, and I would have just assembled the blasted thing after the children were in bed last night.  Actually, if I’m being smart, I would have made Ryan do it.  Then he could have done the laborious and time-consuming trimming of the gingerbread pieces so they would lie flat.  This was a process that made me want to use some four-letter words, but as the children were present, that was really not an option.

I *should* have had the house ready to go this morning, so that Turkey and Bunny could just enjoy decorating it, as that’s really the only part they can do.  They’re not allowed to use sharp knives, so the trimming was out, and they can’t hold the decorator bag, so they couldn’t pipe the “glue” icing on (although, I suppose they could have tried spreading it on with a butter knife, in retrospect, but I don’t know if that would have made the process easier or harder!).

Finally, perhaps I *should* have considered doing this the easy way, the way I did in school…with graham crackers instead of gingerbread…I don’t know, maybe it wouldn’t have been easier after all, but right now, it seems like anything would have been a better alternative to the way we’re doing it.

Now we have to wait to this afternoon to decorate the house, which is the fun part…Turkey and Bunny are being surprisingly patient, for which I am extremely grateful.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Published December 17, 2008 by amandamarkel

Turkey, Bunny, and I have been reading the “Little House” series, and we’ve made our way partway into The Long Winter.  Today’s chapter started with Laura and Carrie going to school for the first time in the town of De Smet, Dakota Territory. Turkey and Bunny were astounded that the teacher started the school day by reading a Psalm from the Bible.  Even though they’re home-schooled (or maybe especially because they are), they know that they don’t teach about Jesus in our public schools, so it was quite a surprise that they could read from the Bible in theirs.

Turkey, inquisitive guy that he is, had to ask me some questions abour that.  ”Mommy, they were having Bible time at school?  Like we do?”  So, I told him that they used to read from the Bible in public schools, but they don’t do that anymore–they just don’t talk about Jesus in public schools.  And, in his unique way of looking at things, I think he summed it up rather eloquently:  

“Did they forget how to talk about Jesus?  They should go to church, and maybe then they’ll remember how to teach about Him.”

I guess that’s all there really is to say.

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