Old Fashioned Christmas

We're trying a different approach to Christmas in our house this year.  It is so hard to keep kids from getting self-centered and greedy in a season that is supposed to be all about giving to others.  Every year we vow to keep our focus on Jesus and the gift he gave us, but every year we get caught up in Santa and who is getting what for whom.  Not again, though.  Not this year.

Of course we'll be giving and receiving, and we've already had our Christmas photo shoot with Santa, but the majority of our Christmas this year will be homemade.  We started the season yesterday with making salt dough ornaments.  Grayson got to make the dough by himself, and they cut the ornaments out with a few of our million and ten Christmas cookie cutters. 

While the ornaments baked, I let them decorate some store-bought gingerbread men with decorator icing to pass the time.

According to Grayson, this is what happens to ninja turtle gingerbread men who use bad behavior.  Ouch!

I'll post pictures of the painted ornaments later today!

Comments

[foolery]

Best part of Christmas is baking and painting. Hope I can swing it this year (yikes).

[Debbie]

Been following your hubby's blog for a bit and glad to find yours. My kids are older now, 21, 17 and 14 but we didn't do the "santa" thing either. I remember my hubby saying that he remembered what it was like to find out santa wasn't real, it made him wonder if Jesus was real. So, we decided against it. Didn't hurt my kids at all. Your boys are precious. God bless and keep posting.