I Am Thankful Jars: I got the idea from Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog and altered it to lead my family up to the Yule holiday. We wrote out 21 cards. Each card has something we were thankful for. Example: family, neighbors, food, nature, etc. Under what we were thankful for is an activity. Example: food... Bake cookies for the cafeteria ladies at school.
Beginning December 1st, we will pull out one card each day and participate in the activity. I am hoping this will help my boys understand the spirit of the season and not focus as much on the gift getting. My fingers are crossed.
**Several of our thankful cards contain the names of people that are important to us. We will be trying out many of the card activities list in the lower portion of this post to fulfill our thank you note sign of gratitude.**
Feed the Birds: Make popcorn garland and hang it in the trees. Create your own feeders out of recyclables or cardboard. You can also make an inexpensive field guide for bird watching or a bird watching kit. These ideas come from one of my favorite moms on the net... Valerie of Frugal Family Fun Blog.
Make a Wreath: Collect pine boughs while taking a family walk. Of course, collecting falling pieces from nature is idea, but if you are like me that is not an option. I bought store bought pine garland at Walmart for a couple of dollars.
Homemade Candles: Make a set of candles for your Yule log.
Tree Decorations: Consider making tree decorations as gifts. This is also the perfect time to remember old holiday traditions. Pagans used to bring live trees into their home in order to give the wood spirits a place to keep warm during the winter. Food was placed in the tree to feed the welcomed spirits. Bells were also placed in the tree. When a bell would ring, you knew a wood spirit was in your home.
Bottle Cap Ornament.
Retro Ornaments.
Paper Drops.
Dangling Snowman.
Photo Cube (perfect for the grandparents).
Yule Log: Find a large log. Drill 3 holes into the log. Place one candle of each color in the log: white, red, and black. OR... Bake a homemade chocolate Yule log. Of the two choice of course a real log is simply better, but sometimes not as practical.
**If possible, plan on staying up as long as possible and watching the Yule log burn. This would be a perfect night to make those popcorn garlands mentioned earlier.**
Sun Shaped Cookies: The perfect way to welcome the return of the sun. Consider sharing these with friends and/or neighbors.
Yule Cards: You can buy many holiday cards at the store, but why not try your hand at making them. It may cost a bit more and will definitely take more time, but I think the benefits will surpass all expectations.
Directions with great symbols of the season.
Drying Mittens Card.
Holiday Lights Card.
Joyful Tidings.
Holiday Cootie Catcher.
Snowman Card.
Using Kid Art.
Reindeer Fingerprint Card.
Holiday Tree Card.
Understanding Yule: Explain the concept of the holiday to your child. Ask your child/ren to draw a picture of the sun being born as a symbol of the sunnier days to come. Your child could also try other mediums like clay or finger paints.
Sun Rise Picnic: Wake up extra early and go on an outdoor picnic to watch the sunrise. During this picnic talk about the importance of the Winter Solstice... This is the shortest day and longest night of the year. After the Winter Solstice, the days begin to grow longer. In Texas, we will soon be able to begin planting. This is the time of year to awaken new goals and let regrets get placed aside.
Quizzes about the Winter Solstice and Traditions: Just for Fun
**I believe that several of these ideas might have come from the same site as the chocolate Yule log.**
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