Christmas Website

I stumbled upon Merry-Christmas.com today and thought that the rest of you might find it useful.

Have you run out of gift tags? Print your own.

Are you looking for Christmas tradition ideas? There are 31 to read about.

Do you want to listen to Christmas music or read the lyrics? Listen to mp3's.

Are the kids getting bored and need something to do? They can email Santa or print a coloring page.

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, take a look at Merry-Christmas.com.

Playdate

Do you need a little break? Do your kids need some time outside of the house? How about meeting up with some other MOPS moms at Flatirons Mall. Friday morning, December 18, at 10 am in the soft play area.

Dessert and Dancing

December Holiday Date!

What: Date Night for MOPS moms & their husbands/guest

Two instructors from Fred Astaire Dance Studios will provide one hour of dance instruction.

When: Friday, December 11 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Where: FCC; The Red Theatre

Cost: $10 per couple

Please bring your money to the next MOPS meeting on Tuesday, December 8. You can pay Leah, the DGL at Planet Forgetful. *See Leah for other payment options including paying at the event!

Food: Please bring your favorite appetizer or dessert to share!

Fast, Easy Ornaments

Jill Morian just forwarded me this link to make fast, easy photo ornaments. All you need is a picture (any size), a pair of scissors, a hole punch, string, and two paper fasteners. This is a great craft to make with your kids. Plus, these are unbreakable.

Also, if you weren't at the MOPS meeting on November 24, we made great smelling ornaments using a clear glass ornament like the ones you can purchase at Hobby Lobby or Michael's, some potpourri, and a ribbon. Quick, easy and really nice.

As always, we would love for you to comment or share any ideas that you have with the rest of us.

The Season of Advent

Just recently I have begun to learn about "Advent". I knew that it always occurred around Christmas but that was about the extent of my knowledge. To start my quest at learning what Advent was and is, I looked up the meaning of Advent. According to the dictionary, Advent is "the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event." So being the Christmas season it seems appropriate that we, as Christians, would celebrate the coming of Christ as the baby Jesus.

I have also learned that the most common way to celebrate advent is through a wreath with four candles. Each candle represents a Sunday prior to Christmas or the birth of Christ. Depending on the day of the week when Christmas falls, the advent season can be 22-28 days long. At amazingmoms.com, you can learn how to make your own advent wreath and read more about the symbolism of the wreath and the four (sometimes five) candles.

Another common way to celebrate advent is through an advent calendar that begins on December 1st. Joanne Heim, The Simple Wife, has a extensive collection of posts on advent and how she and her family have incorporated this celebration into their family. Joanne also spoke at our MOPS group last year and shared some examples of books and other materials that she uses to  during the season of advent.

I am a little behind starting our advent celebration this year, as it will be our first with MaKenna. I have a couple of ideas of what I would like to do, but I am curious how you celebrate advent with your family. I have heard a lot of you mentioning that you have begun, so please share your family traditions or ideas with me and the rest of our MOPS group.