Color a Nostalgic Portrait of Santa Claus for a Christmas Calendar

      Above is a photo of the Nostalgic Santa Calendar in progress. I used a black, felt tip, permanent ink marker to hand letter my calendar numbers. It is traditional to depict only the twenty-five days until December 25th on a calendar such as this. Use white glue and cotton balls to cover each day as it passes. Children will enjoy giving Santa a snowy, white beard by the time he comes to fill their stockings with treats and candy!

      Layer colored pencils in order to create depth in Santa's portrait. On the left, I first chose to emphasize the wrinkles in Santa's face with a dark brown. Then I selected a bright red to draw attention to his rosy cheeks and nose. Then I colored his entire face with a flesh toned pencil. These three color selections will help your colored drawings to look three dimensional. As you improve, you will add many more color combinations to your skin tones. But, these three should suffice for young students.

      Again, as you can see I have selected a lavender and then a ruby red to layer beneath the red of Santa's hat before coloring the entire hat with a fire engine red. You can try multiple color combinations to see how different the portrait will look if you'd like.

      Above is an example of layering color compliments. I chose to green and red for the holly. After cutting out the holly leaves, I pasted a thin strip of foam to the backside of each leaf in order to add extra dimension to the calendar. Glue on a red pom pom or two for the berries.

      Above is a free coloring page of Santa for little one to use when assembling

their December count down to Christmas calendar.

The Santa Claus Puzzle Game

       If gifts are to be distributed it adds a great deal to the fun to have a bit of mystery about it. Santa Claus comes in with his pack on his back. After the usual preliminaries he announces that he has a wonderful lot of gifts in his pack, but that the only way a guest can get one of his wonderful packages is to guess what is inside each one of them; you know what this element of mystery will do for children!

       Every package is identified to Santa of it's contents by a small label that only he can see clearly. But, the children are seated too far from the packages to read this small label.

       All the gifts are wrapped up in tissue paper in strange shapes, so that there is no clue as to what they actually are. Santa Claus takes out one gift at a time from his bag and holds it up in front of the guests. Then he asks them to guess what it is. The first one to call out that it is a book, when it may actually look like a windmill or a giraffe or a ball, receives the gift. The gift must then be held onto the child with the first correct guess and not opened until all of the children have received a present from Santa. Then and only then are the children allowed to open their gifts and no further entertainment is necessary!

       However, Santa Claus must be a very tactful and observant person. He may notice when one little child is too timid to speak up and say just what she thinks is in a package. So he picks out a gift, turns to her and says directly to her, ''Tell me, little girl, what do you think is in here?'' and then gives her easy clues to help her guess correctly, much to her delight. It may also be possible that other children may speak when it is inappropriate to do so, but Santa must act as though he has trouble hearing them if younger or shyer children are to be heard above the excitement.

       Also, if there are both girls and boys guessing during the game Santa may need to specify - ''This next gift is something in which only girls are interested in. Let a boy make a guess at his own peril!" - so that the toys distributed come to those who will delight the most in them.

Sculpt a Snow Scene With Clay

A young student chooses to sculpt something unpretentious.

      Children don't need much to inspire their imaginations. Give them a bit of clay and read to them a story or two about winter. Before you know it, they are creating their own little vignettes from whatever materials are made available to them. 

      In school, art teachers often let young students draw after they have completed their art assignments. We call this 'a free draw.' This little clay vignette on the left was made during a student's free time. He used a few simple stamping tools and bright glazes to enhance his beloved  characters, a snowman and a penguin. 

      Children are not inhibited about embracing the simpler activities in life, activities like building snowmen or reading stories about ice skating penguins. They suffer from no need to craft "high art." Although this does not mean that children shouldn't be taught about fine art, it does mean that teachers should feel free to also let young students live out their childlike fantasies in the making of art. This kind of latitude will indeed inspire them to create more sophisticated work later in life.

       Not every art project needs an elaborate agenda, alternate the way that you look at art making as much as the way you use art materials. Choose to give young people a chance to interpret ideas and/or develop alternative solutions for some of the ideas you suggest to them. And if they just want to sculpt a snowman, then by all means, let them make one without feeling guilty! After all, they are only children once.

• Play Dough Snowmen
• Gone Snow Mobile-ing!
• Faux Snow Day
• snowman art

"This is the wonderful penguin story, narrated by David Attenborough in Bringing Up Baby from BBC Natural World. The film is edited by Mark Fletcher and the music is composed by Jennie Muskett"

Festive Popcorn Treats

How to Make a popcorn-cranberry garland for your Christmas Tree.

      Every boy and girl likes popcorn, and the bigger the boy or girl, the more they like it. So, for the Christmas festival, it can be used in many ways. A writer in a household paper, a clipping from which is in my scrap books, tells us: First, wash and polish some fine red apples; oranges may be used, also, if preferred. Cut off a slice from one end, and scoop out the pulp, leaving the skins whole. Pick out the very nicest and tenderest grains of popped corn and dip in either a thin syrup or melted butter. Fit a soft white wax or parchment paper inside the apple or orange, and fill this with the corn. Replace the top, and cover with a cluster of the corn grains, stuck together with syrup; a few green leaves, natural or artificial, should be added; or, if the oranges are used, use orange leaves. Put one of these filled shells at each plate.

      Another way to use popped corn is to make a caramel syrup, using brown sugar; cook until the caramel point; The syrup should cook two minutes before the corn is added. Have the pre-cooked popcorn broken up, and stir into the caramel, pour out on a greased cookie sheet and cook eight more minutes in an oven. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, make into squares or balls and wrap in waxed paper. They may be packed in "gift" boxes, or otherwise disposed of and given out.

More video about popcorn:

• The Muppets performing Popcorn
• How to make salt & vinegar popcorn
• How to Make and Wrap Halloween Popcorn Balls
• Chocolate-Popcorn recipe
• Pink Elephant Popcorn
• Avocado Balsamic Popcorn Recipe
• Sweet and Savory Popcorn
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Popcorn
• Red, white and blue kettle corn
• Savoury popcorn, one spicy and the other cheesy
• How to make popcorn while camping

Assembled A Disney Castle Jewelry Box

      I just put together this little Christmas gift/jewelry box for my cousin. My younger daughter will fill it with Disney stickers and candy jewels for her Christmas stocking. She will be nine years old this Christmas and we will certainly enjoy watching her excitement during the gift opening. I still need to add a layer of Modge Podge to the surface of my castle candy container, but once I do, it will be more difficult to photograph.

      I painted the inside of the box with several layers of darker purple paint. The key to painting a little box like this one is, to do so slowly and let it dry thoroughly after every coat of paint. This will help to prevent the box from warping. As I painted this one, I also had to add some white glue to the seams and clamp these while drying. Although it is a delicate process, the results are worth the time and patience I put into it.

      I could not resist the Disney Castle sticker! Our little princess will surely delight in the unique packaging this Christmas, for she is very artistically inclined herself. You can purchase very detailed stickers like the one I used from any craft store. I bought both the sticker and box from a Hobby Lobby store.

      Once my daughter packs the box, I will post another photo of the finished result just below.

I assembled this unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry box for my niece this Christmas. My younger daughter will stuff it with candy rings and candy necklaces before packing it into Emma's stocking.

More Edible Jewelry Crafts:

• Edible Jewelry Craft Party
• Assemble a Candy Treasure Chest from Wafer Cookies
• My treasure chest candy wrapper from Art Education Daily

The Life and Work of Robert L. May and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"

      May grew up in an affluent, secular Jewish home in New Rochelle, New York. He had a brother and two sisters. One of the sisters, Evelyn May, is the grandmother of the well-known economist Steven D. Levitt, of “Freakonomics” fame. Another sister, Margaret, married (Jewish) songwriter Johnny Marks in 1947. May graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1926. Both of his parents were hard hit by the Great Depression (1929) and lost their wealth. Sometime in the 1930s, he moved to Chicago and took a job as a low-paid in-house advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward. 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional
male reindeer with a glowing red nose,
 popularly known as "Santa's 9th Reindeer."
Whenever depicted, he is the lead reindeer
pulling Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve.
The luminosity of his nose is so great
that it illuminates the team's path through
 inclement winter weather.

      In early 1939, May’s boss at Montgomery Ward asked him to write a “cheery” Christmas book for shoppers and suggested that an animal be the star of the book. Montgomery Ward had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money and be a nice good-will gesture.

      Because May’s (Jewish) wife, Evelyn, had contracted cancer in 1937 and was quite ill as he started on the book in early 1939, many people believe that her fragile health inspired May to base the character of Rudolph upon her. However, we do know that  May "drew on memories of his own painfully shy childhood when creating his Rudolph stories." He decided on making a deer the central character of the book because his then 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, loved the deer in the Chicago zoo. He ran verses and chapters of the Rudolph poem by Barbara to make sure they entertained children. The final version of the poem was first read to Barbara and his wife’s parents.

      Evelyn May died in July, 1939. His boss offered to take him off the book assignment in light of his wife’s death. May refused and completed the poem in August, 1939. The Rudolph poem booklet was first distributed during the 1939 holiday season. Shoppers loved the poem and 2.4 million copies were distributed. War time restrictions on paper use prevented a re-issue until 1946. In that year, another 3.6 million copies were distributed to Montgomery Ward shoppers.

      In 1946, May received an offer from a company that wanted to do a spoken-word record of the poem. May could not give his approval (and be compensated) because Montgomery Ward held the rights to the poem. In late 1946 or early 1947, Sewell Avery, the company’s president, gave the copyright rights to the poem to May, free and clear. The spoken-word version of the poem was a big sales success.

      In 1947, Harry Elbaum, the head of a small New York publishing company, took a chance and put out an updated print edition of the Rudolph (poem) book. Other publishers had passed on the book, believing that the distribution of millions of free copies had ruined the market. The book was a best seller.

       In 1948, May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote (words and music) an adaptation of Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy Gene Autry. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas".

      In 1941, May married another Ward employee, Virginia, and had five children with her. She was a devout Catholic, and Robert May was converted to Catholicism during the marriage. He is buried in Saint Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois.

      May wrote two sequels to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The first is mostly in prose (except that Rudolph speaks in anapaestic tetrameter), written in 1947 but only published posthumously as Rudolph's Second Christmas (1992), and subsequently with the title Rudolph to the Rescue (2006). The second sequel is entirely in anapaestic tetrameter like the original: Rudolph Shines Again (1954). May also published four other children's books: Benny the Bunny Liked Beans (1940), Winking Willie (1948), The Fighting Tenderfoot (1954), and Sam the Scared-est Scarecrow (1972).

• Shining a Light on the Largely Untold Story of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer 
• The copywriter who wrote Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
• Do You Know The Real History of 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer'?
• Rudolph's Second Christmas and Rudolph to the Rescue and Rudolph Shines Again

Three Classic Christmas Books Every Child Should Own

      Here are three of my family's favorite Christmas books. Every single one of them is a classic and beautifully illustrated too! These titles have withstood the test of time; they were read over and over until both of my girls had every page and picture memorized.

      These are not listed in any specific order, my girls would never make the mistake of favoring one over the other. Indeed, they would have had us read all three every December night if they could have persuaded their father or myself to do so.

"Mr Willouby's Christmas Tree"

   1. "Mr Willouby's Christmas Tree" by Robert Barry, 1963, McGraw-Hill Book Company. As you can plainly see, our copy is worn and has faded over the years. This book was ardently loved by six children from two separate families and it was also my favorite Christmas story as a child. I rescued it from one of my Mother's garage sales years ago. 

      One day she emptied our childhood closets and sold our books for 25 cents a piece! I grabbed as many of the books as I could carry while her back was turned and hid them under my bed upstairs.  

      Many years later, I read this book often to my own children during the fall and winter months of their childhood. It was a popular story book among those with small hands. The lower half of the book is literally worn with handling and the binding on the old favorite is bent and broken. The condition of a book, as everybody knows, is ultimately the sign of true love among children.

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier"

    2. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" by Hans Christian Andersen, 1991, Michael Di Capua Books.  This is a very old Christmas tale and has been published by dozens of companies over the years but the very finest version of it is illustrated by Fred Marcellino. It has also been retold by Seidler so that it's length and poignancy is age appropriate for children under ten years old. Although Hans Christian Andersen's tales are moralistic, his messages can be lost on modern day children. This Christmas tale, however, has been rewritten and illustrated in such a way as to convey it's original depth and brevity and I wouldn't bother with the purchase of any alternative myself.

"One Wintry Night"

   3. "One Wintry Night" by Ruth Bell Graham. The book is published by Baker Books and lavishly illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson. It is the retelling of  Jesus' birth within the prophetic context illustrated in scripture.  Their are eleven chapters in the book and I recommend that it be read aloud over eleven days. The book is very thorough and age appropriate for children younger than twelve. It is not written in a condescending manner or illustrated as a trendy juvenile picture book. There was great thought given to it's production and it should be considered an American Christmas Classic. The illustrations are magnificent and the story-telling style of Ruth Bell Graham is straight forward and easy to understand. After reading this story aloud, your children will, without a doubt, understand the true meaning given to Christmas by all of Christendom.

      Now that my children have grown, their books have been divided between them, but the Christmas selection has still remained in tact at my home until it can be duplicated. They did not have the heart to divide the collection up, to choose one book over the other. So it is up to me to find the spare cash to acquire more copies of each selection for future grandchildren.

Collage a candle to remember "The Light of The World"

These collaged paper candles were crafted by kindergaten, 1rst and 2nd graders.

      So many candles and such variety! Print out my nostalgic version of a candle below and have your little ones paste all kinds of things to it to create their own version of this popular Christmas craft. Below I have compiled a list of things that teachers or parents may collect for the project: pasta, plain or dyed, rice, plain or dyed, ribbons, buttons, pom-poms, sequins, chenille stems, silk flowers, seeds, beans, beads, stickers, foam shapes, clippings of fabric or felt, feathers, tiny bells, shredded paper, wrapping paper, sea shells, tissue paper, wooden shapes, pressed leaves and flowers, air dry clay, tin foil. 

Download and print this free Christmas candle graphic for your little ones to decorate.

Jesus is The Light of The World:

• I Am the Light of the World by desiringGod
• I Am the Light of The World by Kevin Vryhof
• Bethlehem Lutheran Sermon
• The Messiah from the Life Tabernacle in Shreveport, Louisiana

Make a Paper Plate Wreath With A Candle Inside

      I took a traditional children's craft, a paper plate wreath with candle, and made it a bit more interesting by crafting it three dimensionally. With these additional steps, this craft has become challenging enough to inspire a third or fourth grader. (students 9 to 10 years of age)

        Above is a series of step-by-step photos for this Christmas wreath project. You will need the following items to complete the craft:

• scissors
• white glue
• 2 sturdy white paper plates
• a toilet paper roll
• masking tape
• tin foil
• child's tempera or acrylic paints in: green, yellow, blue, pink, orange, black and purple
• narrow tinsel garland
• a permanent ink, black felt tipped pen, thin nip
• green and pale blue construction paper
• tissue paper in orange, yellow and red

Directions for this Paper Plate Wreath With a Candle Inside:

1. Cut a toilet paper roll in half, and paste it down to the lower end of one paper plate. Tape it also to the paper plate so that the glued surfaces will be given time to dry in place. This tube shape will later become your 3D candle. 
2. Then take the second paper plate and cut the center out; following the indented circular edge of the plate. There is usually a raised embossed center circle on inexpensive, white paper plates. Your edge need not be perfectly cut. It will be eventually covered by added details.
3. Then glue the two paper plate together with their top sides facing each other. See the picture above.
4. Crush 3Dimensional balls with flat back from the foil. Mask the flat sides with the tape so that these will adhere to the paper plate well.
5. Glue the foil balls to the front side of your wreath and allow the entire form to dry thoroughly over night before painting it.
6. Layer masking tape over the foil balls so that paint will adhere to these easily. Paint them bright colors: orange, purple, yellow, and pink.
7. Paint the interior of the wreath black and the surrounding leafy green parts of the wreath with green paint. 
8. Let the paints dry.
9. Now draw some pine twigs similar to the one shown just below with the black marker onto the green construction paper.
10. Cut out the pine twigs and glue these to the surface of your pine wreath randomly. Also draw pine twigs where ever there is not a random layer of construction paper twigs added.
11. Glue torn pieces of pale blue construction paper onto your candle shape and add the warm colored tissues for a flame. (see detailed photos below)
12. Twist a gold metallic garland in and out of the wreath for added bling! I had to punch a few holes to the backside of my paper plate wreath in order to weave the garland through. 
13. Add a little hook or loop of twine onto the back of your wreath and hang it onto a door or wall after this Christmas art project has dried.

A drawn example of a pine twig.

Close up of the Christmas baubles attached to the wreath and  made from foil, masking tape and paint.

A close-up photo of the paper candle made from a toilet paper tube and tissue paper.

       Did you know that lighted candles were a feature of the ancient Jewish Feast of the Dedication or Feast of Lights. This was held about Christmas-time, and it is likely that lights were twinkling in every Jewish home in Bethlehem and Nazareth at the very time of the birth of Jesus. This custom was probably merged into the Christian celebration of Christmas. Other authorities claim that the candles are a survival of the huge Yule candle used as a sign of the Light that came into the world as prophesied by John the Baptist.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

More Popular Christmas Links:

• The Gingerbread Angel "Peace Among Men" by kathy grimm
• The Children's Jesse Tree Index
• Three ways to craft the St. Lucia crown for your dolls...
• Color these tangled Christmas lights by kathy grimm

Animated wreath
and candle.

Ultimate 100 Christmas Cupcakes!

      A cupcake (also British English: fairy cake; Australian English: patty cake or cup cake) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, icing and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, may be applied.

      The first mention of the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe notation of "a cake to be baked in small cups" was written in American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. The earliest documentation of the term cupcake was in "Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats" in 1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook.

      In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name cup cake or cupcake. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in. This is the use of the name that has remained, and the name of "cupcake" is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a teacup. The name "fairy cake" is a fanciful description of its size, which would be appropriate for a party of diminutive fairies to share. While English fairy cakes vary in size more than American cupcakes, they are traditionally smaller and are rarely topped with elaborate icing.

Far left, chocolate cupcakes decorated with fresh raspberries. Center left, cupcake topped with a gumdrop turtle. Center right, cupcakes iced to look like miniature cherry pies. Far right, cupcakes decorated with the aid of frosting tips.

These Cupcakes Recipes Are Perfect for Christmas Holiday Celebrations:

1. "i give up" cupcakes....!
2. Turtle Cupcakes 
3. Black Bottom Cupcakes
4. Red Velvet Cupcakes
5. Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
6. Hot Cocoa Cupcakes
7. Peach Cupcakes with Peach Buttercream
8. Caramel Appletini Cupcakes ( liquor)
9. Vegan Cranberry-Orange Cupcake Recipe 
10. Bananas Foster Cupcakes
11. Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes
12. Christmas Cupcakes for the Starbucks Addict
13. Candied Holly Cupcakes Recipe
14. Gingerbread Oreo Cupcakes
15. Chocolate -Peppermint Candy Cupcakes
16. Bubblegum Cupcakes
17. Cinnamon Chocolate Churro Cupcakes
18. Hi-Hat Cupcakes Perfected
19. sparkling strawberry champagne cupcakes (liquor)
20. lemon drop martini cupcakes (liquor)
21. Gumdrop Tree Cupcakes
22. mudslide cupcakes (liquor)
23. Decorate Gingerbread Boys and Girls on Cupcakes
24. Cranberry White Chocolate Cupcakes
25. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Mascarpone Cream Filling
26. Gingerbread Cupcake People
27. Orange Clove Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Clove-Candied Orange Peel
28. Chubby Hubby Cupcakes
29. Strawberry and Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
30. Key lime pie cupcakes
31. chocolate whiskey cupcakes (liquor)
32. Snickers Bars Cupcakes
33. Salted Tiple Caramel Cupcakes
34. Browned Butter Banana Rum Cupcakes
35. Cookie Dough Cupcakes
36. Party Gumdrop Cupcakes 
37. Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes
38. Gingerbread Hostess Cupcakes
39. Almond Joy Cupcakes
40. Pistachio Pudding Cupcakes
41. Irish Cream Cupcakes with Coffee Frosting
42. Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
43. Best Oreo Cupcake Recipe 
44. Samoas Cupcake 48: Brown Sugar Butter Cupcakes
45. Milky Way Cupcakes
46. Southern Comfort Cupcakes (liquor)
47. Drunken Butter Rum Cupcakes (liquor)
48. Margarita cupcakes (liquor)
49. Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes with Chocolate Shells
50. How to make chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes (3 methods)
51. Traditional S'mores Cupcakes
52. Snowman Cupcakes 
53. Classic Pumpkin with Cream Cheese Frosting
54. red hot cupcakes
55. Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cupcakes
56. Lovelight Lemon-Rasberry Sorbet Cupcakes
57. Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes and additional presentation here
58. A Crowd Pleasing Lemon Meringue Cupcake
59. Chipotle Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes
60. Copycat Twinkie Cupcakes
61. Apple of My Eye Apple Crisp Cupcakes
62. Red Velvet and Cheesecake Marbled
63. Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes 
64. Banananana Daiquiris Cuppy Cakes (hic-up, liquor)
65. Zero Bar Hi-Hat Cupcakes
66. Root Beer Float Cupcake
67. drunken sailor rum cupcakes (liquor)
68. L'opera Cake Daring Bakers Challenge
69. Fat Penguins Cupcakes
70. Chocolate cream filled vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting
71. Chocolate Whiskey and Beer
72. Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes and Fantastic Buttercream Frosting
73. Gingerbread Boys Cupcakes
74. Malted Milk Cupcakes (English and French language)
75. Vanilla Bean Fig Cupcakes with Orange Blossom Honey Frosting
76. Christmas Cupcake Recipe Csaba 
77. Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting
78. Creme Brulee Cupcake
79. Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
80. Turtle Brownie Cupcakes
81. Ice Cream Soda Pop, Cherry on the Top! Cream Soda Cupcakes
82. White Russian Cupcakes (liquor)
83. Fluffy Nutella Buttercream Frosting for Cupcakes
84. Jack Daniel's Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (liquor)
85. Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting
86. Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes
87. Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
88. Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes
89. Carrot with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
90. Santa Cupcakes
91. Bomb Pop Cupcakes for a Patriotic Christmas
92. Holiday Cupcakes
93. black berry cabernet sorbet cupcakes (liquor)
94. Chic Cookies and Cream - Chai Latte Cupcakes
95. Sophisticated Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
96. Elegant Lychee Rose Cupcakes
97. Apple Pie Cupcakes
98. White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
99. Kahlua Mudslide cupcakes (liquor)
100. stout cupcakes topped with chocolate covered pretzels (liquor)

Christmas Cupcake Recipes and Decorating Ideas Pinboard: Christmas Eye Candy!

Decorating Christmas Cupcakes: 

• North Pole Cupcakes
• Green Christmas Wreath with Candy Sprinkles
• Santa stuck in the chimney
• Reindeer with pretzel antlers
• Christmas ornament cupcake decorations
• A warm smile from a frosted snowman
• Christmas trees on cupcakes
• plum pudding, snow pal, Santa, penguin and ornament
• snowflake
• strawberry Santa hat 
• Professional fondant selection of Christmas themed cupcakes
• Christmas Cupcake Pictures
• Poinsettia decorations

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Cover of "Little Women"by Merrill.

      Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. The novel follows the lives of four sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March – and is loosely based on the author's childhood experiences with her three sisters. The first volume, Little Women, was an immediate commercial and critical success, prompting the composition of the book's second volume, entitled Good Wives, which was also successful. Both books were first published as a single volume entitled Little Women in 1880. Alcott followed Little Women with two sequels, also featuring the March sisters: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Little Women was a fiction novel for girls that veered from the normal writings for children, especially girls, at the time. Little Women has three major themes:” domesticity, work, and true love. All of them are interdependent and each is necessary to the achievement of a heroine’s individual identity.”

      Little Women itself “has been read as a romance or as a quest, or both. It has been read as a family drama that validates virtue over wealth.” Little Women has been read “as a means of escaping that life by women who knew its gender constraints only too well.” Alcott “combines many conventions of the sentimental novel with crucial ingredients of Romantic children’s fiction, creating a new form of which Little Women is a unique model.” Elbert argued that within Little Women can be found the first vision of the “American Girl” and that her multiple aspects are embodied in the differing March sisters.

• Little Women at Project Gutenberg
• Lesson plans for Little Women at Web English Teacher
• "Top 100 Children’s Novels #25". School Library Journal Blog. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
• 1945 radio adaptation of novel at Theatre Guild on the Air at Internet Archive
• Illustrations of Little Women by Frank T. (Thayer) Merrill 
• Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House
• Little Women on Broadway

      "Little Women" is a 1994 is also a drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong. The screenplay by Robin Swicord is based on the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name. It is the fifth feature film adaptation of the Alcott classic, following silent versions released in 1917 and 1918, a 1933 George Cukor-directed release, a 1949 adaptation by Mervyn LeRoy, and a 1978 adaptation by Gordon Hessler. It was released exclusively on December 21, 1994, and was released wide on December 25, 1994, by Columbia Pictures. It is one of my family's favorite movies to watch at Christmas time.  Read more . . .

Craft a Communion Cup for The Chrismon Tree

      This little Chrismon ornament is made with cut-up egg carton parts, a bit of air-dry clay, gold spray paint and gold beads. You will also need to acquire a paper pulp egg carton, masking tape, white glue, transparent glitter and a pair of scissors to begin the craft with. This chalice has a fluted edge at it's base. The base was made by pressing tin foil into a tiny tart tin. Then the foil was covered entirely with masking tape so that CelluClay would adhere to it.

      Cut out the small segments of your egg carton until you have stacked a similar looking shape to the one on the left above. Mask each shape separately and glue these together with tacky white glue. Some egg cartons have cross shapes inside the cups. You can see one of these in the photo on the right. I pressed two small pieces of air dry clay into this cup and pulled them out. The imprint made my cross shape that I then glued onto both sides of a circular piece of cardboard to fit into the cup. This is the communion wafer. I dripped glue into this cup and firmly pressed the wafer shape into it to dry over night.

      Above is a photo of my CelluClay, papier mâché pulp, both before and after I have mixed it with water. The mixture should have a sticky thick consistency after stirring the water in. It is important to mix these two ingredients well in order to dampen thoroughly the glue that is added to the pulp at the factory. Mixing the correct proportions will take some getting used to. This is a process that you do by experimentation. Don't throw out the mixture if it is too loose, just ad more pulp. If it is too dry add more water. Then layer a thin amount over the communion cup minus the wafer. Let the cup dry for a couple of days and then spray paint it in a well ventilated area, outside is best.

       Next you will need to add a touch of white paint to the wafer and a touch of transparent glitter to the sides of the cup. I then bored a tiny whole through the wafer and strung a gold beaded hanger for the Chrismon to finish my ornament for the Christmas display.

^{One Bread, One Body}

Scriptural Reference for the Chrismon is Luke 22:14-20

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

 More About Communion Symbolism:

• Find more Communion related Chrismon patterns
• Communion related links and ideas here for Advent

Craft Tear Drop Shaped Chrismons with Shells

      Shells are often used in Christian churches to symbolize baptism. This is because in ancient times Christians were often baptized along side river banks, near oceans, lakes etc... Shells were readily picked up and filled with water to splash the person or persons who were being baptized. Both dunking and sprinkling were done depending on the age or fragility of the person being baptized at the time. There were no arguments concerning technique, only the point of understanding the act and the meaning behind it was considered important. Shells over the passing of time became so closely associated with the sacrament that they have been used in art and as Chrismons ever since. 

All you will need for this craft is a few shells with holes in them, glass beads and a fine strong wire. I twisted a long piece of wire through the hole in each shell and then strung a variety of gold and yellow beads, including some small glass fish, onto the wire hanger. These tear drop Chrismon ornaments make nice additions to your congregation's ornament collection not only because they add variety and texture to the mix but also because very little parish members can help put them together.

      The liturgy of baptism in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist traditions makes clear reference to baptism as not only a symbolic burial and resurrection, but an actual supernatural transformation, one that draws parallels to the experience of Noah and the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea divided by Moses. Thus, baptism is literally and symbolically not only cleansing, but also dying and rising again with Christ. Catholics believe that baptism is necessary for the cleansing of the taint of original sin, and for that reason infant baptism is a common practice. The Eastern Churches (Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy) also baptize infants on the basis of texts, such as Matthew 19:14, which are interpreted as supporting full Church membership for children. In these traditions, baptism is immediately followed by Chrismation and Communion at the next Divine Liturgy, regardless of age. Orthodox likewise believe that baptism removes what they call the ancestral sin of Adam. Anglicans believe that Baptism is also the entry into the Church and therefore allows them access to all rights and responsibilities as full members, including the privilege to receive Holy Communion. Most Methodists and Anglicans agree that it also cleanses the taint of what in the West is called original sin, in the East ancestral sin.

      Eastern Orthodox Christians usually insist on complete threefold immersion as both a symbol of death and rebirth into Christ, and as a washing away of sin. Latin Rite Catholics generally baptize by affusion (pouring); Eastern Catholics usually by submersion, or at least partial immersion. However, submersion is gaining in popularity within the Latin Catholic Church. In newer church sanctuaries, the baptismal font may be designed to expressly allow for baptism by immersion. Anglicans baptize by submersion, immersion, affusion or sprinkling.

      According to a tradition, evidence of which can be traced back to at latest about the year 200, sponsors or godparents are present at baptism and vow to uphold the Christian education and life of the baptized.

      Baptists argue that the Greek word βαπτίζω originally meant "to immerse". They interpret some Biblical passages concerning baptism as requiring submersion of the body in water. They also state that only submersion reflects the symbolic significance of being "buried" and "raised" with Christ. Baptist Churches baptize in the name of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, they do not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation; but rather that it is an act of Christian obedience.

      Some "Full Gospel" charismatic churches such as Oneness Pentecostals baptize only in the name of Jesus Christ, citing Peter's preaching baptism in the name of Jesus as their authority. They also point to several historical sources that maintain that the early church always baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until development of the Trinity Doctrine in the 2nd century.

More About Shell Art for Advent:

• Baptism representations in Chrismon ornaments
• Seashell Angel Ornament

Craft An Anchor Chrismon Cross

       An anchor is a device normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα (ankura). The anchored cross is a symbol that stands for the Cross of Salvation that prevents the believer from being swept away into a sea or a current of worldly dangers and perilous demise. 
      The Anchored Cross, or Mariner's Cross, is a stylized cross in the shape of an anchor. It is a symbol which is shaped like a plus sign with anchor-like protrusions at the end of each arm, hence the name Anchored Cross. The symbol can be used to signify 'fresh start' or 'hope'.

 A step-by-step collection of photographs illustrating the process of crafting a papier 

mâché anchored Chrismon cross. 

       For this Chrismon ornament you will need to collect the following craft supplies: four skewers, a discarded, cardboard, masking tape roller, white glitter, white paint, gold netting, a few shells, fine wire, masking tape,  ribbon for a hanger, CelluClay.

       On the far left above, is the basic stick-like structure that I wrapped and twisted newsprint around in order to construct my anchored cross. Cover the entire surface of your anchor shape with masking tape before mixing and applying the CelluClay. You will need to leave your Chrismon in the sun to dry hard. Cover one side first, let it harden, then cover the opposite side. This will take several days. 

      If you'd like a smoother surface, you can then rub a wood filler on top of your small sculpture, let it dry hard and then sand. I chose to keep my anchor rough and worn. I then added a bit of white glue and transparent glitter to my Mariner's Cross. 

      I wrapped a gold netting with gold wire around the center of the anchor and also caught up a few shells in the netting for added interest, before twisting a white and gold wired ribbon around the top for hanging.

• Read more about the Anchor Chrismon

Craft a Papier Mâché Chrismon Candle

      The flame of the Paschal candle symbolizes risen Christ as light of the world and his presence in the midst of his people. The Paschal candle is sometimes referred to as the "Easter candle" or the "Christ candle." The term "Paschal" comes from the word Pesach, which in Hebrew means Passover, and relates to the Paschal mystery of salvation. The tall white candle in many ways signifies the Divine pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that lead the Israelites in their Exodus from slavery in Egypt.

      Chrismon candles vary widely in appearance but the meaning attached to these symbols is exactly the same as those attached to Paschal candles. During Christmas services, candles are often lit as the scripture from John 8:12 is read aloud:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

 

      Above, you can see the paper mache candle form a crafted both before and after the final finishes were applied. The candle itself was made from a hollow cardboard tube that was attached to a paper mache candle holder. I then added a simple flame shape to the top of the tube and a bit of air-dry clay to imitate wax and a flame. After covering the candle holder with glue and gold metallic paper, I glued a clothes pin to the bottom of the Chrismon ornament so that it could be easily clamped onto tree branches. The candle itself was painted with glossy gold nail polish to give it a waxy appearance and the flame was painted with acrylic yellows, orange and white paints. For this Chrismon ornament craft you will need the following supplies:

•  A light weight cardboard tube
• masking tape
• white glue
• gold nail polish
• white paper and gold foil paper
• aluminum foil
• orange and yellow acrylic paints
• scissors
• a cloths pin

In order to shape the fancy candle holder, I pressed tin foil into an old
 tart mold and then covered the entire surface with masking tape.
This last step is important because most any material can be glued
successfully to masking tape. After all of these processes where done,
I glued the cardboard candle inside the candle holder.

"Go Light Your World" by Kathy Troccoli

Craft a Dove Chrismon, Symbolic of The Holy Spirit

Above is a side view of a White Chrismon Dove. This particular dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit. If I were to include a olive branch in it's mouth it would symbolize a peace dove. Both dove types are frequently found on Chrismon trees during the holiday season.

      In Christian Iconography, a dove also symbolizes the Holy Spirit, in reference to Matthew 3:16 

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

and Luke 3:22 

²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

where the Holy Spirit is compared to a dove at the Baptism of Jesus. 

      The early Christians in Rome incorporated into their funerary art the image of a dove carrying an olive branch, often accompanied by the word "Peace". It seems that they derived this image from the simile in the Gospels, combining it with the symbol of the olive branch, which had been used to represent peace by the Greeks and Romans. 

      The dove and olive branch also appeared in Christian images of Noah's ark. The fourth century Vulgate translated the Hebrew alay zayit (leaf of olive) in Genesis 8:11 as ramum olivae (branch of olive). By the fifth century, Augustine of Hippo wrote in On Christian Doctrine that, "perpetual peace is indicated by the olive branch (oleae ramusculo) which the dove brought with it when it returned to the ark."

      Just right are detailed photos of my masked, dove ornament taking shape. I used thin sheets of newsprint from an old telephone book to shape and masking tape to shape this little Chrismon dove. Notice at the top, I also taped into the tail, toothpicks for strength. 

      Afterwards I glued onto this little dove, a series of layered cupcake liners to form the wings, tail and body of my Chrismon. Then I shaped a simple beak from air-dry clay and glued it onto the dove. And, last, I added sequins and beads to form it's eyes. Listed below are the supplies that you will need to collect for this Chrismon ornament craft.

• masking tape
• newsprint
• white glue
• sequins and beads for eyes
• air-dry clay for the dove's beak
• toothpicks
• white cupcakes liners

      Just above, is a photo of the cupcake liners that I used for this Chrismon craft. I saved them from a package of cookies that I had consumed the night before. If you recycle the clean packaging that so much of our food stuffs are packed in, art projects such as these will cost you very little to make. All total, this project probably cost me less than a penny to craft, believe it or not.

My Holy Spirit, paper mache dove, pictured from the top and also straight on.
Note how the tissue cupcake liners are layered and fringed to give the simple
paper mache figure a feather-like appearance.