Both William and Hannah are tucked in tight and dreaming of the toys Santa might bring. Use the pictures included in the sheet below to help you unscramble the toys of their dreams.
Children with visions of toys dancing in their heads... |
Tiny cotton batting strawberries for the feather tree. |
I've made this crossword puzzle for Christmas based upon clues found in the lines of a poem, "A Letter to Santa." The poem has sixteen lines and there is one clue per line given. It helps to read the poem and know that the puzzle should be solved within the context of the lines of the poem. The additional clue for line "8" is edible, I felt that it was necessary for the word to be solved. Line "8" of the poem didn't quite fit in with the poem; I just thought about the only mittens being shaped like something a child would always choose...
"A Letter to Santa" crossword puzzle. |
Answer key for "A Letter to Santa" |
19 presents must be found for 19 people under one roof! |
The gift tags were left off of the packages by accident! Help Santa figure out who gets what gift by unscrambling the letters that will identify each gift. Every person receiving a gift has also a clue included with their name that will help you figure out their present. If the game is too easy, time it so that the first person to complete the game in the least amount of time wins a prize.
Left the front view of my cardboard castle diorama. Right, the backside. |
This is a different version of the Steadfast Tin Soldier.
Read about our version in a book review here.
To make a diorama similar to this one you will need to gather the following supplies. The project has many details and will take some older students (4th and 5th graders) more than one day to complete.
Dancing ballerina, 3 sizes. Make skirt covers the upper leg. Craft paper ballerina finger puppets here. Make ballerina clothespin dolls here. |
To make the figures for this diorama, print the patterns given below. Cut-out the figures and use colored pencils to color in the ballerina's arm, leg and face. Color all of the tin soldiers costume using a brilliant red and navy blue. Glue on the ruffled part of a cupcake liner to the dancer's waist to create a tulle skirt and finish off her costume with a silk ribbon bow and a small jewel bead. Color her tiara of flowers pink or blue. You may also wish to add details like a feather to the cap of the tin soldier. Mount both of the figures on flimsy cardboard, like the kind used to make cereal boxes with. You can further craft a small stand for the tin soldier and also glue a toothpick to the bottom of the ballerina's toe. About half of the toothpick many be pasted to the backside of her leg; let the other half stick out from the tip of her pointing toe. This will be poked inside the cardboard steps and secured with hot glue when the time comes to mount her inside the diorama.
Use a hot glue gun to assemble the acorn "trees." squeeze the glue inside the caps and stack these on top of each other until you have trees the height you prefer. Smear a bit of white glue onto the surfaces of these nut-cap trees and sprinkle on as much green glitter as you like.
Step-by-Step Instructions for The Castle:
The details of the mirrored lake where the wax swans swam. Except, our swans are made of paper. |
How to draw a swan Step-by-Step. For your pond. | |
The steadfast tin soldier with his brothers. Printable by kathy grimm for students and play only. Click to download the largest available size. |
Extra marching band for your diorama. Click to enlarge. another DIY Christmas toy soldier craft here. |
Baby Jesus born to be The King of Heaven and Earth. |
Mary seated in prayer, admires her baby, Jesus. |
Joseph watches over Mary and the baby, Jesus. |
Mini cotton batting candy canes for feather tree.
Candy canes are very old-fashioned theme for a Christmas tree. These petite "shepherd" hooks in peppermint colors red and white are simple made and look charming on any feather tree.
Supply List:
Three Kings bearing precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts are things that a great King would need for his burial. |
Make the bowl of colored construction paper. The oranges may be cut from white paper and colored with bright orange colored crayon. The paper oranges are pasted together to present a piled appearance, and then placed back into the bowl. If desired a few holly sprays, taken from the spray from the clip art file may be put in and among the oranges, to give a Christmas appearance. The design may be displayed on the wall after the picture is finished.
Pattern for orange bowl and oranges. |
"An Orange for Frankie" is written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco.
Cookie stamps were sold inside a small wooden catty with decoupaged label. |
The snowman carries a straw broom stick and wears a top hat and scarf. He has a carrot for a nose. |
The Santa is dressed more like a belsnickle here and he carries a small Christmas tree with star on top. |
Cotton batting cherries and stems.
Here is another very simple, miniature ornament to complete for your feather tree. Small cherries on stems in festive Christmas colors of red and green.
Supply List:
Arrangement for the paper doll figures. CC |
Angel figure with outstretched arms and wings. |
These tiny pears without their hooks are no larger longer than one inch. |
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Wise men seeking a King, a perfect King. |
Serving Eel is a traditional Italian Christmas dish. It is popular also with the Swedes, Dutch, French and English. In Victorian days, the eel pie was a feature of English fairs. In North America's past, the eel captured in the St. Lawrence and along the Richelieu river in Quebec was believed to have the best taste. In England, the eel of the Severn river was reputed to be of the meatiest grade, so much so, in fact, that before the World Wars the Dutch kept two eel ships moored off of London bridge in accord with an ancient charter.
In North America, the eel is spawned in the Saragossa sea near Bermuda. Two thousand feet below the surface, the eel emerges from it's egg, a flat and transparent creature. After growing an inch in length, the eel then joins the rest of the herd that starts its migration north.
The eels will swim for thousands of miles along the coast, heading into estuaries and tidal marshes. Males generally settle down, but the female restlessly moves on until finding waters exactly to her liking. After settling, the eels feed and grow rapidly, adding a row of tiny scales with each birthday. When eight years old, they reach maturity. Then they return to the Saragossa sea to spawn. It is said they turn a silvery white during the breeding period.
Italian women have many special dishes for preparing this Christmas treat. There are recipes for baking, grilling and frying. The Swedes sell eel for smorgasbord. Cutting it into short lengths, they boil it tender and then mold the flaked white flesh in piquant vinegar aspic.
A lovely Italian grandma makes baccala & eel Soup!
The Baby Gives A Blessing. |
For this small hand in mine I take
Shall never grow to grasp a sword ;
But build the house we could not make
Fit for the living Lord.
And where we dared not follow Truth
But paltered with the word and pen,
The sudden lightning of your youth
Shall blaze a path for men.
O heart of hope, O little child,
Fulfillment of the grace we lack,
Lift up the trust we have defiled,
Give us our glory back.
That war will end is the testimony of Prophecy. Among the blessings to which Israel looks forward in the Messianic time none is more emphasized than peace. The covenant which God made with the fathers at the first, and for the fulfillment of which the prophets confidently look, is a covenant of peace. The messenger who brings tidings of the coming salvation is one who publishes peace. The Messiah Himself is the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end. In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon be no more. Psalmist and prophet alike are full of pictures of the time when Yahweh shall bless His people with peace; when the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in the abundance of peace; when peace shall be within the walls of Jerusalem; in the temple; when men shall go in with joy and be led forth with peace; when the very officers shall be peace and the exactors righteousness; when peace shall extend to Jerusalem like a river and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; nay, when God shall speak peace to the very Gentiles. Even Jeremiah, bitter in his denunciations of those who cry peace when there is no peace, and prophesy before the time, is firm in his belief that a time is coming when God will reveal to His people abundance of peace and truth.
The prophets recognized a divine purpose in the wars of the nations but they also believed that when God should truly reign wars will cease, that "the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. "Dominated by faith in the final triumph of God's justice, the desire for peace, not only in Israel but also among the nations, became the dream of their life and created a passion for bringing about peaceful relations among men. The vision of universal peace was ever before them, even in days of darkest despair. While they looked forward to it as something to be fully consummated in the future, yet this ideal also had a practical bearing upon their mission and gave to it aim and direction. James Hastings
Matt Maher sings "Born On That Day"
Left, the finished front of my snowman. Right, the finished back of my snowman. |
Select your bottle carefully. Use glass only, if you are making a snowman for sale at a craft fair or if you are selling this product from a shop of some sort. |
Left, details added to this snowman like a raccoon seated on his hat and greenery in his fist help to give him a personality. |
"Angels from the Realms of Glory" is a Christmas carol written by Scottish poet James Montgomery. It was first printed in the Sheffield Iris on Christmas Eve 1816, though it only began to be sung in churches after its 1825 reprinting in the Montgomery collection The Christian Psalmist and in the Religious Tract Society's The Christmas Box or New Year's Gift.
Before 1928, the hymn was sung to a variety of tunes, including "Regent Square" by Henry Smart, "Lewes" by John Randall, and "Wildersmouth" or "Feniton Court" by Edward Hopkins. In the United States, "Regent Square" is the most common tune. In the United Kingdom, however, the hymn came to be sung to the French carol tune "Iris" (Les anges dans nos campagnes, the tune used for "Angels We Have Heard on High") after this setting was published in the Oxford Book of Carols. Sometimes the "Gloria in excelsis Deo" refrain is even sung in place of Montgomery's original lyric: "Come and worship Christ the new-born King".
The name for the "Regent Square" tune is reportedly an association with the publisher of the first hymnal to contain it, James Hamilton, who was the minister of the Regent Square Church situated in London.
More Versions of "Angels from The Realms of Glory:
A Visit To Santa Claus Land
The children visit Santa's garden of toys in their sleep at night! |
ONCE upon a time there were two children, a little boy named Willie and a little girl named Annie. Now, they could hardly wait for Santa Claus to visit them, so every day they would say to their mother, "Oh, Mother, how many days until Christmas? Must we wait a whole month, Mother? Twenty days more, ten days more, only five days more - how slowly the days drag on, Mother!"
Now, the busy mother felt the time slip by all too rapidly, but the children counted the days on the calendar and grew more and more impatient each day. At last they shouted in glee, "Santa Claus will visit us to-night, and to-morrow is Merry Christmas!"
They borrowed the longest, strongest stockings which they could find, and when their mother came to tuck them snugly in bed and to kiss them good-night, Willie said, "Do you know, Mother, I'm going to prop my eyelids wide open and watch all night for Santa Claus."
"So am I" said Annie, "and when he comes down the chimney, we will ask him where he gets all the toys."
"Oh, no, you must go right to sleep and he will come all the faster," answered the mother, as she turned out the lights and left the nursery.
After she had gone downstairs, Willie whispered to Annie, "Say, Annie, are you awake?''
Yes, I am, but I'm getting so sleepy I wish he would hurry and come right now. Let's sing our Christmas carols for him."
And so the two children sang all the songs they knew.
"My, it does seem so long to wait. I am most asleep," said Willie, with a big yawn. "I tell you, we can take turns - you watch for him awhile, Annie, and then I shall."
After a time Annie called out, "Willie, I'm so sleepy; it's your turn to watch." But she received no answer.
The next thing they knew, Annie and Willie were away up in the North Pole country, with snow and ice around them on all sides, and right in front of them stood a high ice-wall. "How I wish we could go through this wall," said Willie, and just as he said this the ice seemed to open and there was a great gateway leading into the strangest garden that you ever heard of in all your life. It was a garden all of toys, and Annie and Willie could hardly believe their eyes as they saw the wonders about them. Hanging right over the wall there appeared to be something growing like morning-glories. When they looked again the children saw that they were not morning-glories at all, but small, toy talking-machines, while on a trumpet-vine nearby they saw growing, like flowers, real toy trumpets. Willie picked a trumpet at once and played on it: ''Toot-toot-toot-toot-too-oo-o.''
Oh, you must not touch the toys, Willie,'' gasped poor Annie in fright. ''We don't know who owns this garden.''
Just then the children saw the gardener of this wonderful land of toys. He was the merriest old man, dressed all in red, and his coat and hat were trimmed with ermine. His hair and beard were as white as the snow and his cheeks were like red, rosy apples, while his eyes twinkled like stars. The children knew who this gardener was at once, you may be sure. Why, it was Santa Claus, of course! He was cutting down a crop of whistles with his sickle. He had a large, red sack at his side and smaller bags nearby, and he was so happy that he sang as he worked:
"In my wonderful garden of toys
Grows a crop for the good girls and boys.
Dolls, cannon, and drums,
Candy cake, sugar plums -
All grow in my garden of toys.''
He was just ready to make up another verse when he spied the two children. ''Oh, ho, ho, ho!'' he laughed merrily, ''how did you two children come here?''
Please, Mr. Santa Claus,'' said Willie shyly, ''we were waiting for you to visit us and the next thing we knew we were in this garden. We don't know how we came here, but, now that we are here, may we not help you to pick some toys?''
''Indeed, you may,'' said Santa Claus. ''I need two such helpers. I was just wondering how I could gather all these toys in time for tomorrow. Willie, will you please go over to the garden-bed in the corner and pull up some tops?''
''Pull up some tops!'' echoed Willie in amazement. But he took a red sack and went to the garden and began to pull up toy tops. There were large tops growing like turnips and little tops growing like beets and radishes. There were all kinds of tops; some would humm-humm-humm-m-m and make music while Willie pulled them up. Next, Willie climbed a tree and began to pick red marbles growing just like cherries; and he found purple and blue marbles growing on a trellis, just like grapes - so he filled many small bags with marbles. He also climbed other trees where he thought he saw apples and oranges growing, but, when he came near them, he found different-colored balls - so he picked a bag of balls for Santa. "Santa, may I help too?" asked Annie.
Indeed you may, my child,'' he answered.
How should you like to pick dollies?'' So all this time Annie was busy getting him dollies, and she was very happy.
"You dear, dear dollies!'' Annie said, as she hugged each one in turn. ''How happy all the little girls will be when they find these dollies Christmas morning!'' There were large dolls with the cutest bonnets on their heads, growing just like roses, and other dollies with the dearest pointed hats, growing up like tall holly-hocks. And then there were tiny dollies like pansies turning their pretty little faces up toward Annie.
Presently Santa Claus began to water the grass and suddenly every blade of grass was a tiny tin soldier with his musket erectly held, while soldiers - tents, like mushrooms, sprang up all around. Sail-boats, steam-boats, motor-boats, row-boats and canoes were all out on a lake nearby, but they could never sink, for the lake was a large looking-glass, and fishes, ducks and swans were swimming on looking-glass streams. The children rushed from one garden to another and saw so many things to pick that they were kept very busy helping Santa Claus.
"Oh, see those pumpkins and squashes over there on those vines!'' exclaimed Willie, but when he went to pick them he found drums, large and small, and foot-balls and basket-balls lying on the ground, like melons and pumpkins turned brown.
"Whee-ee-ee-ee! Isn't this jolly! See those funny brown leaves blowing in the wind," called Annie. "They are all sizes and shapes."
When the children came near to pick them, they found no leaves at all, but brown Teddy- bears with their arms and feet out-stretched. The children hugged them in their arms and the Teddy-bears gave little squeaks of glee, for they were so glad to be gathered in with this harvest of toys.
Suddenly, overhead, the children heard a whirr-whirr-whirring noise, and when they looked up it seemed as if great swarms of dragon-flies and butterflies were hovering over them. "Ha, ha, ha!'' laughed Santa Claus, as he watched the surprised children.
"Those are new toys; they only lately have come to my land - but, here, take these butterfly nets and try to catch a few of them."
And when Annie and Willie brought these toys down a little nearer, they saw that they were not dragonflies or butterflies, but toy airplanes.
Tiny, toy trains went gliding over steel rails, across switches, under tunnels, over bridges, and stopped at stations, quite like really, truly trains.
"How should you like to see my farm?'' asked Santa Claus. And the next thing Annie and Willie knew they were in a toy land barnyard. Houses, fences and barns with stalls for horses and cows, and everything as complete as a real farm. Horses rocked to and fro or rolled about on wheels; toy lambs, so wooly and white, said, "Baa-baa-baa,'' when their heads were turned to one side.
There was also a menagerie of wild animals nearby. Elephants and tigers, lions and monkeys - more animals than you can tell about were there, and they looked so real that at first Annie felt like running to hide behind Santa Claus. Then Santa Claus led them through toy villages and they really felt like giants when they looked down on all the dolls‚ houses and different stores, toy theaters, toy post-offices, toy grocery stores, meat markets, and in all these stores were dolls for clerks and dolls for customers.
Then Santa Claus took them far away from the villages, out through the orchard where the sugar-plum trees were growing, and after they had filled many bags with candy he led them out to the Christmas tree forest. Here they found Christmas trees growing with gold and silver tinsel and hung with glass balls and chains, while tiny, colored lights were twinkling through the branches. Santa Claus had to gather these trees and pack them with great care.
The next thing the children knew, Santa Claus had taken them right into his home. There they saw a dear old lady with snow-white hair who was sewing on some dolls clothes. She was dressing some of the dollies that had sprung up without any clothes. It was Mrs. Santa Claus, of course, and as she hugged and kissed the children she said to Santa Claus, ''The dears, where did you find them?''
"Out in the garden," answered Santa Claus. ''I don't know how they came here, but they are excellent helpers. They have been helping me to gather my toys. I shall soon be ready now, after I do a little more work in my shop. You know, my dear, I must first test my winding toys, for that clock-work machinery does break so easily.''
As he talked, Santa Claus took off his cap and coat, rolled up his sleeves and went right to work. He wound and tested each toy, and Willie helped him by handing him the keys for each one. There was a honk-honk-honk , a toot- toot- toot, a chug, chug. chug , and a clang , clang , clang , as automobiles, boats, engines, fire-engines and all kinds of mechanical toys went running about the shop like mad. Next Santa was working with his saw and plane, his hammer and nails, and with a rap and a tap he finished the roof of a doll's house.
Mrs. Santa had dressed all the dolls and furnished the dolls' houses. "What a cute little kitchen!" exclaimed Annie. "Oh, Willie, do you see this dining-room and the cunning parlor and this little bed-room? How I should love to play dolls in this house!" Then Annie turned to Mrs. Santa Claus and said, ''May help you? I could thread your needles or help in some other way?"
Why, so you may, my dear,'' answered Mrs. Santa Claus. ''My eyes are getting old and if you will thread my needles it will be a great help." So Annie threaded needles and helped Mrs. Santa Claus to dress the last doll and then to pack all the clothes in a new doll's trunk.
Santa Claus sat at his desk and finished writing a story and drawing the last pictures when suddenly the clock struck, Ding- dong-ding. Twelve times it struck and Mrs. Santa Claus said, ''It is time you were up and away, sir.'' She helped Santa Claus into his big cloak and he pulled on his high boots and his warm gloves and pulled his cap down over his ears.
Just then the reindeer were heard prancing and pawing outside, impatient to be off and away. Santa Claus bundled his big pack of toys into his sleigh and put in all his Christmas trees. He kissed Mrs. Santa on both cheeks, and with a big smack on the lips called out "Good-by, Mother," and, picking up Annie and Willie as if they were live dolls, tucked one under each arm and dashed out to the magic sleigh. They seemed fairly happy to fly through the air, and the moon and the stars seemed to dance in the sky as they went on faster and faster. Then they came down nearer and nearer to earth where the lights in the great city gleamed like fireflies far below.
The next thing Annie and Willie knew, they were on the roof of their own home. The next thing they knew, they were down, down the chimney and - there they were right in their own, little beds! The sunlight was streaming into their eyes and their mother was calling, ''Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, little sleepy heads!''
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!'' they both shouted, as they bounced out of bed and rushed for their stockings which were fairly bulging with toys, and Annie was soon hugging and kissing a new dolly while Willie was blowing a new trumpet. In the other room stood a large Christmas tree which had come from the Christmas tree forest.
"Oh, we know where these toys came from,'' said Willie. ''They came from the garden of toys, for we visited Santa Claus Land last night.''
Now, tonight, when you go to bed, close your eyes tightly and go to sleep and I am sure you too can pay a visit to Santa Claus Land. by G. Faulkner
Merry Christmas!