Printable Version (Trust us, it will print OK!):
Day 1
Nicholas was born, probably around 275 AD, in the town of Patara. At that time the people who lived there were Greek. Today Patara is in Turkey.
Patara was a busy sea port. St Paul passed through it on his final journey to Jerusalem (Acts 21:1).
Make a Dog Treat
Give a favourite pet dog a treat by making it some yummy dog biscuits. Here’s a simple recipe:
Monty’s Munchees
300g wholewheat flour
75g margarine
75g powdered milk
6-8 tbspoon gravy
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
Mix ingredients. Knead for 3 minutes. The dough should form a ball. Roll out ½ inch thick. Cut into dog bones - or cat shapes. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees’ (Gas Mark 3).
Day 2
Apparently Nicholas was a very devout baby – he is said to have refused to drink his mother’s milk on Wednesdays and Fridays, which were days of fasting! One mediaeval text says that as a child he ‘rejected the plays and japes of other young children, but used and haunted gladly holy church’. Don’t worry, though, he wasn’t as goody-goody as the English Saint Rumwold, who preached sermons from the moment of his birth!
Make a Plant Watering Device
Give a present to a keen gardener - and help save water!
This helps keep plants watered efficiently in the summer. When you use a watering can to water the plants, a lot of the water you put on the plant doesn't get to the roots - unless you use a lot of water.
There are two reasons for this - the water spreads out over quite a big area and doesn't sink very far into the soil, and often a lot of the water lands on the leaves. From here it is more likely to get evaporated by the sun.
All you need to do is cut the bottom end off a plastic bottle. Make sure that you are careful! Take the lid off the bottle and push the bottle neck into the soil near the base of the plant.
Now, when you water the plant, pour the water into the plastic bottle. As the end of the bottle has been pushed into the soil, nearer to the plant roots, the water will get to the plant roots more quickly. This means that you won't need as much water per plant as less water will be wasted.
Day 3
Nicholas’s parents appear to have been rich. When his parents died he inherited their wealth. Between 300 and 311AD the Roman emperors persecuted the church and Nicholas is said to have suffered. At that time, most of the people who were called saints were those who died for their faith, but Nicholas was not a martyr. What people remembered him for was his generous spirit.
Make some Speculaas Biscuits
Speculaas biscuits are traditionally baked for St Nicholas' Eve (December 5) in the Netherlands and Belgium.
In the Netherlands they are prepared using a special wooden board - a ‘speculaasplank’
- that has moulds in the form of human figures carved in it. The dough is pressed
into these moulds
so that it comes out of the oven as mirror-images of the figures on the board.
That is why they are called ‘speculaas’ - from the Latin words for mirror,
‘speculum’. But you don't need to use a ‘speculaasplank’ to make these
delicious biscuits. You can roll out the dough to any thickness and use different
shaped biscuit cutters.
The proportions are a matter of taste, as are the spices you use, and each baker has his own blend. The trick is to be careful with the very strong spices, and leave out the ones you don't like!
For the dough you will need:
200 grammes or 1 cup self-raising flour
salt
1 ½ tablespoons speculaas spices - a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger
and cloves (and any other you fancy!)
125 grammes (½ cup) dark brown sugar
125 grammes (½ cup) butter or margarine
2 tablespoons milk
Mix the flour, salt, spices, sugar and the butter or margarine in a bowl, using two knives to finely cut the butter or margarine into the mixture. Add the milk. Knead the mixture with cold hands until you have a firm dough. Wrap the dough in aluminium foil or clear plastic and let it cool in the fridge for 24 hours. Roll out the dough and cut out figures using a biscuit cutter. Grease a baking tray and arrange the biscuits on it. Bake thin biscuits at 175°C (350°F) for approx. 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Bake thick biscuits 45-60 mins. at 150°C (300°F. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Day 4
The most famous story of Nicholas’s generosity tells of how he helped the three daughters of a man who was too poor to give them a dowry. Without being able to marry, their prospects were grim. Nicholas took three sacks of his own money and, because he didn’t want to cause a fuss, threw them into the poor man’s house at night. The bags of gold made it possible for the three girls to marry.
Make a Pomander
In the Middle Ages pomanders were used to scent the atmosphere, which was often rather smelly. Today you can use them to hang in wardrobes (or in a sock drawer). They make a great gift, but as they take a while to dry out they need to be prepared well before Christmas.
This is what you need:
1 orange (make sure it has an oily skin – test with your fingernail to see
how oily it is).
1 box of cloves
Ribbon
Dressmaker's pins
1 box of powdered cinnamon
Sheets of greaseproof paper
1. Fasten the ribbon around the orange to divide it into four. Fix it in place with a pin. You can also tie a bow or loop so you can hold it. You may need an adult to help you with this step!
2. Push the cloves into the orange so the buds are on the surface - leave a little space in between each clove. As the orange dries out the cloves will move closer together.
3. When the whole orange is covered, place on greaseproof paper with
some powdered cinnamon. Wrap the clove orange up in the greaseproof
paper with the powdered cinnamon.
4. Place in a warm, dry place (a cupboard) for up to 6 weeks.
5. Eventually it will become hard and dry like a cannon ball. It should smell delicious!
Day 5
Another story of Nicholas’s generosity tells of how there was a famine in Patara. All the people were starving. When a ship full of wheat belonging to the Roman emperor docked in the port, Nicholas told the sailors to unlock the hold and give the food to the people. They were scared that the emperor would chop off their heads, but Nicholas said all would be well. When they reached their destination they found that, despite giving the wheat to the starving people, not a grain was missing from their cargo.
Make a Prune Person
In south Germany and the surrounding area a traditional Christmas gift is a Zwetschgenmännle, or Prune-mankin. They are small figures made of dried plums, nuts, raisins and figs.
What you need:
Garden wire
Wooden (or polystyrene) base
Prunes, raisins, a fig, a large peanut (or a walnut)
… anything else you can think of!
1.Cut the wire as shown in the diagram.
2. Arrange the dried fruit as shown - a large fig can be used for the body and prunes and raisins for the arms and legs.
3. Traditionally the head is made from a walnut, but attaching such a hard nut can be tricky! A peanut can be used as a substitute.
4. If you have a base you can insert the leg wires into it so that it will stand upright.
5. You can dress and decorate your figure as you please. In the Czech Republic they are often dressed as chimneysweeps or devils. Prune people are one of the most popular souvenirs at the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt. They are often bought to be admired rather than eaten - though there’s no harm in doing so if you don’t leave them too long!
Day 6
Eventually Nicholas was made Bishop of Myra (another town in modern Turkey). This was unusual because Nicholas was not a priest. However, his humble and generous spirit seems to have so impressed people that they wanted him to take care of them. Bishop Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, where Christians talked about their beliefs and then put them into words as a Creed.
Make a Bird Feeder
Help the birds in your garden have a happy Christmas by making a bird feeder.
These are the things you’ll need:
Bird seed
Raisins
Peanuts
Grated cheese
Suet or lard
Yoghurt pots
String
Make a small hole in the bottom of your yoghurt pots. Thread string through the hole and tie a knot on the inside. Leave enough string so that you can tie the pot to a tree or your bird table.
Allow the lard to warm up to room temperature, but don’t melt it. Cut it up into small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl.
Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix them together with your fingertips. Keep adding the seed/raisin/cheese mixture until the fat holds it all together.
Fill your yoghurt pots with the mixture and put them in the fridge to set for an hour or so.
Hang from trees or your bird table.
Day 7
While Nicholas was at Nicaea, it is said, some sailors in a passing ship were caught in a storm. They prayed to God to save them. A figure appeared in the dark clouds and the storm stopped. When they got into Nicaea and went into church to give thanks, they recognised that the figure in the clouds was Nicholas. Another story tells of how Nicholas went to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. On the return journey his ship was hit by a tempest and started to sink. Nicholas prayed and the storm ceased. Whatever the truth of these stories, because of them Nicholas later came to be the patron saint of sailors.
Make some Pepernoten (Ginger Nuts)
Another popular recipe from the Netherlands for St Nicholas’s Day are Pepernoten. Saint Nicholas' helpers announce his arrival on Sinterklaasavond by throwing pepernoten around the room for the children to pick up - though you can use them as Christmas presents as well! Pepernoten, though, should not be eaten straight from the oven. Bake them well before you intend to eat them and store them in a tin. They will stay fresh for several weeks.
This recipe makes about 50 pepernoten:
100 grammes or 3 ½ oz soft butter
125 grammes or ½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons speculaas spices - a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves
(and any other you fancy!)
A pinch of salt
250 grammes or 8 ½ oz. self-raising flour
A few tablespoons milk
A tablespoon of butter
Mix the butter, sugar, spices and salt in a bowl until you have a smooth mixture. Add the flour gradually and enough milk until you have an elastic dough. Knead the dough into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours. Grease a baking tray. Shape the dough into balls the size of a hazelnut and put them on a baking tray. Bake at 150-175°C or 300-350°F for approx. 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Day 8
When Nicholas died, on 6th December 343 AD, his generous spirit continued to bless his people It is said that oil flowed from his tomb and that this oil was responsible for many healing miracles. Ever since then, the anniversary of his death has been a day of celebration – St Nicholas Day. Nicholas was quickly acclaimed as a saint – someone who lets God’s love flow through them into the world.
Make a St Nicholas Cross
Many people wear crosses today who never go near a church. Here’s how to make a cross that’s a bit different, that might make people pay attention.
In Eastern Orthodox churches the cross that is used often looks like this:
The ‘extra’ bar at the top represents the plaque which caried Pontius Pilate's inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". The ‘extra’ bar at the bottom represents a footrest that some people think was used to support the weight of Jesus’ body.
Sometimes this cross is given rounded ends, like this:
This kind of cross is sometimes called a St Olga Cross or a St Nicholas Cross.
Trace the shape of the St Nicholas cross onto a piece of card. Cover the cross with silver or gold foil - or decorate it with bright colours. Fasten a safety pin on the back, or attach some cotton at the top. And there you have it - a cross for Christmas, a cross with a difference.
Day 9
As well as sailors, Nicholas is also associated with children. Another story tells of how a young boy from Myra (called in some versions Deus Dedit - ‘God Gave’) was captured by Arab pirates on St Nicholas’s feast day. He was made into a slave and had to serve the king of a distant land, pouring him wine from a golden cup. A year later, while the boy’s parents prayed, Saint Nicholas appeared before him and whisked him through the sky. The parents were amazed – and so was the king – because the boy was still holding the golden cup!
Make a Fair Trade Cake
Christmas is a time of indulgence … but you can salve your conscience a little if you use fair trade ingredients! Here a recipe for an easy, but very rich, refrigerator cake from the Fair Trade Cookbook.
Ingredients
150 g Fair Trade plain chocolate
125g butter
Egg
25g Fair Trade sugar
125g Fair Trade digestive biscuit
1. Put a pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the pyrex bowl.
3. Beat the egg and sugar together in a bowl or jug until foamy, then gradually
add the chocolate mixture.
4. Break the biscuits into small pieces and stir in (along with raisins or
sultanas if you want to …).
5. Grease a 6 inch loose bottomed cake tin. Tip in the mixture and press it
well down with the back of a spoon or similar. Decorate with cherries if you’re
feeling really indulgent.
6. Chill in the fridge overnight (or for about 12 hours). Eat.
Day 10
Another fabulous tale involving St Nicholas and young people tells of three students who were robbed and murdered by a wicked innkeeper. The wicked innkeeper hid their bodies in a large pickling tub! Luckily Bishop Nicholas was staying in that very inn. In the night he dreamed about the crime and through his fervent prayers the three boys were restored to life. This was a very popular story in the Middle Ages and was often illustrated.
The picture here is of a 16th century wood carving of St Nicholas rescuing the three boys from the pickling vat.
Make a New Year’s Resolution Cracker
More and more people are worried about the mess we’re making of the world by consuming too much. Why not make a cracker to use at the end of the Christmas holiday, after everyone has had a good time, to help people make a resolution to consume less in the year ahead?
Making crackers is easy. You need three toilet rolls, or similar tubes, for each.
1. Lay the tubes in a line at the edge of a piece of crepe paper.
2. Inside each of the central tubes put a piece of paper cut out in the shape of a hand.
3. Stick the tubes to edge of the paper, then roll the paper round them and glue into place.
4. Twist the ends to form a traditional cracker shape.
It’s true that these crackers don’t bang - or give you plastic gifts that you don’t really want - but that’s what surprising about them! (You could always add a biscuit that you’ve made, from a recipe given on Day 3).
Get all your family to write their New Year Resolution on the paper hands, which you can use to make New Year Resolution wreath (see Day 14). Recycle the cardboard tubes and bits of paper that are left!
Day 11
After Nicholas’s death, his tomb became a place of pilgrimage. This continued for hundreds of years. However, when Seljuk Turks invaded the area, Christianity was gradually driven out. In the 11th century, when Myra was attacked by a Turkish army, some senior Italian sailor rescued/stole the bones of the saint and took them back to Bari in Italy, where they are to this day. Helping yourself to precious relics was a bad habit in the Middle Ages – St Hugh of Lincoln, for example, is said to have bitten a finger bone off the arm of St Mary Magdalene when visiting the monastery that kept this relic!
Make a Bee House
Did you know there are many different kinds of bees? Some live together in a hive, but others live on their own. There are, in fact, around 250 different species of solitary bee in Britain. Yes, they can sting, but only the females sting and they have feeble stings. They will only attempt to sting you if roughly handled. Solitary bees live solitary life-styles, so they do not gang up on you in terrifying numbers. In fact they don't gang up on you at all. They hardly bother to defend their own nests! In short, they are virtually harmless.
If you are interested in finding out more, you can always make a bee house to encourage them into your area.
Here are two ways of doing this. The first needs you to be able to use a drill - or to get someone to help you.
How to make a bee post
- Take any old piece of timber. An old fence post is ideal. It does not matter if it's old and battered. In fact this will look more like the natural, weather-worn wood that many solitary bees nest in. But take care to avoid wood that has been treated with preservative!
- Drill a range of sizes up to 10mm diameter. Make sure that there is a good variety of hole sizes, particularly in the range 5-8mm diameter. Drill LOTS of holes.
- Make sure that holes are drilled slightly upwards into the wood. This prevents rainwater from collecting in the borings. Don't make the borings too steep though.
- Dig the post into the ground, or attach it to standing posts with wire ties. If you are using blocks of wood just put them anywhere convenient.
- Make sure you place your posts in a sunny position, facing the sun.
How to make a bee bundle
Any type of cavity is likely to prove attractive to solitary bees, so here is another method of making a home for them.
- Collect some old, dry, hollow stems of plants like bramble and hogweed. You can use bamboo canes or even drinks straws.
- Get an old bean can. Melt some candle wax in the bottom of the can, then stuff it full of hollow stems, or straws. Hang the can up somewhere sunny and make sure the stems/straws are pointing slightly down, so that water does not collect inside them.
- An alternative to using a tin can is to use a length of plastic drainpipe or a section from a plastic drinks bottle.
Day 12
St Nicholas became a very popular saint in both eastern and western Europe. There are hundreds of churches dedicated to him around the world. Even the tough Vikings had a soft spot for him – perhaps because he was thought to help sailors. Iceland once had 39 churches dedicated to him, as was the tiny cathedral they built in 1126 in distant Greenland. Another of the many churches dedicated to St Nicholas is St Nicholas Cole Abbey, in the heart of London near St Paul’s Cathedral, where there are plans to create a modern centre for Religious Education - www.culham.ac.uk/coleabbey/
Make a Lithuanian Straw Ornament
In Lithuania people decorate their trees with elaborately folded and woven straw ornaments. This decoration is a lot simpler than many traditional designs - though it’s still fairly fiddly!
You need twelve pieces of plastic drinking straw about 5cm long, some thread & a long needle.
1. Fasten four pieces of straw, as shown in illustrations 1 & 2.
2. Add four more pieces, as shown in illustrations 3 & 4.
3. Add the final four straws, as shown in illustrations 5, 6 & 7.
Once this basic shape is mastered try out other variations. Add more sides or join several together - or fasten coloured shapes in the centre.
Day 13
How did the humble bishop from Myra, who was noted for fasting, turn into the rather fatter figure of Santa Claus? It is clear from some of the preceding stories that the process has been going on for hundreds of years. All sorts of fanciful details were added to the memories of the real man.
For example, in some versions of the story of Nicholas rescuing the three poor girls, the bags of gold thrown into their house are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. Did this lead to the custom of children hanging stockings or shoes to receive gifts from St Nicholas? Or was the story invented after the tradition?
Make a Swedish Christmas Star
In Sweden, Christmas celebrations begin on St Lucy’s Day - the 13th of December. Traditionally, on this day, the youngest daughter from each family puts on a white robe with a red sash before dawn and wears a crown of evergreens with tall-lighted candles attached to it. Then she wakes her parents accompanied by other children and followed by star boys in long white shirts, pointed hats and carrying star wands, and serves them with coffee and buns.
The Swedish tradition of ‘star boys’ (stjärngossar) derives from celebrations on Twelfth Night. In former times, boys often went round the farms carrying a paper star, singing songs in return for schnapps. Today, the star boys are a part of the St Lucy Day celebrations.
You can make a Swedish Christmas star using wooden clothes pegs.
1. Take seven pegs and remove the metal spring.
2. Glue each peg back-to-back to form a star, as shown in the illustration.
3. Paint the star red, gold and silver - the traditional colours used in Sweden.
4. Attach some thread and hang on your Christmas tree.
Day 14
Another example of the way Nicholas’s story changed over time can be seen in the three golden balls that St Nicholas is often shown holding. These were originally three bags of gold, as told in the story of Nicholas and the three poor girls. It is often said that this is why the sign for a pawnbroker’s shop is three golden balls.
A pawnbroker is a person who lends money if you leave some of your property as a deposit. The pawnbroker will see your goods at a profit if you fail to return the loan. It doesn’t seem quite right to compare St Nicholas with a pawnbroker!
Make a New Year Resolution wreath
Making a wreath out of paper hands is popular Christmas craft activity - here’s a variation to use at New Year.
Collect all the paper hands from the crackers described on Day 10.
By now everyone should have written their New Year Resolution on them.
Glue them together to make the traditional wreath - you can add some extra hands!
Keep the wreath somewhere safe to bring out next Advent to remind everyone what they resolved to do at the beginning of the year.
Day 15
In some countries the eve of 6th December, St Nicholas’s day, is the main time for giving presents. This is famously the case in the Netherlands where, up and down the country, there are parades with brass bands to celebrate his arrival. In the Netherlands Sinterclaas, as he is called, is accompanied by black-faced helpers called Zwarte Pieten, ‘Black Piets’. As with many Christmas ‘traditions’, these figures are thought to have been created in the mid 19th century.
Make your own Present Tags
Don’t buy tags when you can make your own.
1. Cut out some card in interesting shapes.
2. Make a hole in each piece with a hole-punch. Fasten some thread through the hole.
3. What should you decorate them with? Why not visit http://home4christmas.com/clanguages.html which tells you how to write ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’ in numerous different language. Write this message in a different language on each tag. You can make the text bright and colourful. When people open their presents they can guess which language the message is written in.
Here’s some examples:
Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Swedish - God Jul och Gott Nytt År
Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Day 16
The figure of Santa Claus as we know him today dates from early 19th century America. In 1809 Washington Irving published Knickerbocker’s History of New York, which drew on the Dutch roots of New York – or New Amsterdam as it was first called. Irving described Santa as a jolly Dutchman who smoked a long-stemmed clay pipe and wore baggy breeches and a broad-brimmed hat.
Make a refreshing Christmas Punch for your family.
Here’s a simple non-alcoholic recipe:
You will need the following ingredients.
1 mug each of cranberry juice, orange juice and
mixed berries (or 'forest fruits') juice or juice drink.
6 desert spoons of brown sugar.
1/4 teaspoon each of mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger
and nutmeg.
6 cloves and 1 slice of lemon
Mix the ingredients together, heat gently and serve. Ahhhh … Delicious!
Day 17
In 1823 a poem called A Visit from St Nicholas (now better know as The Night Before Christmas) was published in America. We don’t know exactly who the author was, but it may have been a professor of biblical languages at New York’s Episcopal General Theological Seminary! This is how the learned professor describes the saint:
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
Make a Butterfly Feeder
This is a gift to be used when the weather warms up and butterflies return. By providing food, in return your garden will be given beautiful colours and constant movement - a kind of living mobile.
You will need:
A small glass jar with a lid that seals well
A piece of cotton or other clean absorbent material
Homemade butterfly nectar (4 parts water to 1 part sugar, boiled and cooled)
String
Optional decorations: paint that will adhere to glass and sealer, or silk and
plastic flowers.
What you do:
- Punch a small hole in the jar lid with a hammer and small nail.
- If you wish, decorate the outside of the jar with waterproof paint (simple, bold flowers would be ideal) or glue plastic or silk flowers to the outside.
- Screw the lid firmly onto the jar.
- Plug the hole with sponge, cotton, a length of candle-wicking or other absorbent material - you want this material to become saturated with nectar, but not to drip, so make sure it plugs the hole tightly.
- Put the homemade nectar into the jar and screw the lid on.
- Use the string to suspend the jar upside down close to your flowers.
N.B. You will need to clean your feeder with hot water every few days, to stop mould growing. Rinse thoroughly before refilling with butterfly nectar.
Day 18
In 1863, the American political satirist Thomas Nast borrowed from the poem The Night Before Christmas when he drew a cartoon showing Santa Claus giving presents to Union troops. For the next twenty-three years Nast annually produced drawings of this Santa figure in Harpers Magazine. In Nast’s cartoons, the Bishop’s mitre of the original was replaced by an elf’s red hat! His image of a jovial, red-cheeked Santa soon travelled around the world.
You can see this image at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1863_harpers.jpg
Make some Miniature Christmas-Tree Table Decorations
Make some pinecone trees to get your table ready for Christmas dinner.
You will need:
Fully opened, dried pinecones
Assorted beads, small silk flowers or other glittery decorations
Some bottle caps
Green acrylic craft paint
Glue
What you do:
- Paint the pinecone completely green. You can add sparkle by dusting the pinecone with glitter while the paint is still wet.
- Glue the bottle cap to the bottom of the pinecone.
- Add beads, small silk flowers or other decorations - tweezers might help! Dip each piece into a small puddle of craft glue, then into a space on the pinecone.
Day 19
At times it seems as if the images (and spirits) of St Nicholas and Santa Claus are in a battle with each other. This is literally the case in Demre in Turkey – Demre is the modern name for Myra, the place where Nicholas was bishop. In 2000 the Russian government paid for a statue of Nicholas to be erected in the town. In 2005 the Mayor had the statue replaced by a red-suited plastic Santa Claus (or Baba Noel) on the grounds that it would be more popular with tourists.
Make a Christmas Pinecone Bird Feeder
We’ve already made a straightforward bird-feeder, but while you have some pinecones hanging around, why not make a special bird-feeder for Christmas Day? Winter can be a difficult time for birds - give them some food and help them to enjoy Christmas too!
You will need:
Pinecones - the bigger the better. If you can find long ones, then these will
be useful
Peanut butter
String - or ribbon if you really want to cheer the birds up!
What you do:
- Spoon the peanut butter onto and into the pinecone, then roll into the bird seed.
- Hang the pinecone where you can see it from a window.
- Wait for the blue tits, coal tits and others to come and enjoy their rich Christmas meal!
Day 20
In Matthew 9:21 Jesus told a rich young man, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ Nicholas tried to do this in his life.
This is a prayer of the Church of England for St Nicholas Day:
Almighty Father, lover of souls,
who chose your servant Nicholas
to be a bishop in the Church,
that he might give freely out of the treasures of your grace:
make us mindful of the needs of others
and, as we have received, so teach us also to give;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
At Christmas, Christians celebrate the generosity of God. Christians are called to reflect God’s generosity in their lives. And doing that also helps them have a Happy Christmas!
Make Your Own Christmas Hats
What to do with old Christmas cards? One solution is to use them to decorate Christmas hats, rather than relying on the rather dull tissue hats that you get from crackers.
You will need:
Old Christmas cards
Strips of strong paper, or card, about 10cm deep
Glue
Glitter
What you do:
- Ideally each strip of card should be measured to that it will fit snugly onto each individual’s head.
- Glue the measured strip of card to form a band.
- Cut out pictures and patterns from the old Christmas cards and glue onto the bands.
- Finish off with glitter - you could always add some paint too.
- Eat your Christmas dinner. Bon appétit! Happy Christmas!