Lisa's Holiday Ideas

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Lisa's Holiday Idea Page

Here are some ideas on how to celebrate holidays with a Christian emphasis. Jump to the section you want or scroll down the page (most items are on this page).

Easter:
Easter Activities This section describes a number of activities including Resurrection Cookies, Easter Garden (did this with my 1st/2nd grade Sunday School class) and stuff to put in Easter eggs to tell the story of Christ's death and resurrection.

Halloween:
Christian Halloween Tract I originally wrote this tract to be used at Halloween, but since it doesn't mention Halloween in it, it can be used all year long.

Thanksgiving:
Edible cornucopia favors

Christmas:
Celebrate St. Nicholas, not Santa Claus One way to prepare your hearts for Christ's birth is to look at the life of St. Nicholas and celebrate him in early December. Then the rest of the month can be more focused on the birth of Jesus.

Easter Activities:

Links to Easter stories on my site

Easter Poem

I put this poem in plastic Easter eggs with candy...

An egg of jelly beans is...
colorful and sweet,
a prayer, a promise,
and a special treat.

RED is for the blood Jesus gave.
GREEN is for the grass He made
YELLOW is for the sun so bright.
ORANGE is for the edge of night.
BLACK is for the sins we made.
WHITE is for the grace He gave.
PURPLE is for His hour of sorrow.
PINK is for our new tomorrow.

Resurrection Cookies You will need:

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
zip lock baggie
wax paper
wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans in zip lock baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon the break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those who sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3: 1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus's body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and tun the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

Go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20, 22.

On Easter Morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On this first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

He has risen!
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Resurrection Rolls

1 package Crescent Rolls

melted butter

8 large marshmallows

cinnamon & sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. This represents the cloth Jesus was wrapped in.

Have children dip the marshmallow in butter and then roll in cinnamon and sugar. This represents the oils and spices that Jesus was anointed with. Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll, just bring the sides up and seal.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb....talk about how Jesus was there for three days. When rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open them and eat them. The marshmallow will "disappear" symbolizing that Jesus is no longer in the tomb! HE IS RISEN!

Easter Garden
Materials: Small plastic tub, potting soil, empty film canister, small rock, grass seed, artificial flowers, and small wooden cross.

1. Spoon potting soil into the bottom half of the plastic container.
2. For Jesus' empty tomb half-bury an empty film canister and put more dirt on top of it to make it look like it is in the side of a hill. Place a small round rock beside the opening.
3. Sprinkle grass seed over the dirt, and stick small artificial flowers in the earth to decorate their garden.
4. Place a small wooden cross in garden. The crosses can be made ahead of time by wiring twigs together.
5. Sprinkle water all over the seeds.

Easter Story Eggs

Here is one version of telling the Easter story with symbols in plastic Easter eggs. I found it on a great website: www.annieshomepage.com/easterkids.html

I’ve seen three different versions over the years, and recently there is a commercial version in Christian bookstores for about $12.00 that already has the objects collected.

Each "Easter Story" egg should contain a card (with message on one side and scripture on the other) and item indicated. Put the number of the egg on the outside so you know in what order to open them.

#1 Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people waved palm branches.

Matthew 21:1-11

Piece of palm branch

#2 Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' head.

John 12:2-8

Small perfume sample or cloth with perfume

#3 Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples.

Matthew 26:17-19

Chex cereal and plastic communion cup

#4 Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

Matthew 27:3

3 dimes

#5 Jesus carried His own cross.

John 19:17

Popsicle stick cut and glued in a cross form

#6 Soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head.

John 19:2

Small thorny branch

#7 Soldiers parted Jesus' garments and cast lots for His coat.

John 19:23

Swatch of burlap

#8 Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side.

John 19:18,37 &

John 20:25-29

A nail

#9 They gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall on a sponge to drink.

Matthew 27:34

A small sponge

#10 Spices to prepare Jesus for burial.

John 19:40

7 or 8 whole cloves

#11 The stone covering Jesus' tomb was rolled away.

John 20:1

A small rock

#12 The napkin around Jesus' head was lying separately from His linen clothes. He was not there. He has risen!

John 20:6-7

A scrap of linen-type fabric or just have an empty egg

Easter Basket
By. J. Brown

On Resurrection Sunday give your children Easter baskets with a Christian theme. Emphasize Jesus rather than bunnies. Place in this basket a card and the following items. Write on the card the meaning of each item:

A Lamb: This represents the Lamb of God who came to take away our sin.

In a plastic egg: Jelly Beans that are the following colors:

black: Stands for the darkness of our lives before Jesus when we were still in sin

red: Stands for Jesus shed blood

white: Stands for our sins that are washed away

yellow: Stands for streets of gold in heaven

green: Stands for growing in Jesus

Bookmarks or story books from a Bible Book Store that represent the story of Easter.

Rock candy to represent the stone that was rolled away.

Chocolate coins to remind us of the 30 pieces of silver.

An empty plastic egg in their basket and with a marking pen write "He is Risen" on the outside.

Links to Stories having to do with Easter
These are on my "Pass it on" story/joke page.

Clean Blood

Truly Rich People

Thanksgiving : Edible Cornucopia Favors

Very simple and fun. Kids will enjoy helping.

1. Melt chocolate chips in microwave oven or double boiling pan.

2. Dip the wide opening of a sugar (dark) ice cream cone about halfway into the melted chocolate chips, wait a few seconds, then dip in fall colored sprinkles, then set on wax paper to cool.

3. Fill with candy (candy corn or little pumpkin candy from Halloween, fruit shaped candy or Trix cereal??)

4. Also put a little paper inside, asking guests to think of what they are thankful for. Then have volunteers share.

Variation:

Use as placeholder at the table Prepare place cards ahead of time. Then,

1. Spoon some melted chocolate chips on side of cone, then quickly stick card into mixture, hold card up until chocolate chips cool enough to hold it alone.

Variation: instead of writing names on cards, get a sticker or rubber stamp that says "Give Thanks" or something like that to put on top.

Links to Stories having to do with Thanksgiving
These are all on my "Pass it on" stories/jokes page

Something for Stevie

Celebrate St. Nicholas not Santa Claus
by Lisa R. Goodell

These days it's hard to remember Jesus during the Christmas season unless you make an effort. While there is nothing wrong with Santa Claus, how can we help our children remember that "Jesus is the reason for the season?"

One way to focus on Christ is to look at other people who have served God faithfully. One such man is known as St. Nicholas (the original Santa Claus). He is a man worthy of our children's admiration. He was a priest who was born in 280 A.D. in the town of Myra, a small fishing village along the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Turkey. Myra is mentioned in Acts 27:5, as one of the ports Paul visited on his way to Rome. When Nicholas was nine years old, both of his parents died during the Plague. He was adopted by his uncle, who was a Christian. In his youth he once heard of a man who had fallen into poverty intended to abandon his three daughters to a life of sin. Determined to save their innocence, Nicholas went out at night and threw bags of gold into the window of the sleeping father and hurried off.

He became a priest, was elected the Archbishop of Myra upon the death of his uncle, the archbishop. He was present at the Council of Nicea. Later in life he would make wooden toys for the orphanage and for the poor.

After his death, the Catholic Church made him a saint, which is why he is known as St. Nicholas. Nicholas is a wonderful example of a man who, because he loved Jesus, loved those around him.

With St. Nicholas Day being on Dec. 6th, remembering Nicholas fits right in with the Christmas season. And since it is early in the month, it will allow your family to spend the rest of the month preparing for the arrival of the Christ Child on Christmas Day.

What could you do to celebrate St. Nicholas, not Santa Claus?

* Find out more about Nicholas. There is an excellent children's book called Santa, are you for real? by Harold Myra. Adults and kids alike will enjoy it and learn something too!

*Since Nicholas helped the poor and needy, maybe your family would choose to do a service project. Give some time at a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, hospital, convalescent home, etc.

*Since Nicholas did good things in secret, do some nice things for others... secretly. How about giving some money to someone going through some hard times? Give it anonymously, "in the spirit of St. Nicholas." I know my pastor has delivered these for those wishing to remain anonymous. There is probably someone you know or a pastor who would keep it a secret.

*Since Nicholas was from Turkey, how about having a Mediterranean dinner? What we have done is have a St. Nicholas dinner around the 6th (last year we did it on the Sat. night closest to the 6th). You can keep it simple or turn it into an evangelistic evening by inviting other families over to participate. The last section goes into greater detail on a St. Nicholas dinner.

Whatever you decide to do, I think it is worthwhile for adults and kids to get to know the original Santa Claus. Talk about the differences between Nicholas and Santa. Perhaps if kids get Santa out of their system early in the season the rest of the time can be spent getting ready for Jesus' birthday.

Click here to a comparison of Santa Claus and Jesus on my story/joke page.

Ideas for St. Nicholas Dinner

Below is a list of suggested dishes you can choose from for your dinner. Some items have recipes below, while other things are pretty common so you either already have a recipe, or you could buy it at the store. If you do some searching, there are more exotic recipes out there on the internet for anyone who might like to experiment.

During or after your dinner tell about the life of the real St. Nicholas. After reflecting on Nicholas's life maybe your family would choose to do some of the other activities/service projects mentioned earlier.

RECIPE LIST for St. Nicholas Dinner (Those underlined link to recipes below)

Main Dish Suggestions:

Armenian Shish Kebab

Shish Kebap

Greek Homestyle Chicken

Side Dish Suggestions:

rice pilaf or couscous (comes in box like rice a roni and it's that easy to fix)
yogurt and cucumber salad (recipe below)
pita bread

Dessert Suggestions:

gingerbread cookies
chocolate coins covered with gold foil
"baklava" or "kadayif" pastries
raisins, dates, other dried fruits
Marzipan fruit-nut candy

RECIPES

Armenian Shish Kebab

This is a traditional Near East marinade, wonderful on lamb or chicken. In December you may not to get out the BBQ. I've made this recipe in the oven, on the broil setting. Put skewers on cookie pan, turn often. Also, to save time, after you get home from the store mix meat and marinade, and then freeze it. Meat will be tenderized while thawing.

In deep bowl, combine the following ingredients for herb marinade, mix well.

1/2 cup olive or salad oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup snipped parsley

Now add 2 pounds boneless lamb or chicken, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes and stir to coat. Refrigerate overnight or let stand at room temperature 2 or 3 hours, turning meat occasionally.

To fill skewers, alternated meat cubes with quartered green and red peppers and thick onion slices. Broil over hot coals to medium rare doneness, brushing frequently with melted butter or margarine (use rotating skewers or turn often on grill. Makes 6 servings.

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Shish Kebap

Ingredients: (5 servings)
1 kg. lamb meat (from thigh or shoulder) cut into small pieces
4 tomatoes
2 green peppers

Cut tomatoes into large chunks removing the inner soft part. Cut the green peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into smaller pieces. Skewer a piece of meat, tomato, and green pepper successively. Cook on a barbecue, 3 to 4 minutes each side.

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Greek Homestyle Chicken

From: "David J. Kernen" (syvdk@tjuvm.bitnet)
Date: 14 Jul 93 15:47:51 EDT
My wife taught me how to make this. She learned it in Greece, where it's a common meal. It's incredibly delicious, and while it's cooking, the smell will have everyone in the house salivating. She cooks it in an open pan, but I find the chicken stays moister if you cover it (with aluminum foil or some- thing) for the first half-hour or so. Either way, it tastes great!

Ingredients:
Four pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
juice of two lemons
four or five potatoes, peeled and sliced french-fry style
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup of water
one head of garlic, the cloves peeled but whole
oregano, salt, and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Place chicken in a shallow baking tray.
2. Arrange potatoes around chicken pieces. Scatter whole peeled cloves of garlic around chicken and potatoes.
3. Mix together lemon juice and olive oil, and pour evenly over chicken and potatoes. Add water until potatoes are just about covered.
4. Add salt, pepper to taste. Cover chicken and pototoes with generous amounts of oregano.
5. Bake at 350 degrees, until tops of chicken are reddish brown.
6. Turn chicken, stir potatoes, and sprinkle on more oregano. If potatoes aren't at least half-covered with liquid, add water.
7. Return to oven for about 15-20 minutes. Chicken is done when both sides a lightly browned and potatoes are soft when touched with a fork.

Serve with a crusty bread, or with pita bread.

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Yoghurt and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 kg. plain or natural yoghurt (unsweetened and unflavoured)
4 large cucumbers
1/2 cup water
1/2 bunch fresh mint or 1 tablespoon dried mint
6 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 small ice cubes
1 teaspoon salt

Peel and dice the cucumbers. Put the cucumbers in a bowl. Pound the garlic cloves in a mortar with 1 teaspoon of salt (I used a garlic press). While whipping the yoghurt with a fork or whisk, pour in 1/2 glass of water gradually and mix with yoghurt. Add the cucumbers and garlic to the yoghurt and mix again. Put the olive oil, vinegar and ice cubes into the bowl. Decorate the salad with chopped fresh mint leaves or dried mint.

Lisa's notes: I used a garlic press for garlic. Also, the salad was quite large. If you not having many guests, you may want to half it.

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Marzipan Fruit-Nut Candy

1 can or package (8 oz.) almond paste
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature (don't substitute margarine, use butter)
3 cups unsifted powdered sugar

Optional flavorings: vanilla, rum, brandy, cognac, coffee- or orange-flavored liquor
Fruits and nuts: chopped nuts, pine nuts, walnut and/or pecan halves, moist pack dried apricot halves, moist pack pitted prunes, pitted dates and/or dried figs.

In a bowl, beat almond paste, butter, and sugar until smooth. If desired flavor marzipan with 1/4 tsp. vanilla or 1/2 tsp. liquor or liqueur to each 1/2 cup marzipan mixture.

Take bit of marzipan and shape into a ball, log, or oval. Then roll it in chopped nuts. Or you can fill prunes or top other dried fruit slices. Split fruits if necessary to hold filling. Decorate tops with chopped nuts or nut halves.

Keep marzipan covered with plastic wrap as you work. Store in airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in refrigerator for 1 month. Makes 2 1/3 cups filling, enough to fill 50-60 confections with 2 tsp. each of filling.

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Links to Stories having to do with Christmas
These are all on my "Pass it on" stories/jokes page

Two Babes in a Manger

True Spirit of Giving

Letter to Santa

Go to Lisa's Links to explore other areas of my website

(rubber stamping, teaching, agriculture, and more)