DIY Christmas Story Photobook

Free Download! I love making books (being a publisher, that helps!) so here’s a way to make your own Christmas story photobook. We often make photobooks with FreePrints which print 20-page photobooks for reasonable prices. All you need to do is download their phone app, upload the photos and wait for your luscious new book! … Read more

DIY Advent Candle

I love Advent Candles and you can get these from amazon. We light ours each dinner time in Advent, sometimes spending a few minutes chatting or praying or being thankful (here are 25 ideas on things to be thankful for!). Here are some other ideas of prayers you could use each time you light your … Read more

Explore nativity art

Search online for nativity art, and look at how the same stories have been depicted differently by different artists. You might like to look for pictures of the angel visiting Mary, the angels and the shepherds, the shepherds visiting Jesus and the wise men arriving. Which picture do you like best? How does it speak … Read more

Nativity Dress Up

Have fun by dressing up as the characters from the Nativity story. Visit some charity shops to look for bits and pieces that could be used in different ways. Scarves and dressing gowns for example. You could make tunics out of pillowcases and headdresses with tea towels and a ring of elastic. You could download … Read more

Gingerbread Nativity scene (using an IKEA kit!)

This is a simple way to make a gingerbread nativity scene by creating a manger scene in a stable (or house depending on your theology of the nativity!). I know homemade gingerbread tastes fab, but the bought stuff is easier to build with and gets us straight to the fun bit which is of course … Read more

Advent Candle Idea: 25 Ways to be Thankful

I love Advent and candles. Here’s a really simple idea for using them to develop thankfulness in the run up to Christmas. It doesn’t take long, but a few moments each day will help develop a habit of thankfulness in a month when so much is trying to pull us away from it. You might … Read more

My favourite nativity scenes

My name is Victoria and I’m a nativity scene addict. There. I’ve said it. I just love nativity sets, especially ones which everyone can touch, play with and enjoy. There are some lovely ones about, and although it may seem like quite a bit of money, I’ve found this is one of the best ways to engage … Read more

Watercolours and washi tape Christmas art

We use watercolours a lot at our house. I love that I can leave them out for the children to use whenever they want, and even when my 2-year-old chooses to paint herself blue (quite often!), she can just be washed down! Coming up to Christmas I see lots of cute hand and footprint pictures, … Read more

Countdown candle prayers

I am just sending my three god-daughters a countdown candle with a card with some suggestions of prayers they could use with their candle. I say countdown candle, as strictly it’s not Advent, as Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, I believe. This candle has numbers 1-24 to countdown to Christmas during December. … Read more

What’s your nativity scene like?

Home is the perfect place to have a nativity scene which children can play with. Often sets are so beautiful and delicate that they aren’t appropriate for children’s touch, which is a shame. There isn’t any other Bible story which has so many versions available, and play is a wonderful way for children (and adults!) … Read more

Candle prayers

As the nights get darker, and we get closer to eating our evening meal in the dark, it’s the perfect time to try out a candle prayer. You could use– a large, chunky, church candle which will last a long time– a long, thin candle in a candle stick which will raise the flame away … Read more

Explore the story with your Nativity set

Home is the perfect place to have a nativity scene which children can play with. Often sets are so beautiful and delicate that they aren’t appropriate for children’s touch, which is a shame. Play is a wonderful way for children of all ages (and adults!) to explore the meaning of this incredible story–the one which … Read more