I'm finding each year more and more difficult to put up with what we call the Christmas season.  Seriously, what does spending way more money than you have, stressing ourselves out over cookies, shopping, events and a huge to do list, all for one day?  What does ANY of it have to do with the precious gift of our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Do you not think he's in heaven sitting at the right hand of God shaking His head?  He came to us in the most humble of states, put Himself in the hands of humans not to mention in the form of a helpless baby.  He came as a poor man's son.  Our Almighty God in Heaven did this for us.  So we celebrate in this manner?  Seems so inappropriate.  I don't dislike decorations, singing, and small tokens of a gift.  I'm referring to what the world thinks we should be doing to have the ever alluded Christmas spririt.  I'd really like to have a survey done on people after Chrsitmas and find out if they felt they had accomplished the true meaning of Christmas.  I doubt very many could answer that in a positive way.  I listen to Christan radio and become appalled at what I hear even there.   I feel very sad to the point I wish to just sleep the season away.  Our tree is not yet decorated, it only has lights right now and I find I like it that way very much.  I'm sure it will get its adornment this weekend.  I have boxes of decorations just sitting in the basement and I don't care if I ever get them out.  I will do a Christmas letter but it probably won't go out until after the first of the year.  I will bake a few different kinds of cookies to have around for guests and to share with the neighbors.  I will play Christmas music on our Cd player and I will sing loudly with it.  I have purchased gifts from internet shopping, but I did not go overboard and the bonus is I didn't have to leave the house!  This is my favorite part of all!   There's some other things I haven't mentioned, but it's small scale stuff.  Because I have not congested up our lives with things to see and do all of December, we can spend more time just meditating on what Jesus did for us.  I can try to feel the awe of Mary as she held God in her arms that first time.  Can you imagine?  What would it be like to raise up a child that didn't sin?  Can you imagine?  How would you feel watching your son, your God , being nailed to a cross to die?  Can you imagine?  I can't but I sure like to try.  By keeping our lives simpler and quiet, we can try to give what God wants and that is all of us.  What we have turned His gift into, a horse and pony show, a circus, an excuse to be excessive.  I pray that as each year goes by that we stand back and take a true look at what it's become and do our part to bring it back to a more humble existence.  A God centered existence just like EVERY DAY should be.  Ok, enough ranting.

The boys and I have finally moved into the science portion of Volume 3 chapter 1 using the supplement.  I'm ready to take a stab at using this book.  I will still grapple I'm sure and I was hoping to finish it up by the 23rd of December (gasp! remember, I don't need to get ready for Christmas) But I don't think this will happen so we'll be starting the new calendar year (another ridiculous holiday) trying to finish this off.  I will enjoy learning about the weater patterns, wind, oceans, and navigation.  We haven't spent much time on any of this yet so I'm looking forward to this.  I was laid up with my back for a couple of weeks so I got the chance to pray over the supplement and God showed me what books we already had on hand to use and the Milliken worksheets to help with retention.  I also have enlisted some help with our writing curriculum so I'm praying over that one, too.  I hope and pray that a tutor besides myself will lessen the stress over this topic.

News on the farm:

We are heading into our cold season so the guys are out today winterizing the animals.  Hopefully we have a better handle on it this year over last year.  We are also the proud owners of two Belted Galloway girls.  I'm so excited to be adding these to our herd of cattle.  They will be a striking addition.  Our grassfed beef is well on its way and we might have some for sale this summer.  Depends on how calving goes.  There's going to be so many new babies next summer I can hardly wait.  Calves, kids, turkeys?, kittens.  Peaches the goat is doing a pretty good job keeping us in milk.  I have to buy extra if we have company, but for everyday we have what we need.  God is good and provides for our needs.

I think my garden is done now.  It's very cold and we've had some deep freezing.  I did have some spinach and lettuce but the chickens and ducks have been munching on it.  The boys pulled up one of the turnip crops and we have them stored for the animals and some for us.  There is still some small cabbages I may try to resuce although I have tons left still in the fridge.  You can eat only so much cabbage.  We love it, but really!  For next season, I'm going to start converting my garden into a lasagne garden.  I want to get away from the tilling and then all the weeds after that.  I think this other method will help with that.  Since the garden is so big, it may take me awhile to switch it over.  Plus it all depends on my physical condition next summer.  The conventional way would require more bending over for weeding and the new way would require me to move mulch stuff around.  We'll see how it goes.  For right now, I have to be satisfied with looking at the new seed catalogs that have started trickling in. 

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  Remember God's gift to the Whole World.

• Last year we thought of television show titles that seemed appropriate to events from our year.  Here are a few of the entries:

• For the past 12 years I have continued my mother's tradition (started when I was in kindergarten!) of writing a poem at Christmas.  All of the year's highlighs (and some low-lights) are chronicled using a 4-line stanza format (first two and last two lines rhyming), with about 8 stanzas total.  Usually the first stanza is standard Christmas-greeting fare, and the last sums up with a view of the True Meaning of Christmas.  Usually each family member gets a stanza, and then a couple more for general family events.  Folks look forward to them every year -- I think my parents' friends would cause a ruckus if she ever stopped this tradition! 
  Submitted by Ellen
  
  
• I'm a big fan of trying to be funny which usually involves poking fun at ourselves.  Here are ideas I have used over the years:
  
  -Last year was an impromptu description of our family by the 8 year old.  He was making a newspaper (his own idea) and I wrote down as he dictated.  How he summed up our family was HILARIOUS!  "Daddy likes to snuggle, likes Joel love, and likes to go to church."  I also included 16 random things in the pattern of a facebook note that was going around last year.
  
  -A comic that illustrated each member of the family followed by a paragraph summary.
  
  -A 'Most wanted' including AKA, wanted for, description and last seen.  Ex. the baby was charged with disturbing the peace.  "Since his appearance Joel has repeatedly and without remorse violated noise ordinances.  Victims drop charges after he smiles at them."
  
  -Our year's story in the pattern of "Twas the night before Christmas" or to the Gilligan's island theme song.
  
  -The year the boys were in Fiddler on the Roof, the letter was paragraphs themed according to song titles.  ex "Wonder of Wonder, miracle of miracles"
  
  -Top ten lessons learned, then paragraph explanation.  Ex "Free library is a contradiction in terms.  (fines b/c we ck out 30 bks at a time)  "If you take the cheapest flight, be prepared to find out why."
  
  -Thank yous from our family devotions.  With little ones this is hilarious.  "Thank you for a good trip.  Thank you that we won the revolutionary war."
  
  -On a heavy travel year we copied a map with stars where we had been and short paragraphs telling about our travels.
  
  -Best and worst of the year, and aspects of the year.  ex best and worst of working at home ;-) best field trips, best verses
  
  -Once upon a time - a fairy tale about the King Queen and 5 children.  Story about disturbances in kingdom - too much water used for bathing, mysterious odors etc...  A sage is consulted and concludes castle is infected with adolescence.  Solution?  Time and 3 potions- Compassion Growth formula, Backbone Strenghthener, Sense of Humor.
  
  -ABC's of Christmas.  A word beginning with each letter and a one sentence explanation.
  
  -"Our Space" done like a Myspace with a profile pic and description of each family member.
  
  -This year is questions heard around our house, with answers mom says or just thinks and keeps to herself. ;-)
  
  What a fun walk down memory lane!!!  My favorites are the comics, Most Wanted and the fairy tale.  Some years are better than others ;-)
  Submitted by Betsy
  
  
• This is the third  year we have written letters - and it is a blessing to us -and hopefully to those we send the letters. We create 2 letters - one for our personal friends & family and another for our church family, since my husband is a pastor. Our church family sees us so regularly - we don't feel the need to update them on what is happening with each of us. 
  
  We try to pick one of the Christmas Hymns - and put one verse of the hymn at the top, and then we use our introduction paragraph - to encourage thoughts of the true meaning of Christmas - based on the hymn we used. For example - this year we used the hymn, O Come all Ye Faithful - so we encouraged those reading our letter - to come and adore , and behold the Lord of lords.  We then pick out a verse of scripture related to the hymn, and have it at the bottom our letter.
  
  Our second paragraph is a personal note to personal friends & family about our family or to our church family we put a summary of the encouraging work of God in our church.  My husband then writes a handwritten note to each church member - and I take care of writing a personal note to our friends/family outside of church.
  
  We too enjoy receiving notes and even cards- when they have a personal note in them. Just thought I would send this . I am fairly new to Old Schoolhouse, but what a blessing it has been to me.  Thank You.
  Submitted by R&K
  
  
• Our annual Christmas letter wraps up the year's events in the form of a Dr. Seuss-inspired rhyme. It's always really fun to put together, and now that our children are learning to rhyme words, it's really become a family tradition!
  
  We’re recounting ’09, a year chockfull of blessings
  As we eat our fill of turkey and dressings.
  So how do we wrap up this year, grand and merry?
  Guess we’ll just start with the stuff back in January.
  
  Submitted by Brandy
  
  (This was a fabulous full page poem. I absolutely LOVED it, but didn't want to give away her whole letter. ~Nancy)
  
  
• In our Christmas letter, we always try to sum it up evangelistically.  We've taken all the time to write it, why not use it to try to draw others to Christ, or point them towards the "Reason for the season"?  I'm sure many of TOS readers are more eloquent and much better writers but examples from our past Christmas letters may better explain:
  
  1)  A church in the US found a valuable print by Albrecht Durer dated 1493 hanging in their chapel. The members could not believe they were unaware that it was there. What about us? Are we unaware of something valuable right under our noses? Jesus isn’t hiding. The truth that God came to earth is plainly announced in the Bible, reflected in our art, and in songs throughout history.  But we are still unaware of the significance of Christ’s birth.  This Christmas, join with the wisemen and shepherds. Give praise to Jesus, God who became Man. Wise men today worship not only the Child of Bethlehem but the Man of Calvary.
  
  
  2)  It is such a precious feeling when someone slips their hand in yours.  Old or young makes no difference.  That little bit of intimacy is unmatched.  How often do you reach up for your Heavenly Father’s hand?  He will never push your hand aside or refuse to take hold.  God’s hands are always there.  Just reach up and take hold.
  Submitted by Barbara
  
  
• One year we did our family letter as a crossword puzzle that we made on one of the free sites online.  It was a big hit.
  Submitted by Kena