Advent 2011: A Hint of Christmas

"What may be known about God is plain to them, because God made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine qualities--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that mean are without excuse."  Romans 1:19-20, NIV

When we think of Christmas, most of us imagine decorations and trees brightening our rooms. But, can you remember the story about the man who lit a tree with candles after walking in the woods?  Can you remember why he did that?  That man’s name was Martin Luther and he is credited, in 1500 AD, as the first to decorate or light a tree in Christ’s honor.  Slowly other people began to decorate their trees throughout Europe and eventually in the United States. Did you also know that in the early 1800’s, the Puritan’s put a ban on Christmas trees. People were not allowed to put up or decorate Christmas trees because it distracted from the real meaning of Christmas. However, in 1850, a farmer brought trees to New York City for sale.  The farmer sold all of his trees and the first Christmas tree business began. The Christmas tree tradition blossomed over the next 70 years and now we can’t imagine Christmas without a tree.

This month, remember that the decorations and the tree are beautiful gifts from God to remind us that He is real and He loves us. Look around you this holiday, take a moment, and appreciate God glory.

Christmas Adventus 2011 Day 10: For today’s advent, place some fake snow, plastic berries and artificial pine pieces in your day 10 advent bag.  Have your angel’s open the bag and tell you what the items remind them of.  Read today’s introduction before beginning our craft. 

For our other Advent activities, see "Christmas Adventus 2011: Celebrating Allergy-Free".