Baby Jesus

Happy Birthday Jesus Cake with Nativity Cookies!

December 1, 2011 By Lacy

In keeping with our “Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday” theme this week, I had to include a “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake! What is a birthday without a cake anyway? Making Jesus a Birthday cake has become an annual Christmas tradition at our house. We make the cake on Christmas day (a fun afternoon activity) and then we eat it for dessert after Christmas dinner. Don’t forget to sing Jesus Happy Birthday and blow out the candles first!

I’m not much of a baker, and I’m not an expert when it comes to decorating with icing. If I want to make cute cakes, I have to think of another way. Last year I decorated the birthday cupcakes with nativity cookies, which was super easy! You can see how I make nativity cookies here (no decoration skills needed). My nativity cookie cutter set came from Catholic Child Catalog, and they’re also available on Amazon. This set doesn’t come with an angel or a shepherd, and I substituted a different star I had from another set.

First we made cupcakes and added birthday sprinkles. I had already made a set of these cookies for my cookie exchange.

I stacked the cupcakes up my cupcake stand, placing the star cookie at the top.

I made a miniature “Happy Birthday Jesus” bunting with scrapbooking paper, embroidery floss, and a glue stick. I tied the ends to miniature candy canes and inserted them into the cupcakes to hold up the bunting.

I used a butter knife to make a slit into the top of the cupcakes, and then inserted the cookies standing straight up.

The kids had a lot of fun putting this together with me, and I’m always looking for an excuse to use my cute cupcake stand.

This year I’m planning to make a regular cake and decorate the tops with pieces from a nativity set. I’m sure I’ll post all about it next year. You can find more ideas for making Happy Birthday Jesus Cakes here.

Also, I wanted to let you know I’m going to be hosting a Christmas link-up on Saturday! So bring your Christmas links here then!

I’ll be posting every day this week with ideas for celebrating Jesus’ Birthday! Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Check out the other blogs participating in “5 Days of Christmas” series this week!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make
Mama’s Laundry Talk – Laundry Gifts

Filed Under: 12 December, Advent/Christmas, Baby Jesus, Christmas Food 12 Comments

Putting Jesus in the Creche – A Family Tradition

November 30, 2011 By Lacy

Advent is a time of waiting. One fun way to wait for the coming of Our Savior’s birthday is to set out our nativity sets, but hold back on placing Baby Jesus in the manger.

On Christmas Eve, when the waiting is almost over and it’s time to add Baby Jesus to the manger, you may as well make it a fun and meaningful family tradition! We do this by having a Baby Jesus Hunt!It’s just like and Easter egg hunt, only you’re looking for Baby Jesus. Doesn’t that sound like a great Christmas tradition?!

Here’s what you do:
Hide all the Baby Jesus’ from your creche sets before you leave for Christmas mass. When you return from mass, have your kids search until they retrieve every Baby Jesus for all of your nativity sets. Make sure that each child has at least one. (If you’re at all obsessed with nativity sets like me, that should be no problem).

Then you sing “Away in a Manger” while your family processes from creche to creche adding Jesus to the manger.

After putting Jesus in the manger, have a blessing of the creche. You can print a copy of a Creche Blessing Here. Here’s a different creche blessing where you bless each piece separately. I love my new creche for this year! See how all the pieces have a different bible verse on them?

This set is called the Scripture Nativity Set and I remember seeing it at Wal-Mart last Christmas, but I couldn’t afford it. Luckily for me I found the same set (new in the box) at a yard sale last Summer! I was soooo excited! This year we also have a large Baby Jesus with a wooden manger from Catholic Child Catalog.

I am in love with this new Christmas decoration- it’s my favorite of all! We have His empty manger patiently awaiting Christ front and center in front of the (fake) fireplace.

My children look forward to this tradition every year now! Does your family have a tradition for adding Jesus to the nativity set? I’d all love to hear about it!

I’ll be posting every day this week with ideas for celebrating Jesus’ Birthday! Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Check out the other blogs participating in “5 Days of Christmas” series this week!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make
Mama’s Laundry Talk – Laundry Gifts

Filed Under: 12 December, Advent/Christmas, Baby Jesus, Christian 13 Comments

Good Deeds and Sacrifices for Baby Jesus- Make an Empty Manger

November 29, 2011 By Lacy

As we all know, Advent is a time of waiting. We are waiting for the coming of our Savior! Lent is also a time of waiting in which we make sacrifices. Did you know that Advent is traditionally a time of sacrifice for Jesus as well?

A fun way to incorporate this concept with kids is the empty manger. The manger begins empty at the beginning of Advent. Each time someone in the family does a good deed or makes a sacrifice, he or she gets to place a piece of straw in the manger. You can either have a different manger for each child, or the family can all add their straw to the same manger. Explain that good deeds and sacrifices are the best present we can give to Jesus for his birthday! With each piece of straw added to the manger, Jesus has a softer place to lay for Christmas morning. On Christmas, you add Jesus to the manger while singing “Away in a Manger”. This is a really fun and meaningful Christmas tradition!

We crafted our own manger sets for Baby Jesus this Advent, and I’m excited that they should last us for many years to come!

Supplies Needed to Make a Manger Set:

Small Wooden box from a craft store (You could substitute a cardboard box, like one from Velveeta Cheese)
Brown Paint (acrylic)
Paint Brush
Old Fashioned clothes pin or peg
Sharpie Marker
Square piece of felt
Shredded paper, Rafia, or Straw

Start by painting your wooden box brown. Set it aside to dry.

Draw a face on your clothes pin or wooden peg. We used a sharpie marker.

Glue a small square of felt around the Jesus peg doll for his “swaddling clothes”. When you’re finished, store Baby Jesus somewhere safe until Christmas- you don’t need him yet. Keep your hay close by so it’s easy to add a piece whenever anyone does a good deed or makes a sacrifice.

Every piece of hay will help to make Jesus’ bed softer for Christmas day!

I’ll be posting every day this week with ideas for celebrating Jesus’ Birthday! Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Check out the other blogs participating in “5 Days of Christmas” series this week!

A Slob Comes Clean – Getting Your Home Company Ready
Feels Like Home – Christmas Traditions
Somewhat Crunchy – Christmas with Dairy Allergies
Spell Outloud – Children’s Books
Mama’s Learning Corner – Children’s Crafts
Many Little Blessings – Edible Gifts
Sunflower Schoolhouse – Decorations
An Oregon Cottage – Christmas Cookies
Catholic Icing – Wishing Jesus Happy Birthday
The Traveling Praters – Traveling
The Homeschool Classroom – Gifts Kids Can Make
Mama’s Laundry Talk – Laundry Gifts

Filed Under: 12 December, Advent/Christmas, Baby Jesus 8 Comments

Religious Candy Cane Craft

December 8, 2010 By Lacy

Catholic ABC’s Week: 15
Letter of the week: J
Theme: Jesus
Saint of the Week: St. Joseph
Craft: J is for Jesus Candy Cane Craft

This week at my preschool co-op, we’re learning about the letter “j”. It was pretty easy to pick what “j” is for… Jesus! Last year I saw this craft over on Muffin Tin Mom and I’ve just been waiting for a chance to make it! Isn’t it the cutest? I wish I had some pictures of my preschool kids making this one, but we didn’t get to go yesterday due to many factors, including the fact that one of our cars is currently broken down

Materials Needed to Complete This Craft:

White paper
Red Paint
Shredded Paper
Glue
Felt (or colored paper)
Manila File Folder

For little kids, you’ll need to do the cutting ahead of time. Cut out the candy cane shape from white paper or card stock, and ovals from felt for Baby Jesus’ blanket. Cut circles from manila file folders for Baby Jesus’ head and draw on a little face.

Start by having the kids paint red stripes onto their white candy canes (try to make sure the paper is turned like a “J”). It’s more important that they do it themselves than it is for the stripes to be perfect. (I made the one above. A toddler’s candy cane will not look like that- when I have a picture of the one my 4 year old made I will post it). Have them put glue at the bottom of the candy cane and attach the shredded paper. Glue Baby Jesus together and add him to the “hay”.

That’s it!

Grab Bag Ideas for the Letter Jj: (be sure to check out the Classroom Script for directions on using the grab bag.) Jingle Bell, Jacks, Jello, Jack O Lantern, Jar, Joker, Juicebox, Jerky, Jet, Jump Rope, Jaguar, Jelly, Jellyfish, Jellybean, Jug, Juicer.

For More Resources, check out the Catholic Toolbox lesson plans for the Letter Jj. (Her Jj lesson is also on Jesus!)

Catholic ABC’s runs here at Catholic Icing every Wednesday with the newletter of the week. You can get the details of this program by checkingout the Classroom Script.