-why do people celebrate it?
-why do you get presents?
-why does
-how does Santa's sleigh fly
What we did
Poem
First part of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" by: Clement Moore
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
Math
-make a Christmas countdown chain. The boys wrote numbers on each link.
-I made a calendar. Ezra wrote the numbers in. I had him circle Christmas, Christmas Eve and a few random numbers.
-patterns with Christmas pictures
Watched
LDS Nativity video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQs0H7dvwy0
Coloring
Christmas pictures
Read
Christmas books
What we learned
-learned about Christmas symbols and what they mean http://www.santaclausvillage.info/videos-4/santa-claus-sledging/
-that we celebrate Christ's birth and remember all He did for us
We Made a Christmas Gingerbread Village
Livi's Reindeer Stable
template:
http://www.ultimategingerbread.com/free%20patterns/Barn-Pattern.pdf
Mr. & Mrs. Claus's House - Ashley
template:
http://www.ultimategingerbread.com/free%20patterns/Elf-House-Pattern.pdf
North Pole Outfitters - Mike
template:
http://www.slice-heaven.com/system/0000/3585/pb1977_19.19a.pdf
Sammy's Hot Chocolate Shop
template:
http://images.allrecipes.com/site/allrecipes/gingerbread_house_diagram.pdf
Toy Factory - Ezra
template:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/7512947c75dd4ce76f3a611041c1fe40/miscdocs/gingerbread.pdf
Noah's Tree Shop
template:
http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/pdf2/gingerbreadinstructionskit.pdf
This was a TON of work, but really fun. I spent almost every evening for a week getting things ready.
Schedule
Day 1 - find, print, and cut gingerbread templates
Day 2 - make, cut, and bake gingerbread (used 8 times recipe for 6 houses)
Day 3 - make windows, assemble houses
Day 4 - make frosting, buy candy
Day 5 - kids decorate, lighting
Day 6 - edging, icicles, signs, display
Gingerbread Recipe (I used 8 times the recipe for 6 houses) from foodnetwork.com
1/2 c (4 oz)butter, margarine, or shortening at room temperature
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c (2 oz) light molasses
1 T cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
1 1/2 t ground cloves
1 t baking soda
2 c (10 oz) all-purpose flour
2 T (1 oz) water
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough. Roll out, place on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 375 10-12 minutes.
Candy Windows (I used 3 times the recipe for 6 houses)
1 cup granulated cane sugar
1/3 cup hot water
1/3 cup light com syrup
Place cooked gingerbread on parchment paper on a flat surface. Combine sugar, hot water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Place on high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until all sugar crystals are dissolved. Cook until 290 F, without stirring, then remove from heat. Add food coloring if you wish. While hot, pour the candy into window cut-out's. It can be reheated if it cools too much while pouring. Let completely cool before peeling off parchment.
Royal Icing with powdered egg whites
3 tablespoons meringue powder
4 c (16 oz) powdered sugar
5-6 tablespoons lukewarm water
Place sugar and Meringue powder in a bowl and stir at low speed. Add water and mix on low to medium for 7-10 minutes, until icing loses its sheen. To prevent drying out, keep the bowl and icing tips covered with a damp towel. Will keep for two weeks stored in the fridge.
Royal Icing with real egg whites (I used 8 times the recipe for 6 houses)
2 large egg whites
2 t fresh lemon juice
3 c (12 oz) powdered sugar
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html#ixzz177Gtik4o
Tips
-don't try to do this in one day, by the end you won't care how they look
-make more gingerbread dough and frosting than you think you'll need, it takes a lot of extra time to go back and make more for one house I would double the gingerbread recipe and 2-3 times the icing
-make a candy plan of things that look good together, so it ends up looking nice
-cereal, cookies, and crackers are really cute decorations as well
-edge all sides for a finished look
-do the icing for the kids and let them place the candy
-use battery powered led lights, we drilled a hole in the back after decorating them
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