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Homemade Gifts
Tight budget this year? Then check out these easy and inspired homemade gift ideas that are sure to please everyone on your list.

Easy-to-Make Cards
Holiday Keepsakes
Festive Characters
Festive Characters
Christmas Crew
Tea Box Snowman
Wee Three Kings
Merry Christmouse
Merry Mice
Sock Snowfolk
Snow Angel
Christmas Calendars
 
Applesauce Ornament
4 ounces (1 cup) cinnamon
1 Tablespoon cloves
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
3/4 cup applesauce
3 Tablespoons white glue
1/2 teaspoon food coloring
optional: 1 teaspoon glitter

Combine ingredients. Work with the dough until smooth. Divide into several portions. Roll out 1/4 inch thick. Cut out with cookie cutters. Make hole in the top. Dry at room temperature for 1-3 days. Turn over once to let the other side dry. String ribbon thru the hole and hang on Christmas tree, or give as gifts.

Christmas Bells
Take a white cup, decorate the outside with glitter, sequins, beads, paper, stickers, whatever. Punch a small hole in the top of the cup. Slip a pipe cleaner through the hole to the inside of the cup. Twist the pipe cleaner around so it forms a hook. Place a jingle bell at the end of the pipe cleaner. Now your little ones have a bell for the tree or a gift. (Don't forget about using the toilet paper rolls for crafts.) You could make napkin rings, drums, toy soldiers, angels, and lots more.

For variation, use a tiny plant pot which you've painted white. Instead of pipe cleaner, gold chord. For an angel, cut out and glue on felt wings. Cut a piece of gold pipe cleaner to form a halo and attach through wooden bead used as a head.

Christmas Candle Decoration

toilet tissue tube
construction paper in the colors white, yellow, green, red
white glue

Cover the tissue tube with white paper. Glue. Cut out two flame shapes from the yellow paper. Glue them to an open end of the tube, facing each other. Cut out nine holly leaf shapes from the green paper and nine red berries from the red paper. Glue the base of each leaf to the bottom of the candle, overlapping leaves slightly as you go around. Glue a red berry to the base of each leaf.
 
December
 2008
I LIKE THIS PICTURE.  Taken at our recent HLA STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY, Lori, Calente and Toni enjoy fellowship and fun with the entire staff. These are real moms!  They work everyday for you and your family because they love children and they love God.  HLA is so very blessed to have such wonderful ladies serving home educators!
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 40 Other Languages

Apache (Western) - Gozhqq Keshmish
Arabic - I'D Miilad Said ous Sana Saida
Croatian - Sretan Bozic
Danish - Glædelig Jul og godt nytår
Farsi - Sal-e no mubarak
French - Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
German - Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!
Greek - Kala Christougenna Ki'eftihismenos O Kenourios
Chronos Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka & Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Shanah Tova
Hindi - Shubh Naya Baras
Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Iroquois - Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson homungradon nagwutut & Ojenyunyat osrasay
Italian - Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Kyrghyz - JangI jIlIngIz guttuu bolsun!
Latin - Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis
Maori - Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritimeti e te Mataiti Ou
Mongolian - Zul saryn bolon shine ony mend devshuulye
Nepali - krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva & Naya Barsa Ko harkik Shuvakamana
Norweigan/Nynorsk - Eg ynskjer hermed Dykk alle ein God Jul og Godt Nyttår
Polish - Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku.
Portuguese - Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo Romanian - Craciun fericit si un An Nou fericit!
Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom
Samoan - Ia manuia le Kilisimasi ma le tausaga fou
Somali - ciid wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican.
Spanish - Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Sudanese - Wilujeng Natal Sareng Warsa Enggal
Swedish - God Jul och Gott Nytt År
Tagalog - Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon
Tahitian - Ia ora i te Noere e ia ora na i te matahiti 'api
Thai - Suksan Wan Christmas lae Sawadee Pee Mai
Ukrainian - Veseloho Vam Rizdva i Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku!
Vietnamese - Chuc Mung Giang
Sinh - Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Zulu - Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo
 
Carey Family Fun!
Carey Family Family Means Fun!

Pictured here is Lani Carey and her family fun bunch -- Christin, Jonathan, and that other kid on the right is her husband, Chris.  Justus is still away at the Air Force Academy so pray for him. But we are just happy to serve great families like this one all over the country. Chris and Lani have done a terrific job of bringing their kids up knowing how to work hard and how to play just as hard. They have fun! And families that have fun together make rich memories and build lasting friendships well into adulthood.

What a priviledge it is to have our children home, to have our families together. And no matter what our circumstances we are blessed! Every blessing He pours out we should turn back as praise. And every praise turn to God creates another place for our children to learn about the true Joy of the Lord.

This holiday season, and even into next year, we encourage you to make more time for FUN with your family. Turn the TV off and build a box-TV intsead -- then take turns creating your own shows. Skip that movie and make smores in the kitchen. Wake up early and pray together. Make time and find pleasure in the fun which God gives us.

You don't have to be a card like Chris. They broke the mold with him. But everyone can lead their family into those rich and cherished times, ones which last for eternity, because where our treasure is there our hearts will be also.


And then comes the Spring...
Spring is Coming! All things work together for good.
If you are going through a difficult time right now you can count on God. He sees you. And he has promised this, "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes." Our job is not to worry. Our job is to "love the Lord" and make sure we are called to His purposes. If we will do these two things He will certainly work things together for our good. This is His promise. And God makes good on ALL his promises. He will make everything new. Just look at the flowers! Well, you can't see them right now. But you know they will be back, right. Why? Because God will bring them back in His perfect timing. So hang in there through the trouble, because after the hardship...then comes the Spring.