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8 Creative Christmas Activities to do with your Kids! 

From children's ministries to being creative with our own kids, the GiveSendGo creative team has come up with a few ideas for your family to spend some quality time in a creative way 

Make a popcorn garland 
A Christmas family favorite in our house! It’s simple, all you need is 2 day old popcorn, fishing wire, and a needle ( you can buy plastic ones for the kids! ) This will be an hour or so of the little people stringin’, maybe a little bit of singin’, and of course eating way too much stale popcorn!

Write a letter to santa and ‘send it’
Your kids may have written to Santa already, but here is an idea to make memories out of it! Once your kids have written a letter to the big man in red, place the letter in your mailbox. Later before the mail comes to be picked up, grab the letters and put them in a box somewhere you won't lose them. When your kids are older, maybe even when they have their own kids, you can pull out these timecaples and share with your grandkids what their parents wanted when they were younger!

Decorate their room with paper snowflakes!
This time of year, the common areas of your house will usually have Christmas decorations, but why stop there! I remember decorating my room as a kid was THE BEST feeling!  Grab a pair of scissors a white piece of paper and, of course, the tried and true, watch a ‘how to’ video on YouTube. 

Create, with salt dough
When I first saw this idea, I was amazed how simple, yet creative it was! You can create playdough using only 3 ingredients: water, salt and flour! With this you can build the nativity scene with the animals, a manger, baby Jesus, and so much more! You can also create ornaments with the playdoh, just poke a hole through the top, bake at 225F for 90 minutes, wait to cool down and hang-up!

Go see christmas lights 
Going to see the houses and cities participating in putting up Christmas lights to spread holiday cheer is the perfect recipe for memories in the making! The stunning and creative Christmas light displays are a special treat for all ages. Add 1 cup of hot chocolate to make the night even more special!

Bake Christmas cookies
There are tons of quick and easy cookie recipes to help you with this one! To make them more festive you can add red and green sprinkles! Gingerbread men cookies are fun to bake and decorate too! 

Gingerbread houses
If you made gingerbread men, might as well give them a good place to live! A fun, festive and sweet way to get your kids creativity flowing! 

Be generous
We might be biased, but here at GiveSendGo we think giving is a GREAT activity to do as a family. Take a look at our campaigns on GiveSendGo with your family and choose someone in need who could use your families help. 

May this season be filled with so many special memories for your family that will be remembered for a lifetime! Lastly, remember, the reason for the season! Our King, the Saviour of the world was born!

Remembering The Best Teacher 

Think back to when you were growing up. Do you remember your favorite teacher? Was it a patient teacher who listened when you had something to say? Or maybe it was a teacher who was so genuinely invested in you that you felt like you could do anything. Did a name pop into your head? (The name might be one of a family member if you were homeschooled!)

Whoever the name belongs to, looking back they were probably just like you now. A person who has burdens, stress, and all the “fun” adult responsibilities that come with having a job, like teaching, but then chooses to leave the weight of it all outside the classroom for the sake of the students. Why? Because those teachers knew how to love people well even when being a teacher was hard!

Our biggest teacher here at GiveSendGo has taught us that time and time again, even in the midst of nasty messages and emails, pressure from the media, and other factors. That teacher's name is Jesus. We want to love people regardless of who they are, what they look like, or who they voted for...just like Jesus did. 

As Christians, we want to grow more like Jesus every day. Having the profession of a teacher is an honor that goes unnoticed and unappreciated most of the time, but can make such a great difference in the life of a student. We see that in the gospels when Jesus is teaching the crowds, his disciples, or even an outcast. Jesus explained things in a way that made it easier for all different kinds of people to understand, just like teachers do! He knew one style of teaching wasn't fit for all, he understood having patience in the midst of being asked a million questions all at once, and he fostered people’s gifts and helped them grow in skill and understanding! We see this in everyday teaching and schooling. It’s never one size fits all! 

If you’re a teacher or you know a teacher, encourage and pray for them this upcoming school season. Start a GiveSendGo campaign for them to help with purchasing back-to-school supplies!
 
Whether it’s in your home or at a classroom, teachers are hardworking people who know how to love so well, like Jesus did, and we appreciate you! 

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

Although two decades have passed since that terrifying and tragic incident, everyone who’s old enough to remember, can recall where they were when they first heard the news of the twin towers being hit. For those who were there in person, they remember it as the day the sky turned black, clouded with ash and smoke, over New York City. 

That day started like any other day. No one could have expected such an event would take place, stopping time for people nationwide. It was televised worldwide and broadcasted across radio stations across the U.S. All eyes and ears were on NYC that day. In that moment, the world was forever changed by the attack that caused 3,000 lives to be lost. 

Even though I was too young to remember where I was, or what I was doing, on that day (as I was just a toddler at the time), I do clearly remember the aftershock of 9/11. It was taught and talked about all the time as I grew up. I was told about how the world worked to heal, repair, and better defend itself in the days, months, and even years after what had happened. That event claimed more than just a day. It lives in the memories of millions of people, especially those directly affected by the attack. I grew up with these stories. I’ve watched videos, seen photos, heard testimonies from actual survivors, and read articles about that day. Whether you were there or not, it’s a memory shared by the world. And even though I know we can’t experience time as God does, it amazes me that the people of NYC didn’t feel the presence of the future staring back at them on that day. 

But, despite the gravity and devastation of 9/11, there is and was hope to be found in Jesus. 

How can I say this when such evil things like this happen? 

Psalm 46:1-2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.”

This passage, among many others in the Bible, promises us that God didn’t abandon the world on that day. He didn’t desert those who were killed, the first responders who risked their lives to save people trapped under debris, or the people who lost loved ones due to the attack. Even in situations where the world was literally crumbling at people’s feet, God promised to be a refuge for those who were hurting and needed a Savior. God was still moving, providing hope, help, and comfort to those in need. 

Likewise, He is a God of justice who will bring about the judgement of those who were responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Psalms 37:28 says, “For the Lord loves justice and does not abandon His godly ones; They are protected forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.” It also says in Proverbs 21:15, “The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, but is terror to the workers of iniquity.”

I want to end with the following quote. This quote is an excerpt of a prayer by John Piper who said this a decade after 9/11 took place. He said: 

“We turn to you, heavenly Father, as our rock and our refuge, as our King and our comforter. We pray that you continue to sustain all those who lost loved ones on 9/11. Show them mercy. Give them comfort. For those who believe in you, minister by your Spirit and the truths of your word. For those who are far from you, use this tragedy in a new way a decade later to draw these broken-hearted men, women, and children to yourself...We thank you Lord for the firemen and police officers who risked their lives, and often gave their lives, to search for and rescue the victims of 9/11... May every moment of adversity and prosperity point us to Christ. Keep our eyes fixed on the Author and Perfector of our faith. Let us run to Christ. Let us cling to Christ. Let us find forgiveness in Christ. Let us find assurance in Christ. For the only true promise of peace, in this life and in the next, is found in Christ. We gladly confess that he is our only comfort in life and in death. Some trust in chariots; some trust in horses; some trust in the Koran; some trust in their wealth; some trust in their ancestors; some trust in their degrees; some trust in tanks and talks and predator drones. But we trust in the name of the Lord our God. It’s in his name of the Lord Jesus that we live and move and have our being, and it’s in his name we pray, Amen.”