It's one of my favorite days of the Christmas season. Shortly after lunch 16 kids will descend on my home. We'll decorate cookies, play some games, make a big mess and have a whole lot of fun. It's cookie party day.
Eight years ago, when my oldest was 2 and my youngest was just a baby, we invited a couple of friends over to decorate cookies. The party has grown and grown since then. This year, I made 138 cookies, and when I get done writing this blog, I'm going to go make several pounds of frosting. By the time everyone leaves, there will be sprinkles all over my kitchen.
At 2:30, though, 14 kids will walk out my door, having had a good time. They will have spent two hours knowing they are loved. They will have experienced some of the joy of Christmas in our home.
The cookie party is a lot of work. It's two hours of high energy, exhausting fun. And it's my best chance to be an influence on my kids' friends during the Christmas season. This year's theme is "A Charlie Brown Christmas." We've turned the party into an opportunity to help others. Everyone is bringing a couple of cans of food to donate to a local food bank. We're also going to make blankets for Project Linus, which provides blankets to kids who are in the hospital. There will be plenty of fun and food, but by the time they, leave these kids will have taken a few minutes to focus on the needs of others during this season in which kids often focus only on their own wants and wishes.
We're also planning to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which is a way to sneak in the true meaning of Christmas with these kids. Our cookie party offers us a chance to influence the lives of kids who are not our own, even if it's in a small way.
We all have opportunities to be an influence on the kids who come through the front doors of our homes. We don't have to go halfway around the world to influence people for Jesus. We can do it in our own homes. We can have conversations with our kids' friends. We can slip Jesus into a party. We can be an example of what a family centered on Jesus looks like.
Don't be afraid to be an example of Jesus to the kids in your life. Don't be afraid to offer Godly advice. Don't be afraid to slip Jesus into the conversation. Isaiah 52:7 says "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news." We want to have beautiful feet when it comes to our kids and their friends.
You may be the only Jesus some of the kids in your life ever see. Use the opportunities God sends your way to be an influence for Him. You never know, you may be the instrument God uses to change a child's life.
There's still time to create special moments with your kids this Christmas, check out Lori's new e-book Everyday Christmas. It's available for Kindle, Nook and as a PDF file.
Showing posts with label cookie party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookie party. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Cookies!!!
In about two weeks, I'm going to have a dozen giggling, hyper kids in my kitchen, and I'll be handing them bowls full of sugar-laden icing. Am I crazy? Probably, but this is one of my girls' favorite Christmas traditions -- our annual cookie party.
When my oldest was 2, I decided it would be fun to have a couple of her friends over to decorate cookies. They had so much fun that we've done it every year since. The first party started with three kids, and over the years it has grown to about a dozen kids. We decorate cookies, play some games and find some simple ways to share the true meaning of Christmas with the kids who attend.
What started as a fun activity with a couple of preschoolers has turned into a full-fledged party with a purpose. My girls choose a charity, and we collect things from the attendees for that charity. One year we collected art supplies for our local children's hospital; another year we collected canned food for a food pantry. The girls get to have a party and hang out with their friends and they learn something about serving others. Every kid goes home with a plate of cookies for themselves and a plate of cookies to share.
To be honest, there are some years I'd like to do away with the cookie party. It's a lot of extra work in the days right before Christmas. But after every party, I see the smiles on the faces of those kids, and I know that it's worth it. I know those kids leave my house knowing that Christmas is about Jesus. They have all experienced joy and friendship in the two hours they're at our house. The cookie party is as much about reaching out to my kids' friends as it is about making my kids happy.
The more often our kids' friends are under our roofs having fun experiences, the more influence we have in their lives. The Bible tells us that God considers children precious and that we are to pour ourselves into their lives. Jesus said, "“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Using creative ideas, like a cookie party or a caroling party, we can draw our kids' friends to Jesus as we teach our own children.
So, gather up some of your kids' friends, make some time in your schedule and bake some cookies. When the day is over you'll be exhausted, but you will have made a difference in the lives of your children and their friends.
When my oldest was 2, I decided it would be fun to have a couple of her friends over to decorate cookies. They had so much fun that we've done it every year since. The first party started with three kids, and over the years it has grown to about a dozen kids. We decorate cookies, play some games and find some simple ways to share the true meaning of Christmas with the kids who attend.
What started as a fun activity with a couple of preschoolers has turned into a full-fledged party with a purpose. My girls choose a charity, and we collect things from the attendees for that charity. One year we collected art supplies for our local children's hospital; another year we collected canned food for a food pantry. The girls get to have a party and hang out with their friends and they learn something about serving others. Every kid goes home with a plate of cookies for themselves and a plate of cookies to share.
To be honest, there are some years I'd like to do away with the cookie party. It's a lot of extra work in the days right before Christmas. But after every party, I see the smiles on the faces of those kids, and I know that it's worth it. I know those kids leave my house knowing that Christmas is about Jesus. They have all experienced joy and friendship in the two hours they're at our house. The cookie party is as much about reaching out to my kids' friends as it is about making my kids happy.
The more often our kids' friends are under our roofs having fun experiences, the more influence we have in their lives. The Bible tells us that God considers children precious and that we are to pour ourselves into their lives. Jesus said, "“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Using creative ideas, like a cookie party or a caroling party, we can draw our kids' friends to Jesus as we teach our own children.
So, gather up some of your kids' friends, make some time in your schedule and bake some cookies. When the day is over you'll be exhausted, but you will have made a difference in the lives of your children and their friends.
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