Making a “Praise Tree” is a wonderful way to “count your blessings” during the Thanksgiving holiday. The “Praise tree” may be displayed not only for Thanksgiving, but also as your first Christmas decoration to prepare your home and family for Advent. To make a “Praise tree” you need to purchase a small, artificial, table-sized Christmas tree. You may choose to use a bare-branched tree anchored to a wooden base or in a weighted can. Pull together decorating ideas to glue, paste, draw or stamp onto folded 3”x5” plain index cards. You will need a hole punch, double-faced ¼” red satin ribbon, and tree ornament hangers. Other decorating items you may want to use with a Christmas theme are old Christmas cards with pictures that can be but out, wrapping paper with small designs that can be cut out and pasted to the index cards. Glitter is a popular decorating tool. Crayons and markers are the old faithfuls. You may be asking, “What do we do with the cards and what is the purpose of the tree? “The “Praise Tree” is a way of pulling the family together during a holiday time to remember the blessings you have experienced for the year that has just passed. Everyone takes as many index cards as they want to and each family member writes on the inside of the folded card what he or she remembers and thanks God for. Small children may just want to illustrate what it is they are thankful for or an adult may write it down for the child. Looking through pictures taken during the year or pulling out your day planner may help you to remember special times and events from the past year. Each person also decorates the front of the card. The hole punch is to make a hole in the upper left-hand corner so that the ribbon can be strung through the hole and tied in a bow before hanging the card on the small Christmas tree. With the Christmas motif on the cards, the tree may remain displayed for the Christmas season and also serve as a wonderful reminder of how grateful we should be for the Christ child who came to bring us hope and assurance of life eternal. “ Although Thanksgiving 2009 has come and gone, should not every day be a day of Thanksgiving? I am thankful that God loved us so much that He sent a little baby over 2000 years ago to an earthly mother and father...to live a human life…to die the worst of human deaths…because He loved humanity so much and knew we needed a sacrificial Savior as a ransom for a debt we could never repay…Oh, how I’m thankful every single day for that blessed baby boy! Because He was born, He also died! And because He died I can live eternally with Him!O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
As a little Christmas gift to you, enjoy the following video shared with me by a dear friend (and just pretend you are at the beach as you laugh your socks off!)
2 comments:
Lisa, you are just too precious! I know Lynnette appreciates you posting this and as her mother, I do too.
I think her book is a great blessing to everyone that reads it. And yes, it is a good read for those who have lost loved ones, and those who have gone through great trials...but it is also a story of God's faithfulness, so it can be a blessing to anyone.
I thank God for your continued kindness to my girl.
Have a Blessed Christmas and a good New Year!
Love you,
Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
Thank-you, sweet Linda, for your faithfulness to visit my site and leaving comments. I love you! And you know I love your daughter!
Post a Comment