Birthday Party for Jesus

Birthday parties are fun, and one of the best parts of the party is the cake. I have seen some fancy cakes and have tasted my share of awesome cakes (usually not baked by me). What is special about this cake is not the taste or the design, but the story.

You will need:

1 box of white cake mix (or your favorite white cake recipe)
1 box of chocolate cake mix (or your favorite chocolate cake recipe)
Vanilla frosting (I used this recipe but a couple cans of store-bought frosting will do)
food coloring: red, green and yellow
birthday candles
optional: heart candies, yellow star, large red candle. The Rush'd Lady gives other symbols for the cake on her post

Prepare cakes according to the box/recipe directions. Divid the white batter in half. Drop several drops of green food coloring in one half, and red food coloring in the other half. Pour into 8" round cake pans and bake according to recipe directions.

The chocolate layer reminds us that we are sinful.

The red layer reminds us that Jesus shed his blood for our sins.

The white frosting reminds us that Jesus has given us a clean heart.

The green layer reminds us to grow in Christ.

The yellow decorations remind us of heaven.

The candles remind us Jesus is the Light of the World.

Options:
We have had cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, sheet cakes from the bakery, and cupcakes. Here's another wonderful Christmas cake recipe: Christmas Jello Poke Cake.

This year we will be creating The Names of Jesus advent chain to keep track of the days until Christmas. Each day we will read and discuss one of the names.

The free printable Names of Jesus download can be found on my blog Spell Outloud.

One Christmas craft that my family has done in the past was to create a paper chain to keep track of the days until Christmas. The paper train had 25 links and each day the children removed one link. With an Advent paper chain, each link has a theme and a scripture printed on it:

"The links are numbered 1-25 and on each link is a different theme and scripture reference. Hang the chain with 25th link at the top and remove one link each day during December leading up to Christmas, using the scripture for family devotions and the theme as a focus for prayer. It's a handy way to count off the days until Christmas and learn more about the real meaning of the holiday. ~ Jim Elzerman"

Step-by-step instructions and a printable download are found here on Spell Outloud.

Photo by Jimmie

Jimmie came up with a printable birthday cake to use as an advent calendar for the Christmas season. You can see the directions and get the free printout here: Happy Birthday Jesus Printable Advent Calendar

Here is an easy craft that goes along perfectly with the Happy Birthday Jesus theme. "Light of the World" candle holders are able to be completed quickly and also reinforce the gospel story.

Materials:

gumdrops
white Lifesavers
birthday candles
white glue
plastic knife

Procedure:

1. Place a birthday candle in the top of the gumdrop. Glue if needed.
2. Cut a small slit in the gumdrop with a plastic knife to make the Lifesaver go in easily.
3. Eat a Lifesaver and grab another (uneaten) Lifesaver to use as the handle on the gumdrop.Glue the edge of the Lifesaver that is going into the gumdrop.

Story:

White reminds me of many things. It reminds me of snow, clouds and light. Do you see this lifesaver? What color is it? (white). That lifesaver makes me think of Jesus. Did you know that he never did anything wrong? He never sinned. He is pure and Holy. Jesus was born to save the world, and this lifesaver reminds me that he is my Saviour born on Christmas day.

This gumdrop reminds me of the world we live in. Have you ever eaten a gumdrop? Gumdrops are gooey and chewy. And if you leave them out of a container for awhile they get hard. That's kind of like the world. The world can seem llike a happy place, but then little things creep in like anger, discontentment, and unhappiness. Pretty soon it seems like life is so hard. Jesus came into the world to give us hope. With him, the world is sweet again.

In the Bible it says that Jesus is the Light of the World. What do you think that means? Is Jesus a big light bulb? Have you ever been outside when it is very dark out? Was it hard to find your way and see where you were going? That is how it is when we don't have Jesus in our hearts. We don't know where we are going and can't find our way. When you were out in the dark, what helped you see? (elicit responses) Yes, a light. A flashlight at night can be very helpful. Jesus is like that flashlight. He shows us the way to go if we keep our eyes on Him. That's why he is called the Light of the World. This little candle will help remind you to keep your eyes on Jesus.

So now you have your own Jesus birthday candle to remind you that He's our hope and our Saviour.

For a printable version of this craft, click here.

Here's a cute Baby Jesus craft that uses plastic lids and other craft scraps. I used this as a craft activity after reading Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck. I shared complete step-by-step instructions plus a free printout over at The Homeschool Village: Bottle Cap Baby Jesus

Create a Christmas card. Here is a cute Christmas card that the children can decorate and share with someone they love. Baby Jesus Present Card

Baby Jesus Scissor Practice. This printable activity has children recreating the hay in the manger. Download Here

Create a 3-D star. DLTK has instructions and the templates needed to create this craft. Suitable for ages 3 on up.

Fold and Cut a Star Another DLTK craft. Suitable for children ages 6 on up.

Color a Nativity Cross Oriental Trading has a set of cardstock crosses that tell the nativity story.

Color a Nativity Puzzle Another craft from Oriental Trading

Decorate Jesus Name Using an outline of the word JESUS, use glitter and sequins to decorate. Idea from Hubbard's Cupboard