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12/25/13

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Regardless of how (or if) you celebrate, I hope your day is filled with love, peace and joy.

Today I'm sharing a craft that has special meaning in my family, a simple Nativity banner. First, a bit of background. My mom is a preschool teacher at the same Lutheran preschool I attended 38 years ago. (Technically, she's retired, but she subs often enough that it's fair to use the present tense instead of the past tense.) Every student who has gone through that preschool has made this same banner of burlap and felt. The one I made in 1975 and the one my sister made in 1978 have hung in my parents' house every single Christmas since we made them. Starting when I was about 10, each year I helped my mom cut dozens of Marys, Josephs, cradles, and stars from different colors of felt so that her students could make their banners. In 2003, my sister's son started at that preschool and came home with his own Nativity banner.

Since we do not live in my hometown, Trevor did not attend that same preschool. His school did other wonderful projects, but not the Nativity banner that his mom, aunt, and cousin had all made when they were in preschool. So my mom brought the supplies to our house that Christmas in 2009 and Trevor made a banner.  

 
It hangs in our house each Christmas season, a reminder not only of Jesus' birth, but of the importance of family and tradition.  

6 comments:

  1. This is so beautiful!!! My MIL just loves nativities! Merry Christmas!!! :)

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  2. It's beautiful in its simplicity. Love this. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  3. Love this craft!! Hope you had a Merry Christmas!! :)

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  4. I would love to do this for our Lutheran Pre K class! How did you fasten the banner at the top? Are the glued or did someone stitch them all?

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    1. I used hot glue. But it wouldn't be too time-consuming to sew a loop at the top of each banner ahead of time.

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  5. Amazing :) exactly what I was thinking of doing :) can't wait to make these with our Pre K class! Thank you for sharing this wonderful tradition :)

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