I was searching the Internet for ideas to keep the spirit of giving past Thanksgiving and into Christmas. I found on Revive Our Hearts a discussion forum and a grandmother posted this idea with Christmas cookies. I loved the idea and wanted to share in case you too are looking for some new traditions and ways to keep sharing Christ love with others.
These are great "Thank you" gifts.
You will need cookies cutters in the following shapes: Christmas Tree, Angel, Star, Heart, Cross, Dove, Church, Candle
You can make your own sugar cookie dough or purchase it.
Have the kids cut out the cookie dough with your shapes. You can have them do one at a time and discuss the symbolism at this time or you can do it at the end when you pack the cookies.
- Christmas Tree - What goes under the Christmas Tree? Gifts! Jesus is the first, and the best gift anyone could receive.
- Angel - Angels were sent to proclaim the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds.
- Star - The wise men followed the star and they found Jesus.
- Heart - The heart represents love. Do you know that God loves you? In fact, He loved you so much that He gave you a sacrificial gift. What is a sacrifice? That's when you have something that you really love and you give it away...just like God gave Jesus to us.
- Cross - The cross which was used to bring death, became a symbol of life. The cross represents Jesus. He went to the cross to die for our sins and when we believe in Him, He forgives us our sins, allows us to have a relationship with Him, and gives us eternal life.
- Dove - This represents the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes to live in us when we believe in Him and gives us the power to live for Jesus.
- Church - This is where we go to worship God, learn more about Him, and fellowship with other believers.
- Candle - The candle represents light. Jesus is the light of the world and we are to let our light shine so that others can know Him.
After the cookies have baked and cool let the kids have fun frosting them.
Once the frosting has set put them in a cello bag in the order listed above and tie it closed. Don't forget to add a tag that explains the meaning of each shape.
We are going to bake these cookies and give them to the postal carrier, the men who pick up our trash, our favorite clerks at the convenience store, our sweet friend who supplies us with farm eggs, the owners of the dairy farm, friends and neighbors.
