12 Days of Christmas

Now that Willy Wonka is over I can concentrate on preparations for Christmas! Shopping is done, presents are wrapped, and baking (my favorite part) has begun. The kids have no extracurricular activities for 2 weeks so we can enjoy some family time playing games and watching movies. We had a few school items to take care of early this week, but we are also done with that.

For a fun school project we made a lapbook to learn about the meaning behind the 12 Days of Christmas song. It is one of the songs that Michael is constantly singing, so he may as well learn something about it, right? Legend has it that it was written in England a few hundred years ago as a way to help young Catholics learn their catechism during a time when it was a crime to practice or teach Catholicism. Whether this legend is true, I don't know, but it can still be used to help learn our Catholic faith, especially for my child who learns anything better when music is involved. I also try to remind the kids that despite Christmas items appearing on store shelves in October, the Christmas season in the church starts on Christmas Day and ends 12 days later on the Epiphany.

Here are the meanings of the 12 days:

1-Christ who died on the cross for our sins

2-old and new testaments

3-three theological virtues - faith, hope, and charity

4-four gospels

5-the Pentateuch, or first 5 books of the old testament

6-six days of creation

7-seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

8-eight Beatitudes

9-nine fruits of the Spirit

10-the Ten Commandments

11-eleven faithful apostles

12-twelve points of the Apostle's Creed

I found instructions for this lapbook on www.homeschoolshare.com/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas.php .

Willy Wonka

Our lives are pretty much consumed with Willy Wonka right now. Zack and Michael are Oompa Loompas and Michael is also a squirrel. After several weeks of rehearsal the play opened 4 days ago. So far it has been a huge success. Michael continues to make us proud with his love for the stage - he is so animated and just glows. Some days he can't remember the answer to 2+2, but he always remembers exactly what to do when he is performing in front of the audience. This is Zack's first time in a musical production, and it has been a joy to watch him come out of his shell and see him sing and dance. It is really neat to see him enjoy something besides sports.

One of the highlights of their Willy Wonka experience was performing a medley from the play on the Good Morning Texas show. The cast looked and sounded great, and even though we had to be at the studio very early in the morning it was well worth it. It was so fun to see how they put on the TV show.

We are all enjoying our time now that the show has started. Corey, Nick, Luke, and I watched in the audience opening night. The energy of the audience has been super, and there are so many talented people in the cast from the little kids to the teens to the "grandparents". We also love getting to know the cast and parents backstage. Seeing the show makes all the late nights of rehearsal worth it.

To see the video clip go to www.wfaa.com/good-morning-texas/The-Uptown-Theaters-Production-of-Willy-Wonka-111465049.htlm .