Preparing for Christmas School
By Alison Stoner
Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year! And while I’m trying my hardest to keep to my no-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving rule, my heart and my mind are failing me and I can’t seem to stop thinking about this upcoming Christmas season, in particular, the anticipation of Christmas School.
For those of you who may not know my story well, I should give a brief background. We are in our second year of homeschooling, after many years spent in the public school system. I prayed and wished for a few years to homeschool my kids before the Lord graciously answered my prayers. Additionally, last November, our first year homeschooling, my husband had a kidney transplant, and because of that, we took about two months off of school all together. All that to say, this December will be my first true experience with Christmas School.
What is Christmas School, you may be wondering? I’m finding it’s difficult to define this simply as each homeschooling family tends to do it their own specific way. For us, Christmas School is taking the month of December to slow down the rigor of our typical curriculum and take a deeper look at the meaning and traditions of Christmas.
For years I saw this idea of Christmas School floating around social media, and if I’m honest, it’s what made me fall in love with the idea of homeschooling. I simply LOVE Christmastime. I love the coziness of cookies and Christmas movies. The Christmas Eve service at church is my favorite day of the year. I love picking out presents and wrapping them - and sitting back with a hot cup of coffee Christmas morning watching the kids light up as they tear them open. I love traditions that we’ve created within our home - and that we’ve continued on with some I’ve made with my sisters years ago. The glow of the lights. The smell of the tree. The glistening flakes falling outside the window. It’s all just so lovely. And I kept seeing this tenfold as homeschooling mamas shared what their studies for the Christmas season looked like with their children home and all around the table.
In fact, I loved this idea so much that I decided to do Christmas School with my children while they were still attending public school! I purchased a unit study from Treehouse Schoolhouse and was determined to birth some Christmas spirit in our home.
It was lovely, but it wasn’t as magical as I hoped it would be. I was trying to cram what was intended to be a slow-paced beautiful experience into days that had been filled with 8 hours in a school building, dance classes and soccer practices, and assigned homework from their teachers. I learned quickly I wouldn’t be able to complete all of the lessons included with the study, some parts would have to be scrapped altogether, and some days it just wouldn’t happen at all.
Stepping into homeschooling last year, one of the things I was most excited for was schooling during the winter months. I was left with unmet expectations as my husband’s transplant took priority over my attention and our time - right during the holiday season. My little list of projects and ideas still lives in my Notes app on my phone, waiting for better days ahead….
Like NEXT MONTH!
This December is going to be it! I’m finally going to bring to life my vision for Christmas School! And if you can’t tell by all of my exclamation points, I’m excited!
So what exactly do I have planned for the month of December? The whole list is far too long to add here, but I’ll simplify it for those of you who are curious!
The Stoner Family Christmas School:
A Connected Christmas by Treehouse Schoolhouse. This is the original unit study I bought years ago that I tried to do in the margins of our life when we were not homeschooling. This is a three week study that walks you through the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus and ends with the students completing their own narration books for a sweet keepsake. It is a Charlotte Mason inspired outline, which means there are poetry, art, and hymn studies as well, and each day includes a handicraft or baking project. The picture book stories that are included in this study have become some of our favorite Christmas stories of all times, and I won’t lie, I have cried through a couple of them as we sat cuddled up and I read aloud to the family. I am looking forward to returning to this study again - three years later - to see the growth in my kids and to fully appreciate the study in its entirety.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. This short novel is one of our favorite Christmas traditions. It’s full of lots of laughter, but also some opportunities for discussion around how to treat others. Once again, this will be our family read aloud for December, and we will most definitely finish it off with a viewing of the film and some popcorn!
Giving Hope. Giving Hope is an opportunity through our church to give back to others this Christmas season. There are many ways our congregation can participate in Giving Hope, such as a monetary donation, bringing in items for our local women’s shelter, or purchasing gifts for students at a local school. My kids will get the opportunity to each choose which way they would like to participate this year, whether it is donating from their own money, gifting a toy they no longer play with, or shopping for an item from the angel tree. This is the first year that we will be including the kids to this degree in our Giving Hope donation, encouraging them to use their own money and give in the way the Lord is calling them to individually.
Christmas Traditions. We have SO many Christmas traditions! Cookie baking day with the women in my family. Driving through Nite Lites at Michigan International Speedway. Home Alone and the Grinch movie days. Matching Christmas pajamas. I’m excited to be able to fully enjoy these traditions because we won’t feel so pressed for time and exhausted by the fullness of life that we typically experience through the holiday season. My oldest daughter and I have also been sharing Christmas craft ideas with one another for the last few weeks - our crafting to-do list is getting so long I think we’re going to need to dedicate a whole day to it on the calendar - and with Christmas School we CAN!
Math. There’s really nothing fun here. I will still make my kids do their regular math curriculum throughout December. Maybe I’ll add some Christmas treats in the mix to make it a little more enjoyable for them!
So, we are T-1 week until the turkey hits the table (let’s be real, I’m most excited for the mashed potatoes) and then the tree goes up and all the holly jolly Christmas tunes fill the Stoner house. Monday, December 1st is quickly approaching and I am ready for Christmas School!
