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By Annette 3 Comments

How to Write Christmas Letters with FREE Templates

Several years ago we noticed a trend setting in with our oldest child, who was just six at the time. As Christmas approached that year, he quickly began telling us what he wanted for Christmas. There were tons and tons of toys on his list. Then he became obsessed with asking how many gifts he would get that year. He would tell me he got “X” number of gifts last year, so he should get “XX” this year.

Uh…hold the phone! Wait a minute! Did I just hear him correctly?

Did he seriously tell me he should get more gifts this year?

OH NO! That had to stop.

Keeping Christ in Christmas is getting more and more difficult. Read about how one family spends just $30 and shares their love through letters. Includes {free} Christmas Letter Templates.

So my husband and I sat down and talked about how we could work on this issue that was creeping into our precious son’s life. Greed. At this particular Christmas, we had two kids and I was pregnant with our third. I saw a friend post about how their family does things a little different. I loved their idea and after talking it over with my husband, we decided that was a wonderful idea – for our family as well. One, because we wanted to teach our kids Christmas was more than presents – it was about the Ultimate Present, Jesus Christ. Second, our budget was very tight and this would help.

So, what did we do? We started what we call our $5 Christmas!

Now, before you go thinking our kids are deprived – they’re NOT! They still get gifts from grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins. We just decided we wanted our kids to understand that Christmas was more than presents. We do, however, go all out on their birthdays. After all, that is the day God blessed our family with them and we want them to know we are thrilled each of them is a part of our crazy, wild and loving family. 

First, we put everyone’s name in a bowl.

Then, each person draws one name out. They are allowed to only tell Mom or Dad, because we try to make it more fun by keeping who they have a secret from the other kids.

Next, we give them $5 to go shopping. Right now, they usually go to the dollar store or the dollar toy section at Wal-Mart to find just the right gift or gifts for their person.

As they grow, I anticipate my girls might become VERY creative and use that $5 to buy craft supplies and make their gifts. I can’t wait to see how this changes and evolves as they grow up!! We now have four kids and they are all finally old enough to understand what we’re doing exactly, but it has still been so much fun.

The last thing we added was letters. Each person is to write a letter to the person who’s name they drew. These letters are to include why they love them, why they are happy the person in our family, something they enjoy doing with them, their favorite thing about that person and a prayer for them. They are welcome to write as much as they want, but those are the basic things that must be included. I am keeping these from year to year, not only to remind my kids of the things they said when they fuss and argue with each other, but also as a treasured keepsake that I know they will love as they get older.

With little ones in the house, who can’t read or write words/sentences, we have written these for them in the past. But this year, they are all old enough that I wanted to create a template they could follow and if we needed to fill in their answers for them, that was still okay.

So I have created some fun Christmas Letter Templates for you! There are 9 different options available in this pack – 3 designs in 3 variations: manuscript lines for young writers, plain lines for older kids and a letter template with writing prompts for parents to fill out for the pre-writers.

>>>DOWNLOAD CHRISTMAS LETTER TEMPLATES<<<

Ugly Christmas Sweater – FUN Christmas writing ideas

One of my favorite ways to encourage creativity during the holiday season is by providing my students with fun Christmas writing ideas that allow them to express themselves in a positive way. Also, ... continue reading...

FREE Fun with Words – Christmas Edition

I remember as a child, we always liked to bring activity books to school, road trips, or to family gatherings especially during the holidays. I was especially fond of finding words within a phrase. ... continue reading...

Do you want to make a fun movie night around the Christmas holidays? If so, check out the list of the 5 most over-rated Christmas movies. Which one will you watch first?

The 5 Most Underrated Christmas Movies

When Christmas draws near, and it’s cold and soggy outside, there’s nothing more fun than popping in a DVD or firing up Netflix and watching a Christmas movie together. But it’s easy to get tired of ... continue reading...

Free Christmas Planner Notebook that will Keep YOU SANE!

Have you missed the joy of the Christmas season since you were a child due to stress, impulse spending, and disorganization? You and me both! Grab this free Christmas Planner Notebook today! I ... continue reading...

FREE Counting Book – 12 Days of Christmas

The 12 Days of Christmas is a fun way to recognize your numbers and learn to count. My daughter has always enjoyed singing the song, 12 Days of Christmas, during the holidays.  Then again, who ... continue reading...

FREE Count and Graph Worksheets – Thanksgiving Edition

Do you have a little one that is learning to count? If so, these count and graph worksheets are challenging and so very festive for Thanksgiving.    And I think the clip art is so adorable. My ... continue reading...

These are perfect for the students who are starting to read and adore coloring. Grab these free fall printables today!

FREE Read Then Color Printables – Fall Edition

It's always perfect when my children are learning while doing something they enjoy. My daughter and son adore reading and coloring, so I created these fall printables just for them. There are a ... continue reading...

Pros and Cons of a 4-Day Homeschool Week

This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Time 4 Learning. Being a fan of a 4-day homeschool week, it’s hard for me to come up with many disadvantages for this schedule. I imagine it might not ... continue reading...

Simple Homeschooling with Monarch

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Alpha Omega Monarch Homeschool. All opinions are 100% my very own. Monarch is a rigorous interactive, Internet-based homeschool curriculum for ... continue reading...

6 Reasons Why Every Kid Should have a Globe

This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Little Experimenter written by me. I remember one Christmas I was so determined to get a globe from Santa. Yes, a globe. I think I was maybe 8 or 9 ... continue reading...

How to Create a Comfortable and Secure Environment for Students

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KleenexCareForClass #CollectiveBias #ad Being a teacher, I've accumulated a running list of ... continue reading...

How to Evaluate a Good Math Program

This is a sponsored post written by Time 4 Learning. My son has been struggling with math for a while and I know exactly how he feels as math was never my strong suit. I decided to hop online to ... continue reading...

How to Save $1,000 Quickly

Well, you have hit that point in your life where adulting is telling you that you need to save. Or, maybe you have a bill, something you want to get, or a trip coming up. Either way, saving $1,000 ... continue reading...

« FREE Preschool Printable Pack: O Christmas Tree!
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