The Season of Advent is full of hope and waiting as we prepare ourselves (and our children) for the joyful arrival of our Loving Savior in the form of a little infant boy. This year I burned a VeggieTales CD that I found on Amazon.com for free last year (and got too busy to ever burn it!) and we have been listening to it for the past week. The boys instantly fell in love with song #9 so every time we get in the car, they beg for me to turn on #9. The song is called “Was He a Boy Like Me”. I don’t mind listening to it over and over because it is a beautiful song but also because it meets my children where they are and opens their heart to a living Savior who was once just a regular little boy.

Although the actual Feast of the Holy Family is not celebrated in the Catholic Church until the Sunday after Christmas (This year it is on December 30), most people associate the Holy Family with the Nativity scene. This Advent, consider creating your own Holy Family together with your children.

Items needed:

Peg-type clothespins

Felt in various colors

Fabric friendly glue

Small amount of twine

Fabric scissors

Small hand saw (optional)

First cut your felt in a half circle the height of the clothespin. I just layed my clothespin on the felt and used a pen to lightly draw a half circle and then cut it out.

Next, glue the felt onto the clothespin by laying the clothespin on the felt piece and bringing the sides together in the front.

I then cut a small rectangle of darker blue felt and glued it on Mary’s head to create her veil and a rectangle of dark green for Joseph’s head covering and glued a piece of twine around it to resemble a real head covering.

Baby Jesus is simply a clothespin with the “legs” cut off. I broke mine but it was really difficult so I suggest using a small hand saw (adults only!) instead. I then cut a small square of white felt a little larger than the baby Jesus and wrapped and glued it on like a swaddling cloth.

Now what? Here is a list of ideas for your new Holy Family:

  • Glue them together or to a piece of painted cardboard and create an ornament
  • Keep creating and make some wise men, animals, angels, and a manger to create a handcrafted crèche
  • Younger children can play with this new Holy Family to re-inact the nativity story
  • Children may want to hold the little family as the family prays the Rosary together
  • Keep little ones occupied in church by allowing them to bring the little dolls to hold quietly

Copyright 2012 Alicia Hart