Christmas 2008

Dear Friends,

I enjoy making gifts and I know many of you do, too. It’s especially nice when a gift is easy enough to make so the children can join in.

A Peppermint Candy Christmas Tree is easy and inexpensive to make, and will delight the recipient. It makes a lovely table décor and is a nice holiday treat. These are especially nice for doctor’s offices, the hairdresser, or to take to a hospital or nursing home where they can be enjoyed by many people.

You will need only a few supplies:
Styrofoam Cone - about 4” base x 9” tall (or larger if you want a bigger tree)
1 ½ pounds of wrapped Starlight mints - Peppermint or Spearmint
Small Christmas “Pick” decoration for the top of the tree
Straight Pins – Approximately 100 per tree




I found the Styrofoam cones at Michael’s and JoAnn Fabrics for $3.99 and used newspaper coupons for a 40% discount. One pound bags of Starlight mints were just $1 at Wal-Mart; both green and red candies were available. I found a decorative “pick” at JoAnn’s for 49 cents. I had pins in my sewing basket, but decided to buy a box of 600 straight pins at JoAnns’s for about $4. I plan to make at least 3 or 4 of these trees this year, and you can always use extra pins while sewing.

Begin at the bottom of the styrofoam cone. Put one pin through the plastic wrapper of one candy and press into the cone until the pinhead is flush against the styrofoam. Continue until you have finished a complete row around the bottom of the cone. Try to keep the row straight.



Start a second row of candies above the first, overlapping slightly. Continue working in rows until you completely cover the cone.

Of course, supervise the little ones closely when working with pins and if you give the candy tree to someone with young children, alert them that the candy is pinned to the tree. When someone removes a piece of candy, tell them to push the pin back into the styrofoam. That will keep pins from going astray, and the cone and pins can be used again next year.

Push the Christmas pick into the top of the cone to finish your Candy Christmas Tree. You could also glue a small ornament or pom-pom on top of the tree.



I hope you and your family enjoy making these!


The greatest gift of all is not something we can make or wrap in a pretty box. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and remember His great gift to all of us who believe in Him – the gift of salvation and eternal life. If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior, please accept his free gift of salvation today. If you are a believer, be sure to share your faith with someone this Christmas.


The Way of Salvation
Do you know for sure where you will spend eternity? This is the most important question you will ever answer! We don't get to heaven by being "good people," or by going to church, or by doing good deeds. We cannot be good enough to "earn" heaven. We are all sinners: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

We all know we have done wrong things. Some people live with guilt all their lives, convinced that God is an angry judge. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

We do not need to wait to "get our lives in order" to "get right" with God. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. He paid the price for our sin. God offers us salvation as a free gift: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

Anyone can have this wonderful free gift. You can become a child of God and know that you will spend eternity in heaven. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

A simple prayer, from the heart, is all it takes to receive salvation and the peace that comes from knowing your sins are forgiven. Prayer is simply talking to God. "I know I'm not perfect; I have sinned. Please forgive me for my sins. Lord Jesus, I receive You now as my personal Savior. Thank you for Your gift of salvation so that I may know my sins are forgiven and spend eternity with You in heaven."

If you have prayed a prayer like this, you are a child of God. Welcome to the family! Share your experience with your pastor or a Christian friend. Read God's words to you in the Bible so that you may grow in faith. If you do not have a church home, find a Bible-believing church to attend.

From our home to yours, we wish you a Christmas filled with the joy and love of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Until next time ~

Yours in Him,

 

Copyright, 2008, Laurie Latour.  www.FutureChristianHomemakers.com

You may make one printed copy for your own personal, private use.  FCH leaders may make one printed copy for each person in their group.  Copyright line above must be included in all copies.  Permission for any other use must be requested in writing. 
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