Gingerbread Nativity

We made gingerbread nativities.
I saw this on pinterest (because I would never think of this on my own)
I thought it would be easier than a house and more meaningful.
I also liked it because I felt I didn't need as much candy to decorate it.  And since Karen H. is no longer teaching kindergarten and I am not at Lakeshore I am not getting bags of free candy :)

I took regular graham crackers and just glued them together.  I didn't want to mess around with frosting for a couple reasons:
1.  I didn't really want to make it
2.  I didn't think it would actually hold the stable together

I glued some cardboard (inside out cereal boxes) to the back.
The only candy I bought was:  Tootsie rolls, gummy fruity pieces, and mini milky way bars

I did this part by myself before we started.  I figured it didn't have to look perfect (which is a bit hard for me) because it was a stable and I'm sure it wasn't built perfectly all those years ago.

 

Before we started I did read the Christmas Story to everyone (had to get that anticipatory set in there, although I'm sure the piles of candy would have worked too)

 

 

(my sister in law brought her nephew)

 

Everyone enjoyed figuring how they wanted to make their characters.  We made a donky out of the candy bar, tootsie rolls, and toothpicks.  We made Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  I glued some crackers on an angle to make a manger.  We used big marshmallows and tootsie rolls for the sheep.
Oh, yeah, I forgot, I also made hay.  I had some coconut left over from when I tried to make the Girl Scout Samoa cookies (not that great).  I just toasted it in the oven so it was hay colored.  We used elmer's glue to glue that to the manger, stable, and ground.
We also made a star on top of the stable.

Tucker's, Annabelle and Ariel's, Caden's

The girls were really proud of their nativity.  They did a great job thinking about all the parts of the nativity.  If you are wondering about that thing on the top - it is a spider.  Ariel said the stable would probably have spiders, and she is probably right.

I love making gingerbread houses with the girls, but I like that this is more meaningful.  I hope this becomes something we do every year.


Luke 2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I love the verse from Isaiah.  Such a great reminder that Jesus was born in such a humble way.  And not only that he was born, but that he was born to die for our sins. 

I want my girls to know that Christmas is so great because it gave us the greatest gift ever.  Because Jesus was born, we get to live in heaven with Him forever.