Introduction
If you haven’t noticed already, I like to savor the Christmas season! I am not about all the “hustle and bustle.” As a homeschool mama of 4, it’s sometimes hard to tame the cultural chaos surrounding this time of year, but I’m determined. I want a slow, life-giving, cozy Christmas. That is exactly what we get with Christmas School!
What Is Christmas School?
Christmas school is a slow-paced, bookish approach to family-learning for the whole month of December. It is brimming with tradition and yumminess. It’s a time that we tuck away our academic check lists, linger over books even more than usual (if you can believe it!), and awaken our senses to the season. It’s truly magical.
Although there are many wonderful Christmas School curriculums and guides out there, we have never felt a need to stray from Read-Aloud Revival’s Christmas School plans. They are so rich and full of cheer, even with a toddler in tow!
A Peek into Christmas School 2024
This year, the plan revolves around Little Christmas Carol. The vibrant and rich language of Dickens, paired with the lighthearted and thrilling illustrations by Joe Sutphin are truly a match made in heaven. (Joe Sutphin is also well known for his re-invisioning of Little Pilgrim’s Progress, which is beloved in our home!).
While this plan is chock full of recipes, enrichment studies, copywork and writing workshops, and more, it is extremely approachable and can easily be adapted to fit your family’s needs! The best part? It’s all planned out for you! This guide replaces your curriculum for the month, freeing up your mind to engage with the other tasks of the season. It’s truly a gift, in itself!
How I Adapt Christmas School
I love adapting these plans to meet our needs. The guides are low prep, and even when I omit activities or swap recipes, it’s still so full–but in only the best ways!!
This year, between starting a new job and Eric finishing his PhD, I knew that the first two weeks of December were going to be abnormally busy. So, the very first thing I did was remove a few items from the plan…and nothing caught fire! I knew a particular craft was not going to bode well with the toddler, so I removed it. The cookie recipe for the week (although delicious and fun, I’m sure) was swapped out for the sour dough pop-tarts, simply because I’ve been wanting to give them a try.
These types of plans are not “all or nothing.” Adjusting or omitting portions does not devalue them in any way. They are simply resources to achieve your overall goal. I believe it was Sarah McKenzie, herself, who first stopped me in my tracks when she said, “We forget we’re teaching children, not books. We’re teaching humans, not lesson plans.” So don’t be afraid to make the plan work for you, and not the other way around!
Christmas School in Community
Sometimes, we need a nudge to do the fun thing. I 100% recommend convincing a friend to do Christmas School alongside you. (It won’t take much convincing!)
Last year, a sweet friend jumped on the bandwagon with us, and we truly had the best time! It was so sweet to plan alongside her, and we even got together once or twice to do school together. At one point, we had 6 children (including a 2 year old and 1 year old) crowded around a table with cookies, icing, and way too many sprinkles. Oh, the laughs we had – and all because doing the activity in community held me accountable to actually doing the fun thing. 10 out of 10, would recommend!
A Final Encouragement
I’ve always observed that with anything we do–especially with littles involved–there is a very fine line between “that was the best thing ever!” and “I never want to do that again!” Decide now to guard that line. Sure, it might require you to say “no” to good things in order to fully enjoy the right things, but it’s worth it.
Whether you decide to jump on this (oh-so-merry) bandwagon with me or not, might I encourage you to live counter-culture this Christmas? It is possible to embrace this season with all of its chaotic splendor, and still cultivate peace. Will it be perfect? No. Will the activity go array? Maybe. Is the toddler still going to act like a toddler? No doubt. But that doesn’t mean we stop cultivating peace.
