Book Review and Craft
There’s a new Christmas book every family needs to have in the library. It’s called “The Gift Giver”. This fantastic book is the story of how Santa Claus got his start. This sweet, emotionally real, and spiritual take on the Santa Claus story is not only refreshing, but also immensely enjoyable.
*I received a copy of “The Gift Giver” in order to review it. All opinions are mine.
The story revolves around a young boy whose life doesn’t go as smoothly as would be hoped. He learns about the love of God and how service to others increases that love. The young boy is an old man while sharing his story to another young boy. One especially poignant moment was when the old man gives the young boy the very first present the old man had ever received. The message of this book is so wonderful. It is a great way to get into the gentle spirit of Christmas.
The story line is superb, but the illustrator has outdone the fantastic story. The pictures look like paintings done in realistic and beautiful detail. The illustrations are meaningful and help to carry the story’s plot. Each illustration is thoughtfully created and beautifully executed.
This book is such an inspirational and beautiful story — one our family treasures. We’ve read it multiple times so far this season, and wanted to make a Christmas ornament to represent the story. We decided to make little lambs because of the symbolic nature of Christ being the Lamb of God, and the significance that the lamb played in “The Gift Giver” as well. This craft involves hot glue, and while young children can help with parts of it – they should be closely supervised.
Materials: (for one lamb)
1 Pompom 2” in diameter
1 Pompom 1” in diameter (these pompoms should coordinate because they are the head and body of the lamb)
10” of thin Christmas ribbon
1 small bell
1 sheet of black foam
Spray glitter (optional)
Hot Glue Gun and extra glue sticks (not optional)
Scissors
Method:
Body:
First, plug in the glue gun so it’s ready when it’s needed. Then, pick out the pompoms to be used for the lamb’s body and head. Glue the head to the body at about a 45-degree angle. If the head is glued to high on the body, the lamb looks a little like a schnauzer.
Legs:
Next, cut a strip 3/4” of an inch wide by the length of the foam sheet from the foam. This will be used to make the lamb’s legs. Take the end of the foam and roll it over once. Apply a bit of hot glue just outside the rolled edge and carefully roll one more time. Hold the roll in place until the glue has cooled. Cut the foam right at the edge of the glue. Repeat this process three more times. Now, there should be four legs for the lamb.
Next, glue the legs onto the bottom of the lamb. Be sure to push the legs all the way to the center of the pompom. If the legs aren’t pushed and glued all the way in then the lamb won’t stand up properly.
Now is a good time to give the lamb’s body a little trim, if it needs it, to make the lamb shape more obvious.
After trimming the lamb, it’s time to attach the facial features.
Ears:
The ears are made from a 1”x1” square of black foam cut into two triangles. After the triangles have been cut, take one of the triangles and glue two corners together. This creates one ear. Glue the other triangle’s corners together to create the other ear. Now, glue them onto the side of the lamb’s head. Again be sure to push the ears into the center of the pompom or they won’t lie correctly.
Nose:
The nose is created by cutting a very small triangle, with rounded corners, from the black foam. Glue the nose onto the front of the lamb’s face.
Finishing Touches:
The final touches to the lamb are a jingle bell tied on red ribbon around its neck and a spritz of spray glitter.
There, the little lamb is finished and ready to go the Christmas tree. My older children enjoyed making their lambs. I wouldn’t recommend this craft for children much younger than 8, although my first grader was able to do most of the process. The lamb is a sweet reminder of the story “The Gift Giver“. Follow the link on “The Gift Giver” to order your copy today, or you can order a copy from Amazon.
