The Kids of Integrity Challenge is finished!

Decorating our home with godly character

Well, the kids had a hoot sewing their mittens and deciding which character trait fit with which fleece. They’re quite proud of their handiwork, and rightfully so.

If you’re also working on the Christmas lesson, let me offer a few housekeeping comments so maybe you can learn from our mistakes!

• If you’ve traced the mittens, cut the pen part off in the cuff area or it will show when you roll them back (the cuff seam shows, but we don’t mind).
• At the same time, don’t make the cuffs too narrow (it’s hard to turn them right-side out if you do!)
• It’s hard to sew with a child on your lap because their head is right in front of yours (and very small children might be tempted to reach toward that sharp needle!). We decided each kid could help with a few mittens, and I would zip along on the rest by myself. Jess and Ben were perfectly happy with the compromise, but still got a good feel for helping guide the fabric. They showed great respect for that fast, sharp needle.

Now our mittens are done and slowly making their way up on the line. If we’d had more time, we could’ve painted our own cute clothespins, but as it was, I found fun ones at our dollar store. Cheap and quick! We just used a blue ribbon for our “clothesline.”

I hung the mittens just for the picture, but then they all went in a basket so the kids could “earn” them. It is so much fun to see how thrilled they are to win each one. And it’s a really good exercise for Rob and me to specifically look for and reward godly character traits. Gives us lots of openings to review past lessons.

The other great thing about this project is the “publicity” it gets when we have visitors. Just so folks didn’t think we made them purely for decoration, I made little character trait name tags and pinned them on to each corresponding mitten. This has prompted some great conversations with believers and non-believers alike. We’ve had such enthusiastic responses. Who knew these mittens would become a fantastic witnessing tool? I’ll be so eager to have them out each year.

The questions for discussion listed in the lesson made for an interesting dinner conversation one night, especially the one asking which fruits of the Spirit we see in friends and family members. We had the kids specifically identify individuals for each attribute. My heart was warmed when Rob’s name came up a few times (the connections were so accurate!) and I was also delighted when Cousin Katie was listed as the most kind and loving in the family. What a role model for her younger relatives!

So we’ll get back to working on Contentedness in January. Meanwhile, from our home to yours, we wish you laughter in the chaos, peace amidst the hectic pace and love that surrounds you completely. You are treasured by us, but even more so by our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!