And the angel

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

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Heavenly Father’s gift to us, the gift of Christ, is the most important gift we will ever receive. We must take time to truly appreciate that gift, not just on Christmas but every day of our lives. 

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This is a really nice story/video

Christmas Is All In The Heart - Steven Curtis Chapman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDvxOaX2dS4

…

No, it's not in the snow

That may or may not fall

And it's not in the gifts

Around the tree

It's in the love heaven gave

The night our Savior came

And that same love

Can still be found wherever you are

'Cause Christmas is all in the heart

…

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Nutty Apple Streusel

6 cups sliced peeled tart apples

1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix
 

TOPPING:
1 cup biscuit/baking mix
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Ice cream or whipped cream, optional

In a large bowl, toss apples with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Place in a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and biscuit mix. Spoon over apples.

For topping, combine biscuit mix and brown sugar in a large bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Add almonds; sprinkle over apples.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the apples are tender. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

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I went looking through the internet and found a great site with game and activity suggestions

Extracted from https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/biblically-themed-christmas-games-for-children

Mystery gift of the Magi

To prepare, wrap a small gift (or a token that can be exchanged for a gift after the game) in layer after layer of gift wrap. For older children, make the game more challenging by binding every few layers with duct tape, and/or packing the gift in successively larger boxes. You’ll also need a pair of oven mitts, a scarf, a hat and a pair of dice.

To play, take turns throwing both dice. The first person to throw a combined total of seven or eleven (adding up the dots on both dice) quickly dons the hat, scarf and oven mitts and proceeds to unwrap as many layers of gift wrap as possible before another person throws seven or eleven. (Don’t let anyone tear multiple layers at once – the rule is only one layer at a time! And no using your teeth either!) The person who unwraps the final layer gets to keep the gift.

Here are some joyful adult ideas :

1)  visit your neighbors.  If you want to take a plate of cookies, that’s great, but shoveling the walk, helping decorate their house or taking them a christmas card delivered with a smile are ALL  great ideas.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just something that says, “I see you.”  Some of us don’t have or don’t know our neighbors.   Open the door for someone at the store, let someone go ahead of you in the checkout line.  Say thank you to a clerk. 

2.  Volunteer.  We’ve talked about it before, but before you say no, you can’t do that, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.  Dean went and helped unload boxes at the bishop's food warehouse today.  If you don't have an hour, send someone a text or make a phone call.  Ask  how they are, or just say “hi.”  I tried to let a Spanish couple go ahead of me in the line at the store today, but I couldn’t communicate with them.  I need to learn Spanish!  We need to earn to share the love of Christ with everyone  ~ Marilee

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The Postman Lifted Us From Depression

My parents, at the height of the Depression, were forced to go on home relief, which is known as welfare today. It was 1935, when I was 10 years old, and we lived on the first floor of a walk-up apartment on 43rd Street, in Brooklyn, New York.

A few days before Christmas, I looked out a kitchen window to see my father sitting on the stoop, dejected and depressed, with tears in his eyes. The mailman was approaching our building and asked my father what was wrong.

I heard my father say that he had used up his food vouchers and that the rent was past due. He had tried to work as a laborer through the Works Progress Administration, but he wasn’t a very strong man, and the work had been too hard for him. I was scared, having seen newspaper pictures of people being put out on the street with all their belongings.

“Ike, how much do you need?” the mailman asked. My dad said he needed $33 for the rent, and without hesitation, the mailman took $50 from his wallet and handed it to my father.

My dad said, “I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back.” The mailman put an arm around my father and said it would be okay if he paid him back or he didn’t pay him back.

The mailman noticed me looking through the window and said, “Isaac, things will not be this way forever. If you or your son will remember this day, there will be times in the future when someone needs your help. Help them within your means and tell them what happened this day. This will be my payback. Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah.”

As long as he lived, my father helped others when he could, and I’ve done my best to do my part in paying his generosity back. —Martin Klapper, Longmont, Colorado

11 Very Short Christmas Stories with Morals (Under 5 Minutes) | International Storyteller