“Christmas Workshop,” Friend, Dec. 2009, 30–31
Christmas Workshop
Christmas Gift Cheese Dip
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, softened
empty cream-cheese box
1 green onion
crackers
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Mix the dill, garlic powder, and salt into the softened cream cheese.
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Line the cream-cheese box with plastic wrap and pack the mixture into it.
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Refrigerate for 3 hours. Unwrap the block of cheese and place it on a plate or platter. Make a bow out of a piece of the green onion and serve with crackers.
Song Scramble
Unscramble the following Christmas songs and sing a few of them with your family.
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O Tiletl Nowt fo Mehtbelhe
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Eth Tsfir Lneo
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Nsltie Ihgnt
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Yaaw ni a Gamner
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Ti Maec nopu eht Nidmgthi Lecra
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Ojy ot teh Lrodw
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I Dehar eth Lelbs no Sacrsitmh Yda
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Galnes Ew Vhae Dhare no Gihh
Shining Star Cookies
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup colored hard candies
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Mix butter and sugar together until they are smooth.
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Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture.
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Add flour and stir until combined.
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Take the batter out of the bowl and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour. On a floured surface, roll out the dough one-third at a time with a rolling pin to a 1/3-inch thickness. Cut out the cookies with a star-shaped cookie cutter, and then cut out the middle of the cookies with a smaller star-shaped cookie cutter. Sprinkle flour on the dough if it is too sticky. (Options: You can bake both parts of the cookies and have two kinds of stars, or you can roll dough from the small stars for more cookies.)
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Cover a cookie sheet with foil and coat it with cooking spray.
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Bake the cookies at 350˚F (177˚C) for 4 minutes.
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Meanwhile, unwrap the candies and put them in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and put it inside another plastic bag.
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Wrap the bags in a dish towel and place on a cutting board.
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Have an adult break the candy into small pieces with a rolling pin.
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Carefully put candy pieces inside each star cookie, filling the tips of the stars.
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Put the cookies back in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the candy is melted and the dough is light brown.
Paper Stars
Make these stars to hang on your tree, decorate your house, or give to a friend.
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ruler
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6 x 6-inch white, colored, or patterned paper
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scissors
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stapler
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tape or glue
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single hole punch
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ribbon or string
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Using a ruler, make one-inch marks along one side of the paper.
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Fold the paper like an accordion into one-inch segments.
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Cut diagonally on each end so that your paper has a triangular edge on both sides.
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Staple in the middle of the accordion.
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Pull out either side of the accordion and staple, tape, or glue the edges together to form a half circle.
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Repeat steps 1–5 with a second piece of paper to make another half circle. Staple, tape, or glue the two half circles together to form a complete star.
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Punch a hole in the top of the star and thread a ribbon or piece of string through it so that you can hang it up.
Memory Box
Separately wrap a small box and its lid with pretty paper. Then fill it with the items listed below that will remind you of the Christmas story. Write the scriptures on pieces of paper and put them in the box. For a family activity, have each family member choose a scripture, read the verses, and then choose the item that matches the scripture.
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Find a piece of shiny material or a plastic gem to remind you that the Wise Men brought Jesus gifts (Matthew 2:11).
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Put in a piece of fabric to remind you of the swaddling clothes Jesus was wrapped in (Luke 2:12).
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Place a picture of sheep, a small figurine, or a piece of wool to remind you about the shepherds who visited Jesus (Luke 2:8–20).
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Put in a small angel ornament to remind you of the angels who proclaimed Jesus’s birth (Luke 2:9–14).
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Cut a star out of white or yellow paper to remind you of the star that showed the Wise Men where to find Jesus (Matthew 2:9–10).
Illustrations by Eric Barclay / photographs by Michael Sandberg