Day Three of the Twelve Days of Christmas

In the Bible we read of the wise men who came from the east to worship the Christ child. They followed the star, and who knows how long it took them to get there. They had a visit with Herod first, and then when they found the holy family, the scriptures say they came into the house, not the stable, and saw the young child, not babe, so it probably took them a while to get there. The nativity sets we get today almost always include them, but they probably were not there at, or even close to, the birth of the Savior. But that's OK. They came and worshipped, and they need to be included.

Today's project is an ornament representing the star that lead the Wise Men to Bethehem. It's fairly simple to make, and will be enjoyed by all, especially any little ones that are around to help make them.

Start with a piece of waxed paper and some sparkly fabric paint or glitter glue. (The glitter glue makes a harder ornament that will probably last longer.) Draw a pattern for your star ornament and place it under the waxed paper so you can see it. Use the fabric paint or glue to draw the ornament on the waxed paper. Make sure your lines are thick enough to have body when they are dry. Also be sure to draw a loop on one point so you have somewhere to put the hanger. Let it set overnight, thread a tiny ribbon through the loop, or just an ornament hanger, and hang it on your tree! You can make quite a few in one sitting and let them all dry at once. After they are dry, you can turn them over and do the other side too, so that they are puffy on both sides. Have fun making different types of stars...just outlines, filled in, long pointy type stars like you see in nativity pictures, whatever your heart desires. There is no right or wrong, just fun. (This is a good way to make snowflakes, too.)

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem....And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him..." Matthew 2:1, 11

Have a wonderful night as you watch your stars twinkle on your tree, and imagine how it would have felt to be there with the wise men. Here's a thought for you: Friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there. 'Night, Gramma G.