The Muppet Christmas Carol

Our movie theme nights were born out of a desire to familiarize our kids with the classic movies that I was afraid they would never sit through after being born into this fast paced, on demand world. Many times, after a movie theme night my son has said to me, "oh, I get that reference now". And that is exactly what I was hoping for.

The Muppets Christmas Carol checks two boxes for me. First, I would certainly be thrilled if they were familiar with the basic story outline of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. They should know where the saying Bah Humbug comes from. They should know who Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim are. Second, The Muppet version is another favorite from my childhood. This is one that they can enjoy from a very young age. Other versions of the story, even the animated versions, are still very dark and maybe too scary for our young kids. There is even a line in the Muppet version after the ghosts of the Marley brothers visit: Rizzo the Rat says, "Whoa, that's scary stuff. Hey, should we be worried about the kids in the audience? " Gonzo(Who is telling the story as Charles Dickens) replies, "No that's alright. This is culture."

Spread some Christmas Cheer by Making a Christmas Wreath

When Scrooge's nephew Fred comes to visit, he brings a wreath and hangs it on the door. We too can try to spread some Christmas cheer with a little cheery decor. There are many ways the kids can make a Christmas wreath. Take a look around and use what you have on hand. My favorite are the beaded wreaths made with Chanelle stems(FKA pipe cleaners). Thread four green beads and then one red and continue this pattern until you have about two inches of Chanelle stem on either side. Twist the ends together and form into a bow at the top of your wreath. That's it, these can hang on your tree just as they are or you can tape it to the front of a present to give away.

Alternatively you could use a paper plate and almost any other supply you have on hand. Cut out the center of the plate. Then decorate with anything green such as paint, yarn, pom poms, buttons, tissue paper, sequins, feathers. The possibilities are endless. sometimes it's fun to just dump out all of the craft supplies and see what their little imaginations can dream up.

Make a Paper Chain to Count the Days Until Christmas

Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of his old business partners the Marley Brothers. While not true to the original story, I am glad they included both of the old man Muppets. When we see them, they are covered in chains. If the kids are done with their wreaths or if you chose to skip the first activity, this is the perfect time to introduce your kids to a countdown chain. Simply cut strips of paper, red and green if you like. Create the links by taping the ends together on one piece, then slip the end of the next link through the first and tape the ends together. The number of chain links you have should be the number of days that are left until Christmas. Each day the kids can cut one link off and watch the chain grow shorter as Christmas gets closer.

Make a Ghost of Christmas Past Scrap Book Page

Have some pictures of previous Christmases printed out beforehand. If you have a stash of scrapbook materials then you know what to do! If not, no worries. Again, you can just use what you have. Gather red and green paper or some wrapping paper glued down to cardstock would work just fine. Also think of ribbon, buttons, stickers stamps. They could even glue little peppermint candies or candy canes. Just give them a few options to choose from, tell them they can make a scrapbook page or a kind of photo collage of these photo memories from Christmas past.

A Game for the Ghost of Christmas Present

Christmas present is so jovial! When Fred's wife suggests to play a game, I would pause the movie and tell the kids we should play a game too! It's good to give the kids a little stretch. I have a Christmas Scavenger hunt that we found at Hobby Lobby years ago. It was hidden around the house before the movie started and I told the kids to work together to find all of the items on the list. You can play any of your favorite Christmas games. The one they play in the movie is similar to 20 questions.

The Ghost of Christmas Future

Have the kids draw or write a story about what they hope their future Christmases will look like.

Waking up Christmas Morning With a Brand New Perspective

A great message to embrace the season, be generous and take a pause to recognize and appreciate those around you. If you haven't already put out your decorations, make a day of it! Pull out everything you have put on some Christmas music and let the kids help. Don't worry if it's not exactly like you would have liked it done. Let the kids take pride in their work and just enjoy the process. Let the kids create extra decorations if you like, paper snowflakes are always a favorite.

If you have the means to do it, consider starting a tradition of letting your kids pick a tag off of a giving tree. You'll see them at a lot of local stores and businesses. Some radio stations will run a program every year. These are the programs where families that won't have much for the holidays have asked for a few small items that their kids would like to receive. Let your kids choose one to shop for. Purchase the items, wrap them if the program requires it and donate so that your kids can have the gift of feeling generosity towards others.