PARTY FEATURE | Jesus’ Birthday

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, nothing brings greater joy to me than sharing the love of Jesus with children and how he is truly the reason we have this magical season. To me there is nothing like the sweet innocence of a child, the amazement in their eyes, the thirst of knowledge they have when it comes to teaching and sharing the story of the birth of the Christ child.

I wanted to do something special for some of the children in my life whose parents so graciously support my Foundation The Epilepsy Warriors and since all kids love celebrating their Birthdays I thought why not have a special birthday party for Jesus because after all, it is because of him that we are so incredibly blessed each and every day. I chose to use the colors Gold and Silver so I set our dining room table with antique gold dishes and glassware which was found at a beautiful antique store in Hinsdale, IL. Got out the gold silverware, added my late Grandmothers sterling silver milk and sugar sets and a lovely crystal cross.

The centerpiece is an antique white ceramic Christmas tree candle holder which holds special meaning for me as I was with my Mom the day she bought it at a Christmas Luncheon when I was 8 years old and is now something she is giving me to enjoy each holiday season. I found the perfect gold, white and pop of silver wreath to adorn the bottom of it. It’s the sentimental value that means the most. The children loved the Star of David cookies, mini cheese cakes and I found the most adorable little whale crackers that fit perfectly in the Jesus letter candy dishes from Hoopla Events.

The Dessert table in my formal living room had all their favorites, Heavenly cupcakes, Little Drummer Boy Cake Pops, Nestles quik strawberry and chocolate milk. I decorated the dessert table with gold and silver Christmas tree gift boxes and two gold Christmas trees but my favorite decoration is the one made by Splendid Design “Love Was Born in a Stable” that I will cherish every holiday because it means so much to me. I was honored to have Jo Keller my Pastor’s Mother come and not just share the story of the Christ Child but read to the kids as well. Not one of the kids moved as they were so involved in the stories.

The kids favorite was the reading of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and the fun little game that went with it. So honored to have Jo Keller my Pastors Mother read to them while celebrating Jesus too. Even our dog Cooper got in the action sitting by the pretty girls. My coffee table is where I have my Nativity and I set up a few Stable Sweets of Cupcakes and some gold and silver Shepherds Sticks. One of my favorite scripture verses is John 3:16 and FMDFunkyMonkeyDesigns did a beautiful job taking the verse and fitting it in perfectly with my vision and theme.

The best part of the day was when I brought out the Birthday Cake for Jesus. First we had to put candles in it as it would not be a birthday cake without a few candles. Listening to the children sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the candles was a precious moment. We had to do it twice because one of the little girls kind of got lost in the shuffle so she was happy to sing again and get to blow out some candles by herself. She was so adorable. The kids had fun outside in front of our Lanai Christmas tree holding up the birthday banners and O’ holy night banner. It was such a beautiful day the kids decided to eat outside.

The innocence of the children, for they are Gods Gifts and Blessings and they enrich my life in ways I can’t begin to describe. They showed me why we celebrate, why our faith is so important and how to Believe because after all, Christmas is not about Santa and presents for it’s about Jesus “HE IS THE GIFT”