“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.“

Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Here at Vintage Virtues, we celebrate Jesus as the reason for the season. As we approach the holiday season, we reflect on the significance of His birth and strive to create lasting memories for our family. In this article, we will share our traditions, gift-giving philosophy, and offer some gift ideas and tips for ordering gifts online. We hope you find this information inspiring as you prepare for the joyous celebration of Christmas.

Celebrating with Purpose:
We believe in intentionally pointing to Jesus in everything we do during the Christmas season. We set up manger scenes, adorn the tree with special ornaments that remind us of God, love, and family, and read through the advent together. Our involvement in church and community events, such as live nativities and Christmas services, further reinforces the focus on Jesus.

The Meaning behind our Gifts:
When it comes to gift-giving, we have a philosophy that emphasizes the symbolism and importance of the gifts brought by the magi. We give three gifts to each child: the gold present (the one they’re most excited for), the frankincense (something related to one of the senses – taste, smell, hearing, sight, touch), and the Myrrh present (a smaller gift). Through this practice, we aim to remind our children of the true meaning of Christmas and the abundant blessings we have received.

Ordering Gifts Online:
With Christmas quickly approaching, we encourage you to plan ahead if you’re considering ordering gifts online. To ensure timely delivery, we recommend wrapping up your orders no later than December 15th. Keep in mind that many companies are experiencing a higher volume of orders, and shipping companies, including USPS, FedEx, and UPS, are facing increased strain on deliveries. Even Amazon 2-day Prime orders may take slightly longer to arrive.

Gift Suggestions:
If you’re still searching for the perfect gifts for your loved ones, we have compiled a list of homemade gift suggestions as well as gift ideas from our favorite companies and affiliate partnerships. We hope you find this curated selection helpful in finding meaningful presents. If you have homemade gift ideas or come across any great shopping deals, feel free to share them in the comments for others to benefit from!

As Christmas draws nearer, let us remember to keep our focus on Jesus, the reason for the season. By embracing the true spirit of Christmas, we can create cherished memories and celebrate the birth of our Savior with love, joy, and gratitude.

Homemade From the Heart:

1. Personalized Photo Album: Gather memorable photos and create a customized photo album, adding captions or notes to make it extra special.
2. Handmade Crocheted Items: Crochet cozy scarves, hats, blankets, or other items in the recipient’s favorite colors or with unique patterns. These handmade crocheted items are thoughtful and perfect for the winter season. For some ideas, check out Amaretto Lattes and Crochet with Brae: A Learners Guide
3. Homemade Scented Candles: Create your own scented candles using natural ingredients and customize the scent to match the recipient’s preferences.
4. Handcrafted Jewelry: Make unique jewelry pieces using beads, stones, or even polymer clay. Create earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or rings tailored to the recipient’s style.
5. Home-Canned Jellies, Canned Goods, and Other Homemade Goodies: Make delicious homemade jellies, jams, dilly beans and other canned goods, Fun Chex mixes, mug-cakes, or fresh baked goods are also great choices. Package the goodies in decorative jars or containers, ready to spread joy. For more information on canning, check out: Preserving Memories: A Guide to Safe Canning for Beginners

Remember, homemade gifts are a wonderful way to showcase your creativity and thoughtfulness. Enjoy the process of making these delightful presents!

Delicious Snacks Made Easy:

If you’re short on time and lack confidence in making homemade snacks, I recommend two foodie companies: Universal Yums and Eat2Explore. I personally enjoy purchasing from these companies, whether it’s for gift-giving or incorporating them into our homeschool curriculum while studying different countries. Additionally, I have some exclusive deals from these companies that I can share with you.

Eat2Explore offers a variety of gifts, including the option to purchase specific dish mixes, a cookbook, or the holiday bundle pictured below. Additionally, you have the opportunity to explore meals from different continents by purchasing a whole continent package. If you’re interested in a more continuous culinary journey, you can sign up for a monthly subscription to receive monthly meals from different parts of the world. We’ve recently enjoyed meals from Israel and Brazil. We look forward to trying Kenya, Africa next and a few more from the continent of Asia during our next semester of homeschool. To make your purchase even more enticing, here is a clickable coupon for $10 off.

My Favorite Meaningful Gifts from ChristianBook

I love that this company is Christian owned and operated. They also have some great cyber deals available on meaningful Christmas gifts and a variety of items. Below are a few of my favorites. Explore their website to discover even more meaningful Christmas gifts and items. Happy shopping!

This beautiful cross ornament from ChristianBook features the names of Jesus. Cyber-Deal Pricing: $3.99

Names Of Jesus Cross Ornament Ceramic cross Christmas ornament with red and green collage design of the names of Jesus; white cross with red ribbon loop for hanging; 4″ tall. Jesus, Redeemer, Emmanuel, Messiah, The Life, The Way, Savior, Bread of Life, Rock, Lord, Prince of Peace, Brother, Everlasting, Lamb of God, The Beloved , Christ, Son of Man, Brother.

How precious is this Little One’s Nativity? It’s a great opportunity to learn through play. Right now, it’s priced at $39.99.

Fisher-Price ® Little People Nativity Playset, 2023 Edition Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with the Fisher-Price® Little People® Nativity Set! Perfectly sized for little hands, toddlers will love this interactive playset as they bring to life the story of Baby Jesus’ birth. Featuring 12 Little People® figures including Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, an Angel, and animals, as well as 5 play pieces for kids to use as they act out the story. When kids place the angel on top of the stable and press down, the star will light up and it will play a sweet melody. Recommended age for play is 12 months to 5 years

I’ve been going through The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble. I just finished up the Old Testament and will be starting on the New Testament at the beginning of the year. The great thing about it, is you can jump in anytime – you don’t have to be on a certain day to start! The plan is available free on the You Version Bible App, but this beautiful leather-bound book is a great gift to inspire your loved one to start reading through the Bible. Normally $39.99, right now it’s $26.99 on Cyber Deal.

The Bible Recap Deluxe Edition: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Have you ever closed your Bible and thought, “What did I just read?” Or tried to get through all of Scripture in a year, only to run out of steam? Bible Recap podcast host Tara-Leigh Cobble is here to help! Walking you through a one-year chronological reading plan, she explains each day’s passage—highlighting God’s character in every book.  The Deluxe Edition is bound in imitation leather, contains full of colored pages, and a fabric bookmark. 

This delightful Fruits of the Spirit Bowl is available for the price of $39.99. It is a versatile dish that can be used for serving in your home, as well as for social gatherings. Additionally, it would make an excellent gift for the chef in your life. If you’re interested in more options, ChristianBook also offers this is a stacking bowl set.

Fruit of the Spirit, Ceramic Bowl By Christianbook Ceramic bowl sets the tone for a hospitable table, ringed inside with handpainted fruit clusters. Shaded sky blue, with scripted Bible verse border But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23. Generous capacity for buffet dinners, lush salads, and fresh fruit; 11″ diameter x 4″ high. Scripture quote is repeated inside; designed exclusively for the Gift Collection at Christianbook.com with an eye to fine Christian home decor. Bestseller; handwashing recommended. Not for microwave use.

For more gift ideas from ChristianBook, try the search function below, or click on any of their product links above to be taken directly to their website.

Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher

Learning Through Play

On the topic of Games, Learning Through Games: Top 10 Picks has some of my favorite educational games listed. Some of those games are available through the Simply Fun! site above and others are available through Amazon. I’ve listed a couple of my Amazon favorites below.

• Bibleopoly – $19.99
  • A unique version of Monopoly that promotes cooperation and character building through the biblical cities. The objective is to be the first player to build a church in one of these cities. It’s a wholesome and educational game for the whole family.
• Bible Trivia – $18.73
  • A highly rated and Amazon Choice game that brings the Bible to life through fun family trivia. It contains over 700 questions suitable for all ages. Developed by Diane Leggewie, who has a degree in Theology and over 12 years of involvement with children’s ministry.

More Amazon Favorites

Here are a few more of my favorite, meaningful Christmas gifts. I hope some of these items will bless your loved ones. I wrote about a few of the items in: Essentials of the Christian Faith, A Resource Guide.

“The Journey” is a 56-day devotional written by Dr. Brian Parker. Priced at an incredible deal of $9.99! It is designed to assist individuals in their journey as Christ followers, helping them to understand and apply God’s Word in their lives. The book serves as a tool to encourage daily Bible reading, learning to pray, and journaling about their experiences. It emphasizes that the book is not meant to replace the Bible but rather guide readers to it. It suggests finding a mentor to provide support and accountability throughout the journey. The overall goal is for readers to develop a deeper relationship with God and experience the joy of “The Journey.”

This side-by-side NIV, KJV, NASB, Amplified, Parallel Bible is great for study and comparisons. It’s normally $69.99, but now it is priced at $34.42! It makes a great gift for the study buddy on your Christmas list!

My husband especially loves the ESV study Bible. Actually, quite a few men I know from a Bible study we attend carry this specific version. It’s equipped with commentary to help expand on questions you may have about the scriptures. This one is normally priced at $54.99, and is on sale for $28.69.

Nativity Gift of the Magi Gold. Frankincense and Myrrh Three Wise Men Handcrafted Flat Round Glass Christmas Ornament $21.95

This handmade Christmas ornament brings back the true meaning of Christmas. The ornament features genuine 23k gold and is made by Mark Wood Willow. It beautifully displays the three gifts of the Magi, which were the most valued items of the ancient world. It includes a story about the three wise men and their gifts, as well as information about each gift. The first gift is gold, representing royalty and wealth. The second gift is an aromatic gum from the Middle East and Africa, used in medicines and perfumes. The third gift is a dark reddish-brown gum with medicinal properties.

Gifts from Inherit Co.

I recently wrote about Inherit Co., a company that I’ve partnered with due to our shared values. I love their modest + trendy clothes. They also have some cute gifts. Check out my recent article: Vintage Virtues + Inherit Co. Partnership Honors Shared Values: Discover the Best Deals on Fashionable and Modest Clothing!

Wrapping it up

I hope you find this list helpful in generating some meaningful Christmas gift ideas. But most importantly, I pray that you are able to cherish moments of peace as you reflect on the true reason for the season: Jesus Christ! May His love and grace fill your heart throughout this festive time.