This part is fun for me, but you can certainly keep it much simpler than I have chosen to.  I’ve included some shots of our decorations just to give you some ideas.  Use what you’ve got, and then if you choose to, start adding to your inventory to use from year to year.

• Banner – I found a felt banner that spells out “Happy Birthday” that we pull out every time someone in our family is having a birthday.  One year I made one to go with it that says “Jesus” which we now hang underneath the “Happy Birthday” one.  It was pretty simple, not nearly as cute as the store-bought one, but it works.

Banners

• Placemats – I made these using pre-cut paper placemats from my favorite store, PaperSource (www.paper-source.com).  I simply added a pre-cut shape & “Happy Birthday Jesus” to each one & laminated them.

Placemat

• Plates, napkins, cups – I’ve used birthday themed instead of Christmas, this year I found red with white polka-dots on clearance at Target & stocked up.

• Balloons – My favorite balloons came from the wonderful balloon store on the corner when we were city dwellers.  Tuthill’s Balloons has the absolute best helium balloons around.  I loved to get them to tie on each chair, and then send home with each child at the end of the party, because what says “birthday party” like a balloon?  The children would get asked by everyone who entered their home, “Did you go to a birthday party?” to which they would answer, “Yes!  For Jesus!”  Love that.

Balloons

• Centerpiece – This year I printed the words “Happy Birthday Jesus” on cardstock & glued them to Christmas cardstock & placed each word in a vase filled with colorful Christmas balls.  On another table I made paper ornaments with verses about Jesus’ birth & purpose on earth and stood them on small easels.

Cardstock ornament

Centerpiece

• Advent paper chain countdown – I just found this darling idea online & have included a link to the instructions under “Links”.

Advent paper chain