Sukkot Family Banners!
So back in the day when I tried attending a Messianic Synagogue, it was during the fall feasts. In general it was a horrific experience (they were ex-christians who kept the holier-than-thou attitude and religious pious cliquiness, only upped it about six notches, since they now had Truth and you obviously don’t). And of course I did everything wrong – I wore black to Kol Nidre (no one told me everyone dresses in white – I was WORSE than a sore thumb). I didn’t know ‘the rules’. I screwed up everything I tried to participate in (mostly because I didn’t know, but was trying hard to figure it out solo, since nobody there would talk to me, either… Remember? They have the Truth and got off on the fact that I didn’t? Newbies got a healthy dose of the silent treatment, because they were outsiders.) Yeah, I don’t endorse any large group that gathers as a ‘congregation’. Scripture says ‘where two or three are gathered’… and I’m good with that, thanks.
But I did come away with some good things. The lessons were phenomenal (when I was able to hear them – Ethan was a baby and not familiar with the nursery). And when they hit Sukkot, I got the really KEWL idea of a family banner from them. They had a ‘church camp-out’ together (I didn’t go), and each family made a banner for their ‘tent’/sukkah. And I thought, ‘Dang, wouldn’t that be kewl, to make banners – one each year – to mark Sukkot?’
Of course cloth ones would be most crafty, but they would get dirty and ruined, too. So I decided something small that could be flattened into a book (eventually) and preferably wipe-clean-able would be best. In other words, paper banner laminated.
Having said, our sukkah has banners hanging from it – because we’ve kept the feasts several years, now!! I thought maybe I’d share them here. Just for fun.
Sukkot 2007
We did a ‘Tree of Life’ and chronicled our homestead additions for the first year, putting all of our lives in the ” Etz ha’Chayim” (Tree of Life.) That was the year we got rabbits, ducks, a dog, a cat, and were having a new baby (Aaron). It… didn’t turn out quite like I expected it to, to be honest with you, but you get the idea.
Sukkot 2008
We went a LOT simpler this year. A Star of David with Daddy at the top, Mama at the bottom, Yeshua at the center, and the kids off the other four points. We let everyone pick the color they would be. I thought that if I used crayon this time, the laminator would melt the wax and it’d look really kewl. It didn’t heat it long enough or hot enough for that, but it still was pretty bright!!
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Sukkot 2009
I drew a scroll, and handed it to Brian, Lydia and Isaac and asked them for ideas to put in the scroll. Isaac drew tic-tac-toe boards in his, and got creamed by Brian. Brian drew a harvest moon (he really liked finding out about that, btw!) and a cornucopia, a field of wheat, two Star of Davids, and an ear of corn. Lydia drew FIVE Star of Davids along the bottom (four little ones, a big one in the middle), squares with people’s initials in them, and vines with 2009 at the top. So I combined the ideas – took Lydia’s big bottom Star, Brian’s moon, Lydia’s 2009 at the top, and Brian’s corn, and made a more harvest themed banner. Turned out pretty well, don’tcha think?
Sukkot 2010
Then I got one of my (typical) hare-brained ideas and thought that with seven of us, we’d fit perfectly in a menorah. The candles of the menorah represent the seven feasts, anyhow, no? So I told people to make a ‘menorah of us’. Whether that meant drawing each family member in place of the candle or writing names on the candles or whatever… let’s be creative. Lydia designed the banner for us, Isaac designed the menorah (his was the ‘v’ shaped one, and it’s SO KEWL), and we went with my names AS candles, since the pictures kinda got… complicated. ((grins)) We also used the colors of the rainbow (although I wanted a sort of order to us… so we ended up whatever color we got, this year).
Sukkot 2011
This year (because we’ve done lapbooks for Rosh Ha’Shana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, hint-hint), we’ve been learning about the sukkah and the four elements and more, so we felt it would be a good idea to do a banner with a sukkah on it. ((We also learned that Sukkot – the holiday – is Sue-COAT, and sukkah – the thing you stay in – is Sook-AH, like ‘book’-ah. I was mispronouncing it Suck-ah, LoL!!))
The boys had more fun making Sukkot cards with toothpick sukkahs on the front, but Lydia and I designed the banner – she chose pumpkin writing, Brian suggested having us all just wear white (like a Kol Nidre or Rev 7b thing), and drew it all up, of course. I really like the way this one turned out, btw. ((grins!))
Sukkot 2012
This year was our Great Ship Trip, and a lot of boat themed adventures, so I thought it might be fun to do an ark. Besides, if it’s the time of the rapture, we all know Noah was a prototype for what is to come in the future… so it fits. If not, it’s still a symbol of salvation. So I took the people from last year’s banner and put them in an ark. Lydia designed the dove, and Brian went for the star in its beak. I think it turned out pretty well, don’t you? And added bonus, I came up with an alternative idea that may just become next year’s!
It’ll be fun to keep these thru the years, see what we come up with. But for now, they’re pinned to our Sukkah as banners/decorations!!
Sukkot – Day 2!!
