Ideas for Advent

You never did Advent as a child, but would like to start now that you have a family of your own. You ask yourself, "Where do I begin?"

If you don't have the time to research the history behind it and you just want to jump into it, I will post ideas of what we are doing here this year in our home to help you get started.

Advent has helped us meditate on the coming birth of our Saviour by spending the month of December creating ways to celebrate His life and the joy of giving and receiving. I put "receiving," because "all good gifts come down from the Father.." and it is important for children to learn to receive with joy and how to combat greed.

Preparing ahead of time is the key to making it enjoyable. Look over your budget and see what you can set aside for Advent. Most ideas can be free or relatively inexpensive. Setting the tone for Advent starts the first day you start, so make that day a pretty special day. Think carefully what you want to teach.

For us, keeping the life of Christ the most precious part of Christmas is our goal. I like to take my kids back in time the first night, so we turn off the electric lights and light a fire and a few candles. Letting the quietness fill the room allows the heart to hear a bit better. My husband, John, will open the Bible and share a portion of the scripture that prepares their minds for the birth of baby Jesus. If you have your Christmas tree already up, you can hang the first ornament on the tree and it could be an ornament (like a manger scene or an angel) representing what you just read. Maybe leave it like that for a full day and then spend the next night decorating the rest of the tree. More ideas to come...