Somewhere Between Chaos and Calm: The Season of Advent

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Season of Advent

For the past several years, we've been celebrating the season of Advent. That is, we've been focusing on Jesus' arrival as opposed to all the hoopla of "consumerism Christmas". We do get gifts for the kids (a few inexpensive ones) plus some stocking stuffers (practical things that we'd buy anyway, such as markers, crayons, toothbrushes, toothpaste, a special treat), and we buy or make small gifts for immediate family members, but that's about it. (We do buy or make an ornament each year for the kids, including Ezra.) We've never done Santa or Elf on the Shelf. We stopped getting the chocolate "advent" calendars several years ago and opted for special activities to do each night. In addition, we've added daily Scripture readings that are directly related to Jesus' birth. It's been a fun tradition and we plan to continue even as the kids get older. We're just adjusting the activities each year to be age appropriate. We're spending time with our kids and building memories that will last a lot longer than anything we would have spent money on.

This year, I thought I'd post our 25 Advent activities and Scripture readings and some photos of the fun we had. Here they are:

Day 1 -- Make snowflake decorations. (Isaiah 9: 1-7)
Day 2 -- Tell a friend from school you think they're cool. (1 John 1: 1-5)
Day 3 -- Pray for deployed soldiers and their families; pray for peace. (Jer 33: 14-16)
Day 4 -- Write a list of 10 things you're thankful for and share it with someone. (Micah 5: 2-5)
Day 5 -- Make a card for a loved one and mail it. (Isaiah 11: 1-5, 10)
Day 6 -- Mail out Christmas cards. (Luke 1: 5-25)
Day 7 -- Sing a song of praise to Jesus. (Luke 1: 26-33)
Day 8 -- Draw a picture of baby Jesus and give it to a friend. (Luke 1: 34-38)
Day 9 -- Light a candle and pray for a sick loved one. (Luke 1: 39-45)
Day 10 -- Create some DIY gifts. (Luke 1: 46-56)
Day 11 -- Sort through clothes and toys and find a place to donate some. (Luke 1: 57-66)
Day 12 -- Say thank you to a teacher today. (John 1: 1-4, 14)
Day 13 -- Walk around and look at Christmas lights in your neighborhood. (Matt 1: 18-25)
Day 14 -- Make treats and bring them to a neighbor you don't know. (Phil 2: 3-7)
Day 15 -- Go see the live nativity at Oak Park Christian Church. (Matt 2: 1-2)
Day 16 -- Pass out candy canes in the community. (Matt 2: 3-6)
Day 17 -- Light a candle and pray for the poor, the sick, and the homeless. (Matt 2: 7-8)
Day 18 -- Watch "Elf". (Matt 2: 9-12)
Day 19 -- Fill a stocking with goodies and leave it on a friend's doorstep. (Isaiah 60: 1-5)
Day 20 -- Watch Christmas cartoons. (Luke 2: 1-7)
Day 21 -- Sing Christmas carols. (Luke 2: 8-12)
Day 22 -- Invite friends over to play games. (Luke 2: 13-14)
Day 23 -- Go for a hike (we didn't get around to this one this year.....) (Luke 2: 15-18)
Day 24 -- Learn about the family Christmas traditions of parents and grandparents. (Luke 2: 19-20)
Day 25 -- Celebrate Jesus today! (Read Luke 2: 1-20)

Day 1