The Season of Advent

 To me, Christmas truly is a season and not just a holiday for one day.  Once I became a mom, I wanted Christmas Day to be spent at home with my children instead of running around from house to house.  Within two years of becoming a mom, and after having two children, I got my wish.  Unfortunately, it was due to the deaths of some precious family members, which we all know, can change the trajectory of how things begin to play out within a family.  Still, although I miss them all very much, I would not change what we do.  I love being home with my children on Christmas Day, grazing on "finger foods," watching Christmas movies, and playing with their new toys or trying on new clothes.  Leading up to Christmas Day, however, is when we really make the most memories. 

Many years ago, I started to do "The 12 Days of Christmas" activities with my children as part of our celebration.  I would purchase small gifts and put them in their stocking and each of those days leading up to Christmas they'd get to open something.  It would usually start small with something like a candy cane and end with their bigger gifts on Christmas morning.  As I had more children, I began to appreciate the experience more than the things. I also learned that this was not an inexpensive way to celebrate, so I decided to make some changes.  Instead of getting them gifts, we would do a different activity each day.  This was a great way to force us to spend time together and have some fun celebrating the season as well.  

Fast forward a couple more years, and once I began to homeschool, I started to see the importance of Advent, and not just the 12 days leading up to Christmas because of a cute Christmas song.  Advent is defined as the beginning of or arrival of something.  For Christians, it is often the beginning of the Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Christ and anticipate His Second Coming.  

While I certainly see how commercialism and gift-giving can take away from the true meaning of the season, I can also see how it can be used to teach others about Christ and celebrate His humble birth. So, in recent years, I have purchased Advent calendars for my children, and each morning, we read from the book of Luke, which in 24 chapters, tells the Gospel story.  Each day before or after reading, they can open that day's door on their calendars and see what fun prize awaits them.  The joy in their faces when they get something new, even though it may be small and insignificant, reminds me of why I became a mother.  

My children asked me in early November if we could decorate for Christmas.  I usually don't do it that early, but I gave in and we got it done and we've been enjoying them for over two weeks already.  They have loved it, and to me, it was just a way to start the Advent season early, which just means more time celebrating!  Here are some ideas for things you can do with your family to celebrate Advent (December 1-24) or the 12 Days of Christmas (December 13/14-24/25):

  • Put up Christmas decorations!  Spread it out and decorate one room each day if you usually decorate multiple rooms, especially if you want to start early.
  • Get an Advent calendar.  It doesn't have to be one per person or even one with trinkets or chocolates.  Instead, it could be one with trivia questions or jokes about the season.  It could also contain activities to be completed on each day. 
  • Read the book of Luke as a read-aloud.  There are 24 chapters for 24 days, or you could read two chapters per day for 12 days. 
  • Have a Christmas movie night!  Pop popcorn and make root beer floats or milkshakes or hot chocolate and watch your favorites. 
  • Read a Christmas story or series of stories as part of your daily read-aloud.  Bonus:  if there is a movie version or versions, watch it after and compare, or watch them all and compare.  Some of our favorites we've read are:
    • How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
    • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
    • The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
  • If there is a new Christmas movie coming out, go to the theater and watch one there. 
  • Read some Christmas picture books together.  There are so many and even the bigger kids can enjoy this. 
  • Bake cookies or other treats, pack up tins or boxes, and deliver them to your neighbors.  This has become one of our most treasured traditions. 
  • Get some friends or family together and go Christmas caroling.  This is nice to do for elderly people you may know or in a nursing home. 
  • Get together with some friends or family and have a progressive dinner (each course in a different location). 
  • Make homemade ornaments.  This is especially fun if you use old Christmas cards.  There are tons of ideas on Pinterest. If you go caroling, you can hand them out to those you sing for. 
  • Put together and decorate a gingerbread house. 
  • Visit the zoo.  Some of the animals may not be out in the colder weather, but some of the ones that you see will be much more active in the cold. 
  • Pack up some hot chocolates and homemade cookies and go for a Christmas lights tour. 
  • Play Christmas Bingo for candy cane prizes.   You can find lots of free versions online. 
  • Go to church.  Of course go to your regular church services, but many churches have special services around the season.  Some even do live nativities which are really neat to see. 
  • Go shopping for a charity like Toys for Tots or Angle Tree, or pick out a family in need to sponsor and buy them some gifts and a nice meal.  
  • Put together small table gifts or Christmas Crackers (look up this British tradition) to put on the table for a family meal.  
  • Go to a small town celebration or festival.  You don't have to live there to go and you don't have to spend a lot of money to appreciate it.  My small town has one that offers a lot of free activities for children. If you have the money to shop, you'll be supporting small businesses which is a support for families. 
  • Send the kids on a Christmas Scavenger Hunt!  This is easy to put together.   It can include things they can find in your yard or home within your decorations.  Reward them with some homemade treats or candy canes, or maybe a new ornament to put on the tree!
  • Play board games together.  This is good year-round, but why not do it during the Christmas season as well.  
  • Have a wrapping party.  Everyone brings gifts that are boxed up and you wrap them up while hanging out together. 
What are some of your traditions for celebrating the season that could be added to the list?

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