Advent: 1 December

Now that Zoë is 3 and is really starting to grasp the idea of 'waiting' and 'celebrating' we decided to make a little more effort in Advent. So, we're trying a few different ideas:

Advent Box

I'd seen loads of ideas of Christmas Eve Surprise Boxes with a film, mugs, PJs etc and loved the idea, but we go to a Christmas Eve Carol Service so it wouldn't work. So I adapted the idea and created an Advent Box. Yesterday lunchtime when Zoë got home from preschool with Daddy we opened our Advent Surprise Box. It contained Christmas crockery, DVDs, CDs, toys, cooking book, new Christmassy PJs and a new (child-friendly) decoration. It was amazing watching the excitement in their faces as they discovered different items.

Russian Doll Nativity Set

24 wrapped books 

I've wrapped up all our Christmas books and we're opening and reading one a day over Advent. This is seriously going to teach Zoë about patience as she's so eager to open all of them NOW! Today's book was 'Santa is coming to Aylesbury'. I wonder what tomorrow's will be...

Lolly Stick Activities

I'm slightly addicted to Pinterest and loved the idea of Advent Activities which kept popping up on my feed, so I sat down one evening a few weeks ago and wrote a range of activities on some colourful lolly sticks. On Sunday Zoë and I selected some for this week. Today we bought a present for a disadvantaged child

Jesse Tree

Zoë is not having a traditional advent calendar and no chocolates either. Instead we're developing an idea we came across last year called a Jesse Tree which uses Advent to summarise the story of Christmas from creation, through the genealogy of Jesus and to his birth on Christmas day. Last year we used a reading schedule based on The Jesus Storybook Bible, but it was too grown-up for Zoë and she quickly lost interest. So this year we're writing our own... Each day has a reading, a 'picture' for her and us to draw on a label to hang on the tree, and an activity to do. (As we will do our reading at dinnertime the activity will be done on the following day.)

Today was our first day and we read the story of creation - "God made the world" - and Zoë drew a snake and a cat, and Daddy drew a tree! Tomorrow's activity is to draw a world on a plate.

Family advent

As well as doing advent things with Zoë and Caleb, I'm also aware that I need to slow down during this month and get my heart focused on the real meaning of Christmas. To ensure this happens I've got some candles out and (when the children are in bed) I am lighting them, and I am reading an Advent Devotional book by John Piper called The Dawning of Indestructible Joy. I'm looking forward to reading this when up in the night feeding Caleb!

Each day I'm hoping to share some thoughts from the Jesse Tree, 24 Books and Lolly Sticks.