A week into Advent and we’ve been busy! In keeping with our family traditions, the girls and I made an Advent Calendar to help make our countdown to Christmas memorable and meaningful. We set aside an afternoon at Kendo to work on it together. I must say, this year’s may be my favorite one so far!
Just like what we always do, we made use of stuff we already had at home: an empty cardboard box, assorted board paper, markers, washi tapes, ribbon and crepe paper.
I took care of creating the little compartments inside the cardboard box (which turned out to be a lot trickier than I had imagined!) while the girls made Christmas drawings to put on each door.
But the most important part of the calendar, which also took time to put together, are the things they discover as they open each compartment. It’s an opportunity for all of us in the family, not just the kids, to be reminded of what makes Christmas rich and worth celebrating — Jesus Christ, kindness and generosity, faith, sharing and caring. Also magic and wonder and fun! So our calendar has never been just about treats (although they do get those!), there’s prayer, games, art projects, charitable activities and lots of meaningful story-telling — things I know they will look forward to, enjoy and also learn from.
Six days have passed. We’ve done a treasure hunt, lifted special prayers, made a little bed for Baby Jesus and received “Popsicle Stubs” (which were claimed almost right away!). So far, they are loving it and I hope they continue to do so.
May these little traditions bring forth joy, life and fullness in our family for the next few weeks as we await Christmas Day! Hoping the same for you and your family too! 🙂
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