Celebrating Advent: A-Z Family Guide

Since I was a little girl, Advent has been a special time of year for me, primarily because my parents made this season of waiting and preparation for Christmas so special and memorable.  In 2007, when I was a Director of Children’s Ministry at Trinity Church (Greenwich, CT), I created an Advent book for families.  As we begin Advent tomorrow, I’d thought I share this book (page by page) with you through my blog as we journey through this Advent season.

The busy world of parenting (carpooling, homework, sporting events, dance lessons, etc.) leaves little time for researching Advent activities especially in the midst of the holiday season.  If you are looking for ways to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ways that would be creative and meaningful for the entire family, I pray Celebrating Advent: A-Z Family Guide will help you during this Advent season.  

In this book, the Nativity story and prayer frame each day.  These are accompanied by creative crafts, fun activities, and movie ideas to illustrate a theme, along with discussion points for parents to engage their children each day of Advent.  As an avid reader, I have also suggested storybooks to read out loud to children.  Stories, particularly the Nativity story, help to open the window of imagination for children, as well as adults.  I have made an effort to include ideas for most age groups and learning styles.  You may need to adjust them to your child’s needs and abilities.  

Each day has a theme that corresponds to a letter in the alphabet.  Every letter is coupled with a scripture verse, and you'll find activities to choose from to help reinforce the theme of the day.  There is a different symbol to denote each approach to supporting the daily theme.

As you look at each day, you may think, “How can I do all this?”  The last thing I want is to make anyone feel guilty for not “doing it all.”  Browse through each post and choose one or two activities a week to do as a family, along with the scripture reading, prayer and discussion point each day.  If you have small children, reading the letter of the day and looking at the picture may be all that is appropriate.

In the next couple days, the upcoming posts will include the following:

• Advent Countdown Ideas (Advent Wreath & Scripture Chain)
• Supply List for Week 1
• Reading for Wreath Lighting on 1st Sunday of Advent
• A is for Angels: First Sunday in Advent
• B is for Bethlehem: First Monday of Advent
• C is for Candle: First Tuesday of Advent
• D is for Donkey: First Wednesday of Advent
• E is for Eastern Star: First Thursday of Advent
• F is for Family: First Friday of Advent
• G is for God: First Saturday of Advent

It is my prayer that this will give you and your family great joy, lasting memories, deeper meaning, and a place to start the journey of Advent together year after year.  As you use this tool, I look forward to your comments and invite you to post your creative ideas for the theme of each day.

Blessings

Sarah