First Day of Our Family Advent

Can I first of all tell you how excited I am? Very!

After scouring the web for ideas and getting some great suggestions from friends (thanks all!), I've made our family advent plans. I'm still working on some of the "crafting" aspects of the project, but otherwise, I'm ready to go. And am very happy with these new traditions we will be starting with our little family.

After seeing several ideas I liked, I decided that we'd do two different ideas and combine them. My main goal was to find some age-appropriate ways to focus my young family on Jesus, the reason we celebrate Christmas. With all the hubbub around Santa and presents, I wanted us to have a daily reminder of what Christmas was about, that would also be a teaching tool. I found what I was looking for on this blog. It is a kind of a child-friendly version of a Jesse tree.

I also liked the idea of doing special things together as a family. Creating memories as a family that we can enjoy from year to year. A reminder to spend time with the ones we love, and not get swept away by the business the season brings. Nadia posted her Advent box, and I decided to do something similar.

I got quite inspired with the "crafting" aspect all, which has been fun. I have not been doing much of this type of "creating" and it was a really nice outlet for me. All I can say is that I'm kind of glad there is not an all night craft store around, as I'd probably never go to sleep! :P

So this is what it all looks like. (Please excuse all the gratuitous photos of my creations! I'm just a little excited is all!)

I got inspired by this page on the cool Kiddley site and needed to make these cute little match book boxes. (Hence my facebook status looking for where to buy them. Dollar stores, in case you were wondering.) I used scrapbooking paper I had stored away and not used in year. And the number stickers were dollar store finds as well. (Though this particular dollar store is now actually a $1.25 store. Doesn't roll of your tongue quite as easily, does it?!)


In each box is a "theme" for the day and a Bible verse or two to go with it. Each day focuses on a symbol and has a little ornament with each symbol to hang on our Jesse tree. (Or Joshua Tree, as I've been known to call it.) I've not finished making all of these yet, but hope to get the rest of them done over the next few days.

Today's read:

DAY 1: We anticipate Jesus’ birth, just as they did many years ago.
Isaiah 11:1 - A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Symbol: Branch

A close-up of the box and ornament (a drawn picture glued to a flat backed glass "pebble" or bead")

And this is the little tree our ornaments will hang from. I already had this table-top tree, so didn't have to try to get out to buy one, which worked out well. The last several days of our advent have pieces of a small wooden nativity set (instead of an ornament), which we will set up on display around the tree with the other "present boxes". On Christmas morning, we will open up the last piece, which is the baby Jesus in the manger.


Here's Kaleb getting ready to open today's box. (Since Andy was away all day, we did it with just the big kids and I. Jorja is a bit too little to participate, and too hard to "wrangle" while trying to do this with the other kids. I'm hoping she can be part of it though when we have two parents around.)

Kenna opened the envelope with our special advent activity.

Our version of the Advent Box, also from the Kiddley site. I used the same block of scrapbooking paper to make 24 envelopes that will hold a special family activity for the day. I came up with about 40 different activities that would work for our family. The kids don't know this, but most of the envelopes are currently empty. I'll choose each day what activity works, because "Go for a walk in the woods or on a beach" is not something you can do everyday. (Not in our rainy BC winter climate.) And I know not every day will I be up for baking up a storm or doing an intensive craft. Also, some days, Andy will not be around, so it needs to be something I can pull off on my own.

I've included the list of all our activities, divided up so it is easier for me to figure out what works for the day.

All laid out, so you can see how much fun I had making them pretty!

Today's activity read: Make paper snowflakes and hang them from the dining room ceiling

The look of concentrated cutting

Freckles

So grown-up all of a sudden

Showing off his creation

Kenna's handiwork

And Jorja was not part of this (we snuck it all in during her nap), but she wanted her picture taken too!

So excited about the days ahead, with Jesus' birthday being the big celebration and the reason for all the other celebrations! Hope you are enjoying the anticipation of advent!

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Here's the list of our family activities, is case you want to join us and do something similar. Divided into categories, so it is easy to find the activity that works for the day.

With Daddy

Have dinner in the RV in a special location
Taking photos of each other, print them up and make an album

Write a family worship song and record it with Andy
Get Christmas tree
Decorate Christmas tree
Play in the snow
Get out and set up the large wooden nativity set and read Christmas story
Bowling with Daddy
Date night along with either mom or dad
Get photo with Santa and mail letter
Go out to see the Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music
Have a camp-out/sleep-over around the Christmas tree
Make a fort in the living room and read stories in it by flashlight
Have fire and roast marshmallows in fireplace
Have homemade "Blizzards" (milkshakes with all the fixings)
Chocolate fondue with fruit




With or without Daddy

Going food shopping and taking the food to a food bank
Making paper snowflakes and stringing them from the dining room ceiling
Board Games (Candyland with candy!)
$ Store present hunt for siblings
Make Thankful Chart/Mural that we add to during the rest of the month
Decorate gingerbread houses or men
Go walk in the woods or on the beach
Fancy candlelit dress-up dinner
Puddle jump walk
Go out for donuts and hot chocolate
Watch a Christmas movie with popcorn
Wrap a toy and take it to a charity drop off
Use puppets to tell bedtime story
Have an indoor "carpet picnic"

Make ornament with Crayola Model Magic


Good with just Mom

Do some baking for teachers
Write letters to Santa
Make handmade Christmas cards for Great Grandparents
Make sugar cookies (baby Jesus cookies)
Make and decorate plaster decorations for family
Make homemade red and green candy/caramel corn
Make snowman decorations
Make Rice Krispie Squares

With friends or cousins



Christmas caroling with friends
Dance party with Christian Christmas music with glow sticks
Ride Christmas Train