Our Advent

Each year during the holidays I find myself thinking of ways to make it more meaningful for my kids. When life was just Robert and I (pre-barbie life), we enjoyed Christmas parties, fun dinners, shopping for great gifts and planning some sort of trip to see family. We all know life with kids changes you! What I find now is that I am more thoughtful of my time, and of the activities that we do. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is so short, and can be so busy unless you put a filter on the plans you make and add to your calendar.

Last year, I tried to carve out time for special family dinners at night. I wanted to be sure that while life got busy for us, we were still connecting as a small family. Well, my other goal was to balance the amount of sugar cookies and sweets with some healthy dinners each night...ha!

This year I have been combing books, magazines and the Internet with ways we can cut back our spending, scale back on the amount of excess that goes on this time of year and be more thoughtful in the gifts we give to others and to each other. I found the greatest article in Wondertimes Magazine (my favorite!) about a way to create your own advent calendar at home instead of purchasing one. I set out to re-create the magazine version....



I rummaged through the wrapping paper box and found several small boxes and gift bags that I labeled with the days of December. I then went to my secret (not-so-secret) box of small (bribe) gifts that I keep hidden and found several small lip glosses, pencils, stickers and tattoos that the girls would love. I also folded notes to put in 13 of the bags describing a Christmas book that we would read that night, and hints on where I had hidden the book in the house.

I have made sure to explain what Advent means to the kids so that this isn't about getting a gift each day, but about the celebration of the season. I looked up this information as I prepared to tell them about Advent so that I had my facts straight. The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King.

Grace and Olivia have loved opening their Advent Calendar each morning before the day starts. They talk about the fun books that we are reading, and of the treats in store for the next several days. It probably would have been easier to put the $3 Advent Calendar in the shopping cart while at Target a few weeks ago....but what fun we have had with our home-made version!