For the last few years we have done nightly devotion readings with the kids. We have been using the book , The 25 Days of Christmas: Family Readings and Scriptures for the Advent Season by Greg Johnson. We cuddle up together, read the story and the kids eat thier candy from thier Advent calendar. The book is aimed at children a bit older than ours, but as a family (including grandparents and great grandma as we get closer to Christmas) we have all enjoyed it.
Although we have enjoyed this book, this year we are adding a couple of new books into the mix to give them a try.
We are reading Jotham's Journey with the kids before bedtime. Jotham's Journey is an Advent storybook which follows the adventures of 10-year old-Jotham who lives in Isreal at the time of Christ's birth. Each night of Advent there is a short chapter to read in the story.
I have two new books for myself this season. One my mom gave me called The Little Blue Book. It has brief devotions for each morning of Advent combined with information about Christmas traditions around the world. My mom is using this devotion book as well this Advent, which I think is so nice for us both to be reading at the same time.
My other new book this season is really a book on tape. For the last year, my friend Joanne has been telling me about Robert Benson's The Night of The Child. Taking her suggestion, I got the book on tape to listen to by the Christmas tree. We have our tree up and (don't take this the wrong way) I am looking forward to our Thanksgiving guests leaving so I can in my family room one evening and listen to it!
Does your family have a favorite Advent season book? I would love to hear what your family is reading this Advent season.
Advent Reading
26 days of family fun ...
I hope you had a chance to look at the Advent Conspiracy video, I linked in my last posting. I love the phrase it gives of giving less presents and more presence this Christmas. So often I think over the past week and I can't find much time when I really gave my girls my undivided presence. That is definitely one of my big goals for this Christmas season.
My friend Katie and her husband Andrew have a great Advent tradition with their two kids. Each day when the kids open their advent calendar door of the day, they don't find candy as most kids do, they find a family activity or adventure. Some of them are simple, some of them are bigger weekend adventures that Katie and Andrew have planned out. I think this is such a great way to make sure you connect with your kids every single day of the Christmas season.
I asked Katie to share some of the surprises her kids will be opening this year.
- making a fire in the fireplace
- Going sledding
- Having hot cocoa after dinner
- Taking a drive to see the neighborhood Christmas lights
- making Christmas cookies together
- watching a family Christmas movie
I loved her suggestions. At first I thought, "how can I come up with 26 things?" But after I heard Katie's ideas, and then looked at our calendar and saw special things we are doing such as going to the Parade of Lights, our church's choir concerts, and friends' Christmas parties, I saw that it would be pretty easy to fill in the rest.
Do you have special things, big and small, that you do with your kids each December? I still need to fill in a few days and would love to hear what your family does this time of year.
Advent Conspiracy
