Advent - It's how we celebrate Christmas

There are many things that Heath and I do counter-culturally. We eat differently, we discipline differently and we even went about building our family differently. We also celebrate Christmas a bit counter-culturally. We feel strongly that the true story of Christmas should be the focus of this season. 

Our children know Santa as a man who dresses up and acts jolly in the mall. They happen to hate taking pictures with him, but they don't know that the jolly man brings presents. Honestly, Heath and haven't taken an official stance on Santa with our kids, we haven't needed to yet. He's such an ancillary part of Christmas for us that the kids haven't even asked about him. 

What we do like to focus on during this time is the story of Christ's birth, His lineage and the hope of Advent. Over the past few years, I've compiled a mini curriculum for the kids that we love to pull out. We use Jesse Tree ornaments to tell the story of Christ's birth and lineage, and this daily Advent craft calendar really focuses us on the importance of the season. 


I also highly suggest the Truth in the Tinsel curriculum, which can be purchased for $5 as an instant download.  It has daily activities and lots of good information and ideas for sharing with kids.

I'll repost each week with a fresh set of weekly Advent ideas. We'll be doing ours daily, but having a special time set-aside on Monday afternoons throughout advent to share crafts and special snacks with friends. I hope these materials bless your family as they have ours. 

Merry, merry Christmas!


Don't know what Advent is?  Here's a great video to explain the reason for the season:

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.