Over the past couple of weeks we've been trying to do an activity every day in preparation for Christmas. It's part of our participation in Advent. Some days we've gone somewhere or attended an event. But typically we take 10-15 minutes right after dinner every night and do something together as a family. That's the time we are all awake and together but it's not yet bed time and part of that routine. Our activities are simple, but enough to keep the attention of a 2 1/2 year old for a few minutes. There's always a one to two minute lesson pertinent to what Christmas means. This is our first year giving it a try and we've missed a few days, but all in all I think we've done a decent job. The best part is that every day around dinner time Claxton starts asking "when are we going to advent?"
Here's some of the things we've done:
- made an angel ornament
- made a sheep ornament
- made cookies and decorated them
- shopped for a Christmas tree
- decorated our Christmas tree
- made a star ornament
- gave the birds in our yard a special feast
- donated toys for some other kids to have presents under the tree
- donated some food for other families
- talked about the things we treasure
- talked about who Mary & Joseph are
- talked about Jesus and his birth
- talked about good things God has given us
- attended a Christmas program
- rode around to look at Christmas lights and decorations
I have to say that this short time each night has been very special for our family and we all look forward to it every night. Hopefully next year I'll get a head start on planning our activities. We definitely want to do it again.
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