Catch up:
- Health update
- Plans for the podcast in the New Year
- My 34th birthday, Thanksgiving, a marriage retreat
How we’re Advent-ing this year:
- “We have a lot of time with our family” – Jane
- Keep quiet calendar as much as possible
- Say “no” whenever possible and limit commitments
- Making time for silence and prayer
- Ascension Press “Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Mary” by Fr. Mark Toups
- Lanky Guys Podcast – preparation for Sunday’s Mass readings, Thursday weekly release
- Feast of St. Nicholas
- Clementine, chocolate coins, Christmas jammies, saint/faith book
- Books our kids got this year
- Jane – Loyola Kids Book of Heroes
- Walt – Can You Find Saints?
- Harry – Saintly Rhymes for Modern Times
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- Dorothy – My Bible Quiet Book
- Dinner
- Lights out
- Light Advent Wreath. New candle snuffer!
- Sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel”
- Pray before meal
- Eat
- While people finish eating/are having dessert, Philip reads 1 chapter from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones starting December 1-24
- Add ornament to Jesse Tree (my birthday gift a few years ago from Etsy) that coincides with story
- Decorating
- Slooooooooowly decorate to build up anticipation of Christmas
- Nativities
- Little People Nativity
- Fontanini Nativity – past years added people slowly, this year put everyone out. It looks like a huge party at the stable with all of the people and animals!
- Will put Baby Jesus in both nativities on Christmas morning and sing “Away in a Manger”
- Gaudete Sunday
- Hot chocolate and look at Christmas lights around town
- Christmas tree – the day we put it up and decorated in past years. This year, we put up the tree the 2nd Sunday of Advent, and we are going to decorate it on Gaudete Sunday.
- Baking
- Basket of Christmas books – wrap them up, unwrap one each day. This year, I just put them all out at once!
- Christmas morning
- Kids can come down and open stockings while we snooze
- Everyone up, warm breakfast (overnight French toast soufflé and scrambled eggs)
- THEN open presents
General Tips
- Remember: Christmas is a season, so you don’t have to do ALL THE THINGS before or on December 25th.
- Keep those reasonable expectations
- Add ONE tradition each year
- Adjust as necessary year to year. Let the tradition go when it’s not working – Christmas cards, etc.
- Philip and I like to do an Advent/Christmas recap convo before the New Year to talk about what went well, what we NEVER WANT TO DO AGAIN, etc. If we’ve had any regrets, it usually revolves around being stressed about the wrong things – usually gifts – and not spending the time connecting with each other or other loved ones
Please get in touch!
- We would love to add a service opportunity to our Advent traditions. Do you or your family have a way of adding service to the season?
- Let me know how Advent is going for you, and as always, keep sending along your book/tv/movie recommendations!
- Contact me:
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