If there is one season I have loved even more since becoming a mama, it is Advent. I know that as children we sometimes had our little advent calendars with the doors that open to reveal chocolate inside, but I don’t remember ever having a focus on setting aside time to prepare our hearts for the joy of Christmas. As an adult, I enjoyed the Advent services at church, but again didn’t really bring that idea of meditating on the Word home with me. It was when Aiden was born that I started really realizing what a blessing it is to set aside time to study the Bible as a family.
We didn’t wait until Aiden was old enough to join in to start building some of these habits. He loved listening to us read as a baby, and it felt natural to start reading the Bible aloud during my personal study when he would be playing next to me. As he grew, I loved finding way to get him involved. When he was a toddler we used an advent resource that had us create ornaments each day, and we had a lot of fun with that. However, it was a lot of work to collect all of the supplies and we rarely made it through more than the first couple of weeks. We have tried other things through the years, and each one has been a blessing to our family in its own way. Each year I look forward to this time together!
Last year, we used the Names of Jesus Advent Coloring Cards for our evening time together. I love the idea of studying the names of Jesus during this season, and I also loved the idea of not having to gather anything but crayons or markers! I wanted there to be a creative element, but I also needed simple. These coloring cards were a perfect fit!
I will say that Aiden has never been a big fan of coloring. He has never had any interest in coloring books, and always asked if he could have blank paper instead. However, he loved using these cards. I think the key is that they are small. For kids who aren’t big fans of coloring, handing them a whole page to color feels like a LOT. This was much more manageable. We also loved displaying our cards in the door frame of our kitchen where we could see them every time we walked by. I had gone into the season thinking I would come up with some fabulously creative way to display the cards… but then reality kicked in and I realized that scotch tape and a door frame was just right! (I only wish I had gotten a better photo of them there! That’s a goal for this year!)
I know from experience that it can feel overwhelming to look through pinterest ideas and different curriculums while trying to find the perfect way to make the holiday season “magical” and memorable, but I find that I am most thankful for the memories of when we found time to be quite and worshipful as we savored the days leading up to the celebration of the Savior! Of course I also enjoy covering the world with glitter and we can sing and dance to “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” with the best of them. I just love having a Heavenly Father who provides us with both JOY and PEACE, and I am thankful that Jamie has designed this wonderful resource to help us dig in to who He is and why this season is so special.
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