Advent calendars

So, for those of you who asked, I found this introduction to what Advent is all about in my new Advent devotional for this year: Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin, which I am loving:

As a season of the the Christian year, Advent is ancient. It goes back at least to the middle of the sixth century. Already then its observance defined not only the One who was coming, but also those who were faithfully and self-consciously waiting. It defined the peculiar people who looked forward to the coming of that One...

For nearly one thousand five hundred years Christians have spent the days of Advent not in passive inaction, but in activities strenuous and profitable: they have prepared themselves by scrubbing and cleaning their lives, by examining and repairing their souls--even as people generally prepare themselves body and home to receive a visitor of ineffable importance...

So let us enter the story one more time. In this present season of Advent let us experience the infant's Advent in the past and so make ourselves ready for the Advent of the Lord of Glory in the future.

from the introduction, p. 21-24

All too often, waiting is passive inaction--sitting around, twiddling our thumbs and wishing time would move faster toward whatever it is we are waiting for. But Advent is not passive inaction.

Advent is a season of active waiting--of mediation, of preparation, of telling the story of the first Christmas again and again even as we long for the coming Advent.

For children especially (well, for all of us really!) waiting is hard work. And waiting for Christmas is no exception. And so by celebrating Advent, we make the waiting fun.

One of the activities that children love is counting down the days with Advent calendars. There are a zillion different ways to do this. Here are a few of the ones we use.

This one was made for me when I was a little girl. (Sorry for the blurry photo--my battery is dead, so I can't take a new one!) It's the one that my sister and I used growing up. To go first or to go last on Christmas Eve was always the hard decision!

I think Kristen was pretty unhappy when this came to live with me. After all, it was a huge part of her childhood too. So I used this as a template and made one for her the Christmas she announced she was pregnant with Ava. That way, the house looks like her little house, there's a dog that looks like their dog, and the little girl has blond hair instead of orange--and there's a little boy for Wade too.

Maybe she'll send me a picture of hers and I'll put it up. Kristen?!

My mother also bought us paper Advent calendars to hang in our rooms--not the kind with candy, but with Bible verses or pictures hiding behind the little doors. These are two of them that Mom saved for me.

And then there are the Advent Treasure Boxes that I made for the girls two years ago. Each morning they open an envelope and put a small treasure in their box. Each treasure represents part of the Christmas story.

(To see all the envelopes, click on the Advent Countdown button over there <---- on the category cloud and it'll show all the posts I did when we first made them.)

How do you count down Advent? Leave a link in the comments if you've blogged about it!

Comments

[Kim @ My Journey]

Love these Advent calendars... so creative!

[Amber]

I love all these posts on Advent calendars/wreaths. This is the first year we are doing the candles and I printed out your wonderful bookmarks for our Bibles - thanks! We have an advent elf and every day I'm trying to fill it with activities for us to do as a family.

[Erin W]

We just started couting down too and we are using a box that I bought at Target. I blogged about it yesterday: ) I got lots of great ideas from you and Jana, thanks!

[Gretchen]

Blurry or not, that picture of the Advent Tree is dear to me, because my mom made me one very similar to that one when I was little. Do you still have the pattern? I've never found one like it...

[Farm Fresh Jessica]

http://farmfreshiowa.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-great-idea.html

I haven't actually made all my numbers yet, (the pic is actually my sister's calendar; I did get hers finished last year) and I don't have all the books wrapped this year either...

yours is great! but what do you mean about the house & the orange hair girl, are they in the pockets?

[Farm Fresh Jessica]

ps I hope you're feeling better soon! i've been feeling poorly lately too & it's awful.

Pps. I think toben should grow his hair back out! That prom picture from back in the day rocks!

[Tammy S.]

http://homeschool-rocks.blogspot.com/2008/12/what-day.html

I actually posted a picture of the advent calendar I made for my daughter on our homeschool blog today. That's the link above.

The design wasn't my idea. I got it from a homeschool site. But it was easy and she really liked it. I need to get more creative for next year!

[Beth]

Joanne--thanks for your comment on my blog; thank you so much for praying for my family!

I have to say--every time I visit your website, I am INSPIRED to be crafty!! Have you ever thought about writing a book on the crafts you do (with step-by-step instructions for those like me!)--or better yet having a weekend workshop showcasing the how-to instructions of various crafts? ;-) I'd make a trip to CO most definitely for that!

Thanks for the inspiration on crafting and decorating. Your tree and living room are lovely. Can't wait to see the other pictures later in the month!

[Krista Smith Kliebenstein]

I love the Advent Calendars. My heart skipped when I saw that first one from your childhood, I had that one too and it is funny how memories can come back with a picture!
We are doing an Advent Calendar and an Advent Chain. My girls are 4 and 2 and each night they break a chain off and read the bible verse and a little prayer. It helps them count down to Christmas and gives us some good dinner conversation.
I really enjoy your blog, crafts and pictures.