Hey guys. Just thought it would be fun to share how our individual families are celebrating this Advent season!
One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the anticipation that builds and builds all the way til Christmas Eve when you can hardly stand it any longer and then. . .Christmas morning finally comes! We celebrate the lowly birth of God himself, born to save us!
So anyway, I'd love to hear about any traditions you have or would like to start in your homes during this season of anticipating and remembering our Savior's birth. I was challenged this Saturday to also let this season be a time to anticipate His coming! He has come and He will come again!
8 comments:
So, I'm not a Roth, but we've started a new Advent tradition this year. We have a Jesus tree...a separate tree from the traditional one. Every day in December leading up to Christmas, the boys will place a new object on the tree. All of the items represent Jesus in some way...cross, manger, hammer, lion, lamb, nails, crown, etc. I'm not at home to see it come together, but Corey's doing his best to come up with objects for this year and teach CJ about Jesus every day. I adapted the idea from an Easter project from Noel Piper's book, "Treasuring God in Our Traditions."
That is a great idea Kristy - thanks for sharing it! You're certainly welcome here anytime! We are praying for you and Corey!
Along with our Advent calendars of figures from the Christmas story and a different carol for each day we are also learning a passage of Scripture about the incarnation - this year it is Philippians 2:5-11. If we get it down well enough we'll quote it for the Christmas Eve Service.
Another thing we are doing this year is baking cookies to wrap up with a invitation to our church's Christmas Concert. Last of all we are looking forward to holding an old-fashioned type Christmas party at our house. We are inviting several of the elderly who have been a special blessing to us in the past years to our house to sing carols, share Christmas memories and savor some of the special food of the season! We used to go caroling and we may someday again but we thought it would be fun to carol along with these folks in a warm house! We are doing in the early afternoon so they don't have to travel in the evening.
Ooooo! Caroling! That's one of my favorite things to do every year! It always seems to turn out differently, but it's one of my musts for the Advent season! Last year I even requested we go as a birthday present from friends, just to insure it didn't get passed up! It was the first year we took real candles. It is so amazing to me what barriers come down by just singing a few simple and familiar songs to folks.
Hey, This is great!!!!
WE do the caroling, in fact we are going twice this year. Last night I held my anual cookie exchange for the ladies of our church. Not as many came this year but we had a wonderful time. And the cookies SOOOOOOOOOOO good!!!
I like your idea, Caleb, of bringing the people to your home.
And, Christy, the tree is a wonderful idea with children!!!!
For years we have gone to the midnight service at the Presb.Ch.
We are going again this year if any of you want to join us.
I e-mailed your sibblings to look at the blog. and get in on this.
Love you all,
Mom
Well, after growing up in TN and being able to carol in such mild weather it is quite the switch to have to sing outside when it is below 20 degrees. We've done it several times but I usually feel bad for the person standing at the door freezing or if we go in we usually have to trample snow all over their floor. So I thought maybe I could have them in my warm house and then they can bring the snow into my house to help make up for all the messes me and my children have made in homes over the years.
The Colemans love to light our advent wreath candles and say an additional prayer at dinner time.
Here is an explanation of the advent wreath and its meaning:
http://catholicexchange.com/2008/12/04/114629/
We are talking about an Advent Tradition.I have read about many Ideas. Just Wondering which one would stick with our family.
Cita
I liked this explanation of Advent by Kevin Bauder at Cental Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis...
"In many Christian traditions, Christmas is preceded by Advent. The difference is this: Advent is the season for remembering why Christ had to come into the world. It is a time when Christians recall the sinfulness and hopelessness of lost humanity. It is a sober time of reflection and self-denial. The sensibility of Advent is admirably captured in such lyrics as “In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan; Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone,” and “O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.” Advent recalls the despair in which we would be trapped without the Savior.
"Into the grim reminiscences of Advent, Christmas bursts like an explosion of joy. Christmas is the announcement of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. It is the declaration that a Savior has appeared. It is a proclamation of a King born in a manger, of the Mighty God humbling Himself to be made in the likeness of men."
You can read all he wrote here: http://www.centralseminary.edu/publications/Nick/Nick197.html
Merry Christmas
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