Elliott started reminding me about our advent calendar a few days ago at which time I began to ponder what to fill the little boxes with this year. I'm not too keen on the idea of giving them a piece of candy every single day for 25 days... So I started to try to think of some activities or something we could do instead.
I prayed about what I should do and then put it out of my mind, then I would pray again the next time I thought about it. Lo and behold, December first rolled around on Wednesday of this week, as these things do, and I surprised the kids by presenting the advent calender, with all of its colorful boxes, to them over breakfast along with our Veggie Tales nativity set (which I love because it is plastic and unbreakable and fun for them to play with). They were very excited and kept asking if we were going to open a box that day.
This is a prime example of one of those moments I talked about previously where the Holy Spirit provides inspiration, because... I had nothing; and then suddenly, I did!
Our advent calendar this year is as follows:
1. Each morning, the kids open the corresponding drawer number and find a slip of paper inside. (Day one said something like this, "Read Genesis 3:15 and Galatians 4:4 to find out more about baby Jesus.")
2. We open up the Bible and, starting at the first prophecy concerning Jesus, the Messiah, we read 1st the prophecy in the Old Testament and then its New Testament follow up. (Day one prophecy was that the Messiah would be the offspring of Eve; Galatians following up that He had come and redeemed us.)
3. I present the children with a coloring page that I quickly sketch out to help bring home the ideas we talked about and plus be fun for them, of course relating it back to Christmas and Jesus' birth that we are celebrating. Day one was a picture of the tree of knowledge from the garden of Eden with the serpent coiled around it to show the fall and our need for a Savior; then an arrow pointing to a little manager with the Messiah, baby Jesus in it; also a crown to show His triumph over the serpent.) I'm an extremely amateur illustrator (I'm pretty terrible, actuallly). I'm just keeping it simple but inspired and they don't know! They love it.
Surprisingly for me, they really enjoy this process and activity. They haven't even been disappointed at not finding any candy waiting for them in the little drawers.
It has been really fun seeing Caiden (3) take interest and be full of question over baby Jesus in the manger and all. This is the first year that she is actually taking these things in, so its all new for her and exciting for us! Elliott (5) loves explaining all about Christmas to his little sister.
Enjoy the season, my friends, and meditate on God's goodness, grace, and foresight to plan and execute the greatest rescue mission of all time!
I prayed about what I should do and then put it out of my mind, then I would pray again the next time I thought about it. Lo and behold, December first rolled around on Wednesday of this week, as these things do, and I surprised the kids by presenting the advent calender, with all of its colorful boxes, to them over breakfast along with our Veggie Tales nativity set (which I love because it is plastic and unbreakable and fun for them to play with). They were very excited and kept asking if we were going to open a box that day.
This is a prime example of one of those moments I talked about previously where the Holy Spirit provides inspiration, because... I had nothing; and then suddenly, I did!
Our advent calendar this year is as follows:
1. Each morning, the kids open the corresponding drawer number and find a slip of paper inside. (Day one said something like this, "Read Genesis 3:15 and Galatians 4:4 to find out more about baby Jesus.")
2. We open up the Bible and, starting at the first prophecy concerning Jesus, the Messiah, we read 1st the prophecy in the Old Testament and then its New Testament follow up. (Day one prophecy was that the Messiah would be the offspring of Eve; Galatians following up that He had come and redeemed us.)
3. I present the children with a coloring page that I quickly sketch out to help bring home the ideas we talked about and plus be fun for them, of course relating it back to Christmas and Jesus' birth that we are celebrating. Day one was a picture of the tree of knowledge from the garden of Eden with the serpent coiled around it to show the fall and our need for a Savior; then an arrow pointing to a little manager with the Messiah, baby Jesus in it; also a crown to show His triumph over the serpent.) I'm an extremely amateur illustrator (I'm pretty terrible, actuallly). I'm just keeping it simple but inspired and they don't know! They love it.
Surprisingly for me, they really enjoy this process and activity. They haven't even been disappointed at not finding any candy waiting for them in the little drawers.
It has been really fun seeing Caiden (3) take interest and be full of question over baby Jesus in the manger and all. This is the first year that she is actually taking these things in, so its all new for her and exciting for us! Elliott (5) loves explaining all about Christmas to his little sister.
Enjoy the season, my friends, and meditate on God's goodness, grace, and foresight to plan and execute the greatest rescue mission of all time!
8 comments:
Corynne! I love this! so creative and cute! what a blessing. :)
Corynne, I love you. Such a wonderful idea.
You are so inspiring to me as a "someday mom" :) I tuck away all of your tips in my brain so that I will not have spoiled rotten kiddos but bring up ones the way you guys do. Thanks!!!
Ah so adorable. I love the little boxes.such good ideas <3
<3
Thanks for the reminder, I need to get out our advent calendar, I always forget until it's like 2 days before Christmas ;)
AND…the 'Most Amazing Mommy of the Year Award' goes toooooo…..Corynne Escalante!!!! yay yay yay! Congratulations!
hehehe…you're awesome and i love u:)
thank you all for the love!
jess: that is a great compliment! thank you! (its Jesus in me that creates anything of value, but you know that!)
nina: no, YOU are awesome! thanks for leaving me some love!
I love this idea. I agree with Jess, although I don't know her. I love the way that you are bringing up your children in the Lord. I keep lots of your great ideas stowed away for future use as well.
Kendra
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