Christmas Is Coming...

I don't know whether to write here or in the Walking Towards Joy section tonight...maybe this will end up in both.

Every year, I think about the Advent season, around the end of November, with great anticipation...which is as it should be.  I have several ideas about what I'm going to do with the kids, and sometimes I get carried away and think I'll do some kind of craft or baking project every day.  And then somehow we get about six days into December without having done anything and I throw my hands in the air, and give up.  We end up reading through The Advent Book even though we start a few days late, and that ends up being it.  Obviously that is not nothing, but it's never what I imagined it would be. 

This year I'm hoping things will be different, and mainly for the purpose of keeping our focus on Jesus.  But also for the making of memories and having traditions with our family.  So, after reading on Beki's blog about some Advent ideas (she referenced the McClenahan's blog as well) I got inspired and took the girls out today while Christian was in school in order to round up materials for what I hope will be a fun and meaningful project through the month. 

The idea is like any Advent calendar, in that each day leading up to Christmas Day is represented and has a goodie hidden inside...only instead of a calendar with doors that open we are using socks.  In each sock I will put something that either contributes to telling the Christmas story or helps us to remember who Jesus is and what he came to do for us. 

We also received a great Advent packet from our church and we started that as well.  It was so nice to work on these things all together, watching the kids do their activities with such purpose, seeing them already anticipating what is coming...I loved it. 

Advent.  Expectation.  Waiting.

This is a wonderful season.

Comments

[Mindee@ourfrontdoor]

To make you feel better:
I think I've given up on the Christmas season. I feel like I just need to put my head down and make it through the month. The baking, the presents, the concerts . . . it's overwhelming. Advent is the last thing on my mind and that is just sad. I used to do such fun things with my kids and now I just ask them to give me a Christmas list.
Sigh.

[Megan (Best of Fates)]

I have been seeing some insanely creative advent stuff around the Internet lately, but sadly I'm such a lazy crafter that I know by the time I finish it'll be little Christmas!

[Julie H.]

I LOVE getting the kiddos excited about the coming of our LORD Jesus!
Better late than never!! LOVE the sock(s) idea...that might even help with our
"Losing Socks" issue if we just hang them up:)