Celebrating Advent During a Busy Christmas Season

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”  Isaiah 40:3

“The only people whose souls can truly magnify the Lord are…people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the coming of the magnificent God.” -John Piper

  • Call your prayer partner for your 10-minute prayer call.  Keep trying to connect until you get to pray together. This little habit of praying regularly with a friend will truly change your life!
  • This is the day that the Lord has made! Wake up, grab your Bible, journal, and a pen, and get ready to spend some precious moments with your Savior.
  • Read Isaiah 40:1-5. Write verse 3 in your journal and ask yourself if you have prepared a place for the Lord in your heart.

Celebrating Advent During a Busy Christmas Season

Advent is a season of preparation and waiting for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. The term advent is from the Latin translation of “coming.” It is God’s prophecies in the Old Testament that prepared the way for His promise. He told us He was coming and then He fulfilled that promise!

Honoring Advent teaches our children the real reason for the season, creates memories with our children they will cherish forever, and it allows our families to spend quality time together focusing on what is good, pure and holy. We will experience a more peaceful holiday season if we keep Jesus at the center.

Luke 2:13-14 (NIV) tells us that, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” That verse is so commanding and powerful.  Mamas, let us all commit to teaching our children in a tangible way just how much that verse changes their lives forever.

We at Help Club for Moms feel passionate about encouraging and helping moms! I would be honored to share some of my experiences with you, and I have included lots of links for you to choose from and save for later.

Celebrating with a Jesse Tree:

Jesse trees are a very old Christmas tradition and first started in Medieval Times. They are used to help tell the story of the Bible from creation to the Christmas Story. The name comes from Jesse who was the Father of the great Jewish King David. Isaiah 11:1-4 tells the prophecy of Jesse.

Click here for instructions to get started on a Jesse Tree!

Use a simple Children’s Advent Devotional to Count Down the Days to Christmas:

This year, the Help Club for Moms created a fantastic new “Children’s Christmas Advent House.” It’s a fun and easy-to-use devotional for kids to help keep their hearts focused on Jesus this Christmas. You can access the devotional for free HERE!

Here is a great Advent book for your Little’s:

This one is called, “Truth in the Tinsel.” It’s a very simple Advent study, especially for young children. Simply read the quick, daily Bible study to your small children while they make a fun ornament! The book sells for $7.99. There is also an easy, pre-made ornament package available for $3.99. Simple, meaningful and FUN!

Mary and Joseph Traveling to Bethlehem:

We have done this for a couple of years with my girls, and they love it. It is a Christ-centered alternative to the secular tradition of  “Elf on the Shelf.” Each day, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem and the journey to Jesus’ birth draws nearer.

Here is a great post with the details.

Christmas Books:

As many nights as possible during the month of December, my family tries to sit down together at night to read a Christmas book. My girls expect it now! We all snuggle on the couch or stay at the kitchen table if we have hot chocolate. I have cleaned up too many hot cocoa messes on the couch! Here is my list of our favorites. Make sure to plan ahead and put these on hold at the library, or you can buy them of course on Amazon.

Here is my list of our favorites:

  •  Alabaster’s Song: Christmas through the Eyes of an Angel by Max
  • What Is Christmas? by Michelle Medlock Adams
  •  Stable Where Jesus Was Born by Rhonda Gowler Greene
  •  There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve by Pamela Munoz Ryan
  • The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
  • The Small One by Alex Walsh
  •  The Perfect Christmas Gift (Gigi, God’s Little Princess) by Shelia Walsh
  • The Candle in the Window by Grace Johnson

(Make sure to plan ahead and put these on hold at the library, or you can buy them on Amazon).

Questions to Ponder: Write the answers to the following question in your journal.

  • Which one of these Advent ideas will work for your family? Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to guide you in planning this season. Ask for peace and patience as you are preparing and ask for the Lord to open your children’s hearts to the joy and wonder of their Savior this Christmas.

Faith-Filled Idea:

  • Choose one (or more) of these advent ideas to become a tradition for your family. Start slowly and be easy on yourself if you begin late or miss a day. Remember the most important thing is that you and your husband are being intentional with your children to point them toward Christ.

 

Rachel Jones
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19 Comments on “Celebrating Advent During a Busy Christmas Season”

  1. Such beautiful ideas Rachel! I appreciate all the time and effort you put into this. Your children are blessed to have you as their Mom!

  2. Thank you Rachel! I have to say…I didn’t know what Advent really was until reading your post. And now I am so excited to create these traditions in my home. I will repeat what others have said, thank you for compiling all this info and for the links. I found some great printables and the Jesus-story-book Bible reading schedule is going to be great for us! I am so looking forward to this December!

    1. Yay!!! Mandy, this makes me so happy. This is what Help Club is all about. I am thrilled that you are going to start a few of these with your family this year. Feel free ask me any questions that come up. I seriously love this kind of stuff and sharing my ideas and what I have learned. 🙂

  3. Ahhhhh! Rachel! This is soooooo good!! I love love love all of these ideas and am SO excited to implement them! Thank YOU for your servants heart & sharing your wisdom, love you!

  4. Thank you for sharing this, Rachel! It really helped me get my act together beforehand! Today we started doing our Jesse tree study, and I am really excited about it! The “Truth in Tinsel” sounds great too! My kids are a bit old for it, but I might get it anyway. Sometimes it’s fun to do lessons and activities geared towards littles. ?

    1. Hey friend! I am so excited for your family to start doing your Jesse Tree. I also cannot wait to get started with my girls. Truth in the Tinsel is fun and will be a little simple for your girls, but you can add extra stuff. It is also a great one to read out loud while the girls are doing other things. Julia will especially like the activities. Love you!!

  5. Thank you so much Rachel for compiling all these great ideas in one place! Super helpful! We have already started the Jesse Tree and so far so good! This year is the first time I’ve ever heard of it so I really appreciate the info and links !! My kids are only 3 & 1, so we keep it quick and are just using paper ornaments that they color while we read to them, from one of the links you included!

    1. You are welcome Kristall! I am glad you are starting new tradtions with your family this year. I feel like kids are never too young to start. Accomodating what you do for their ages each year is key. I am so happy you were encouraged. I am praying your family has a great December! 🙂

    1. Thanks Deb! It was so fun to write and I pray that lots of moms are encouraged to start some new traditions. Love you! 🙂

  6. These are great ideas, Rachel! I am excited about your book list! I have only read one of the books you list. It will be fun to read something new!

    1. Thank you so much Jennifer! Reading Christmas books is one of our favorite things to do as a family during this season. And finding new ones is always a plus. 🙂

  7. What a wonderful place to start for moms who need advent ideas! I love how you put this all together. Beautiful job my friend!

    1. Thanks Tara! I am really praying that this is an easy and helpful tool for lots of moms. I love this time of the year. 🙂

    1. Thanks Brandi! I hope your advent season with your kiddos is extra special this year. Love you! 🙂

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