Vocation of Motherhood

Advent Plans

   

This Advent we will be following along with this Advent devotional (which even has samples online) and each night the boys will open a little Advent gift tag of sorts (hopefully pictures will follow!). The ideas I came up with are mostly from Dawn's blog and also from a little Advent booklet called Advent Begins at Home by David Polek. (It is usually sold at Catholic bookstores although it is available online through used sellers). I love preparing for Advent... for some reason it makes Chrismas Day more enjoyable and more appreciated. Going through the days like this seems to minimilize the materialistic part of Christmas (at least for me).

According to "Advent Begins at Home":

We lament that the commerical world has taken over and the Christ again can find no home. But there is something we can do about that. We can cease to ignore (emphasis mine) the spiritual or religious aspects of Advent and Christmas.

Beautiful explanation!! So here are the ideas and have a blessed week!

 

Spend the first Sunday of Advent decorating for Christmas/Tree

Open an Advent gift and start your St. Nicholas Christmas List!

Celebrate Granny’s Birthday! Make a cake (2^nd)

Make an advent craft-open an Advent gift! *50 Things

Celebrate National Cookie Day! (4th)

Write a Christmas letter to someone special

Open Advent Gift and make cut-outs for Advent Angels *Stencils

Pray for your Advent Angel and their family

Go on a winter woods walk with Mom & read Ps.96:12-13

Celebrate Feast Day of St. Nicholas! Set out shoes & read story (6^th)

Pearl Harbor Day- Pray decade for all Veterans (7th)

Ask “Why is Christmas worth waiting for?”

Open set of 3 Advent Gifts *1001, Baby’s First & Sticker Book

Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception (8th) Pray Joyful Mysteries

Make Christmas gifts for teachers

Pray today for all those who are lonely

Read Gingerbread Baby & Make Gingerbread house with Granny

Bundle up and drive around to admire Christmas lights

Read your new Advent Book! *Story of the Nativity

Ask “Why do you think waiting is meant to be a part of our life?”

Make Advent Angel cards (Write something special about them).

Make homemade eggnog!

Go caroling to neighbors & bring treats-hot cocoa later (Ps. 96:1)

Do a corporal work of mercy for a family member w/o telling!

On the Feast of St. John pray for your new sibling! (27th)

Listen to the Christmas Carol on the way to school this week

 

 

This morning I actually read my daily Advent booklet instead of checking out my favorite blogs. I was thinking about how it's a priority to me this Advent season to focus more on the coming of Christ, and less on the coming sales at Target.

The scripture today talked about how God is the builder of the city that our souls are residing in. He has built the walls, he has provided the salvation and he is, essentially, the foundation of my "city." While reading this I quickly realized that I don't always feel like I'm a citizen of God's city that he has built for me (and for all of mankind). Many times, in my little "dark night of the soul", I've felt like a stranger, a foreigner in unknown parts.

So today I'm going to try to learn the language of God a little bit more... to focus on making myself more at home, because I'm here to stay, forever.