Growing up, our family counted down to Christmas using a special advent…piece…my mom had cross-stitched just for us. There were 24 plastic rings sewn onto this piece to hold tiny candy canes. Each day, one of the four kids would rotate getting to take and eat a candy cane off the calendar.
As we got older (and wiser?) we demanded better candy than tiny, boring old candy canes. I’ll never forget my mom Scotch-taping holiday colored Hershey’s kisses to each ring by the little Hershey’s kiss flag in each candy. Or the fact that our dog, Cinders, ate all the candies–wrappers and all–while we were at church one Sunday.
Last year my brother, Greg, brought home a Starbucks advent calendar complete with tiny numbered red drawers and stocked with milk and dark chocolates. We all enjoyed eating our way to Christmas, but it was so short-lived and meaningless to me. I had the creative urge to tap the potential this $14.95 little calendar was tempting me with. (They’re $15.95 this year–yikes!)
So, this year, when I pulled out the advent box, my kids started the chorus of, “ooooh, caaaandy!”
But I quickly squelched that dream. I told them that instead of candy this year, we were going to pull out little pieces of paper that would tell the Christmas story day-by-day throughout the month of December. They weren’t as excited about that idea, but they were intrigued. I’ll take intrigued and run with it.
I have visions of a hand-made storybook with kiddie-drawn pictures illustrating each day’s snippet of the new-to-them odyssey. Of my kids really getting Christmas. Of them being able to recite the story from Luke 2 by memory just a few short years from now. Of them looking forward to reading the familiar story every year and if filling them to the brim with excitement and giving them goosebumps every time they read it. Of Jesus is the Reason for the Season being more than a clever rhyme.
I’m offering a FREE advent calendar complete with kid’s version of the Christmas story to one lucky LAB reader. If you are interested in winning this prize, you’ve got to hurry as Dec 1 is just around the corner! Leave me an insightful comment and I’ll pick the one that strikes a chord with me most as the winner on Friday November 30. I’ll either deliver or mail the calendar to the winner!
I’ve been looking to get an advent calendar. I love the idea of the handmade storybook for kids.
Lisa–thanks for correcting the date for me–whew! I liked your idea, so am posting it here in the comments for others to see and use as well.
anyway, i did not want to win it but was interested in the christmas story papers you were putting behind each
). we put a star sticker over the numbered door we just opened, so the girls can visually see how many more days till christmas. i think it would be great to also read to them a little bit of the christmas story each day. so, if you already have the story divided up into 25 little segments i would love a copy!!! i can’t believe that december starts this saturday – i have to dig out the advent calendar and start stocking it.
door. i have a similar advent calendar that i have been using for
the past 2 years with the girls. we put up a small christmas tree in their room and each day during december they open a door and each get a small ornament to hang on their tree (along with a small piece of candy
Here’s the site where I found the Christmas story–kids version–already broken into 25 segments.
http://www.dltk-bible.com/cv/nativity_cv.htm
What a great idea! It amazes me how much the kids can get wrapped up in the gifts and the whole santa suff. We are constantly trying to remind them that without Jesus none of that would exist. Last year we celebrated Jesus’s birthday and made a card. Elliot is so cute when he reminds us who we celebrate at Christmas time. I will definitely print out the 25 pieces to use this year. I also loved the idea that lisa had. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christams season!
Jenna- this wasn’t really a plug to win, I just simply wanted to let you know that the ideas are great and I am always appreciative of the insight you offer!
Insightful??? Here’s something corny, but true. Christmas comes but once a year, but the spirit should last ALL YEAR.
If you can deliver to Florida, I’d LOVE that. Hehehe…. Ok, so how sad is it that as soon as I saw the pics on the blog, without even READING the blog first, I thought, “ooooh, the Starbucks advent calendar.” Tells you how much I frequent the drive-thru window. Not sure I have much Christmas insight to offer….I like to make sure that at Christmas we think of the WHOLE Christmas story, including reflecting on the Resurrection and reading Revelation 21 describing Heaven. Its beautiful really.
Focusing on an activity like this for women suffering from PPMD’s is really great for so many reasons. Love reading your blog, Jenna!
Hugs, Tara
My dad is a diabetic and in the holiday season he is left out of everything it seems. Ive been trying to hard to come up with sugar free versions of all the holiday favorites but some things are never right. I would LOVE to give him this calender I think he would get a great kick out of it and he could actually enjoy the rewards too!
Ill be bloggina ya in a bit
http://contestaddict.blogspot.com
Insightful? Well let’s see… I’m a homeschooling mother of seven children that sometimes blogging is my only outlet to talk to other adults.
Scrapbooking and pounding eyelets into a page with hammer is a way for me to take out my frustration.
We haven’t had an advent calendar in years. This would be great to have for the children!
Hmmm…insightful…let’s see…I’m not feeling too insightful right now, but how about: Sugar does NOT make the world go round! hehe
Advent calendars are extremely helpful thing. It teaches kids about counting and patience.
What is an advent calendar?! I grew up Baptist.
Seriously, now that I know what an advent calendar is, and now that I have two tots of my own, my quest for a meaningful Christmas SEASON (not just a present-obsessed celebration lasting one day) has brought me here….This year, our family will attempt to observe each week of Advent by completing a service project for the needy. Week 1: purchase two toys for Salvation Army Angel Tree. Week 2: purchase/donate warm clothes for kids at a local public school, which our church is sponsoring. Week 3: purchase/donate Winter Kit items for homeless ministry (blankets, handwarmers, hats, gloves, etc). Week 4: Donate food to local food pantry. I’m hopeful these projects can get the kids MORE excited about showing God how thankful we are that He sent us Jesus than the presents awaiting them on Christmas Day. Yeah, I know….slim chance, but at least I hope it will be the start of a holiday tradition that gets them thinking beyond themselves. PS–Great blog!
Hmmm, what does another think is insightful? I just love how blogs can provoke thoughts on all kinds of topics – like making me ‘not’ buy the junky $1.29 chocolate filled Advent calendar…..
Hi, My children have had many variations of the Advent Calendar. Lego makes an advent or Christmas scene
one where you open a small Lego character or animal
everyday until Christmas. It ends up making a magical
looking Christmas display. Even Playmobil makes a
Christmas Advent Calendar. Some are the nativity. I have
collected various small sizes of nativities in every shape,
size and form. I plan to have them wrapped and they
pick one from the bag and put their nativity under the
Christmas tree everyday until Christmas Day! Thanks,Cindi
Thanks so much for everyone’s great comments! I enjoyed reading each one. I even enlisted my husband’s help in choosing the winner.
Amazingly, we both picked the same person as our winner, so it’s agreed.
Angela at
http://contestaddict.blogspot.com–we were both impressed that you looked “outside of yourself” to win this contest–that you wanted to give this to your dad to help make his holiday a little brighter. Although the Christmas story is written in kiddie language, anyone can understand and get the message of the reason for the season.
I’ll be e-mailing you for your address and we’ll get it sent out first thing tomorrow morning!
Sharon I loved your ideas of making the season last the entire month and actually DOING Christmas activities with your kids–I’d like to incorporate that as well. We got a Salvation army card in the mail today asking for clothes and small household items to be picked up in Dec 4–I think I’ll have my kids pack up some of their “extra” clothes, toys, etc and will even go through my stuff to give as well.
I’ll have to think up some more contests–I really enjoyed everyone’s comments and ideas.
Thank you sooo much. I just called my dad to give him the good news! Finally something he can use.. I never even knew they made suger free ones. (how exciting)
I actually just got done making a bunch of sugar free ice cream sandwhichs (man I cant spell tonight) which is something I just sort of discovered..
Take two sugar free cookies (any type you like) and add a large generous dollup of sugar free cool whip in the middle. stick em together and freeze on a tray.. Regardless of any type of cookie you use it always turns out delicious.. my favorite right now is the sugar free mint cookies (they look and taste like thin mints) its delcious!
Also sugar free banana pudding is to die for also super easy to make (just vanilla bannana pudding mixed a little thick (less milk than it asks for on the box), bannanas and sugar free nilla wafers. I recommend making it one to two days in advance as it gets better after it sits.. top with sugar free whip cream
Tada!