Advent Activities

Since I am starting to gather my Advent activities in one place for my own use, I thought it might be helpful to write about some specific activities my family participates in.

Let me preface my first posting by giving you a little background info. If you are not familiar with the Orthodox Church's fasting periods, our Nativity Fast begins on November 15th and is a 40 day fast that ends on Christmas. The word Advent is the Latin word for "coming". We Orthodox use other Latin terms, such as "Trinity", so I personally have no problem using the word Advent when speaking about this time period. Here's a great article on that topic.

Instead of writing one long (and possibly overwhelming) post about everything my family does in our home, I thought it would be more helpful to post about one at a time. To me, the best way to do this is to first write about the activities that may take longer to get ready, in case anyone would like to incorporate them this year.

Activity #1 40 Books in 40 Days

One fun way to involve my children in our nightly activities is to have a children's book about the Nativity Season for each night. In our house my husband and I wrap each book individually and place them under our tree on November 15th. (More about our tree later). Each night our 3 children take a turn picking a book and unwrapping it. Then we read the book aloud together, and the book is placed in a basket so that the children can read it again during the rest of the season. There are some books that are designated for special nights, like the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, or St. Nicholas, and I do this by writing on the wrapping paper, so we don't forget!

There are several ways you can do this activity, and I encourage you to make it YOUR tradition. If you don't put your tree up until later in the season, you can put your books in a big basket. If it is overwhelming, you don't have to wrap the books at all.

I will share some of my favorite book selections with you, but don't feel the need to duplicate them in your household. You may be surprised at how many you already have, if you gather all your Christmas books in one place! Some families may want to include secular Christmas books about Santa Claus, reindeer, etc. Because every family has their own beliefs on this topic, I will only share my top choices that are religious in nature, and some that are specifically written from an Orthodox point of view. I have linked as many books as possible to websites where you can take a closer look:

The Nativity of Our Lord by Sister Elayne (This is one of the books from The 12 Great Feasts for Children)

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple by Sister Elayne (we read this book on the feast, which falls on November 21st.)

The Saint Who Became Santa Claus

Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate (there is also a board-book version for toddlers)

Baby in a Manger by Julie Stiegemeyer

On This Special Night By Claire Freedman

The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats (also available as a board book)

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

What Star Is This? by Joseph Slate

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi (We read this book on the Feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6th)

The Usborne Advent Nativity Book (This book has pop out characters for each day that make the nativity scene. It starts on Dec. 1st)

North Star: St. Herman of Alaska by Dorrie Papademetrious (read on Dec. 13th)

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary's Christmas Gift by Jeannine Q. Norris

Please feel free to add any great books from your collection by leaving a comment!

Musings

Well...it seems that every time I come to post I am either uninspired, distracted, or pulled away. It has definitely been hectic around here. I do feel the need to write, however, as it helps me to come and re-visit my own postings. So forgive the personal nature of this post as I muse about the ups and downs of my household.



From the prayer corner:


I have really tried over the past month to improve our family prayer time. The kids and I pray in the morning before starting school, but I was inspired by Mary to try and bring another element into our day by implementing the prayers of the hours. She came up with these great visuals for the daily hours, and for each day of the week. We have added our "visual aids" to our altar, and they have been a wonderful reminder to all of us, kids and adults alike!



From the kitchen:


I am so ready for fasting! I know that sounds crazy, but I am so much more organized with menus during fasting times. I have a weekly rotation that is constant, and right now I could use some of that! I may share my whole weekly menu later, but here's a link to my favorite!



From the schoolroom:


Oh, how time is flying, and yet sitting still! You may know that I started homeschooling the kids after Christmas last year, and we began this school year at the end of August. It has definitely been an adventure. The kids are still loving it, and I admit to having days where I love it, and days when I REALLY miss their old school. My one challenge right now is that school feels very monotonous to me. I still don't know how to get out of making it more without adding more. You can always read more about our school days here.



From the church:


If you know me, you know that I LIVE for the Nativity fast. It is so close! I am doing my best to get the Christmas shopping, card sending, cleaning, planning done by November 1st so that when the 15th comes, we can relax and embrace! I am giving a small talk on Advent at our church's womens' retreat next month. I had a great conversation with my Dad (who's also our parish priest) about the difference in this fast from Great Lent. This fast is meant to be fun and exciting. He compared preparing for the Nativity to preparing for the birth of a baby. Preparing the nursery, knitting the blankets, etc. can be just as exciting as the actual event! Here's a post from last year on how my family embraces the Nativity Fast.



On a personal note:


Last week we were able to visit family and friends on a 5 day trip to Michigan. We stayed with my husband's cousin, and the kids had a blast with their cousins. Dan and I left the kids for the weekend to attend a wedding of an old camp friend. We were able to spend a couple of days with friends we have known since we were kids! We both really needed that. I am always so amazed at how attending a wedding or baptism, or even funeral in the Orthodox Church can be so renewing! Participating in these sacraments is a huge confirmation of our own marriage, our own childrens' baptisms. You realize how connected to the people who share your faith you really are. So Many Years George and Suzy! Your wedding blessed us in more ways than you'll ever realize!

I'll leave you with two pictures from last week. One of my 3 (girl in front, boy in back, and the toddler who still has the paci) with their cousins and Tete (grandmother), and the other from the wedding: