Throughout the history of the Church, households have celebrated Advent and prepared for Christmas morning in many ways. Perhaps your household has a few cherished traditions. In any case, below are a few ideas:[1]
2. Sing or speak the verses of O Come, O Come Emmanuel before or after a meal. This is a well-known and beloved Advent hymn.
3. An interactive Nativity Set. This could be a great way to teach the Christmas story and build anticipation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. You could put the stable and the manger on one side of the room and the Holy Family on the other side. Each Sunday of Advent you could move them a little closer and talk about the journey Mary and Joseph took.
4. An Advent calendar. Count down to Christmas Day as a family and heighten the anticipation.
5. An Advent devotional booklet. You can find many different titles on cph.org. Some suggestions are:
- Martin Luther’s Christmas Book by Roland Bainton ($10.99)
- Savior of the Nations Devotional Book ($2.29)
- Away In A Manger Devotional Book ($.99)
- Come Lord Jesus: Daily Devotions For Advent ($.99)
6. Attend Midweek Advent Services at a local congregation.
In whatever way you plan to prepare to celebrate anew our Lord’s birth this Advent season, it is my prayer that it be safe and filled with great meaning that leads the whole family to trust more and more God’s love and forgiveness that has come through his Christ.
In Christ,
Pastor Josh
[1] Many items on this list are compiled from the online blog entitled, “Conversion Diary” at http://www.conversiondiary.com/2010/11/what-are-some-baby-steps-for-celebrating-advent.html