Family Advent week 1 and 2
If you’ve read this post, this this post is going to seem ironic.
I’m ok with that, I just thought you should be warned.
A few years ago, it occurred to me that it would be good to try to bring a bit of structure to how our family gathers itself around the meaning of Christmas. In this season, my work life is completely consumed with creating opportunities for our church to collide with the truth of Jesus’ birth. How hard could it be to do that for our family?
*pause*
So I wrote up a set of ‘readings’ for our family to do together around our own Advent wreath & candles. The voice of Shiny Happy Idealism in my head had me convinced that we could do this together every night during Advent.
(bwahahahaha-ha!!! ohhhh my….)
Over time we have gradually changed what we’re reading together, and I am now ok with what we are able to do within our real life schedule. This year, we are completely re-writing everything. Our son is now quite a good reader, and deserves his own lines. Plus we want to keep bringing everything back to the ‘why’. WHY did God send Jesus here? Why?
Last night was our first time to read together. We turned off most of the lights, gathered around a table, and sat… reading… listening…. watching. Click here to see what we read.
You’ll notice some pencil edits…. ‘week 1′ had to become ‘week 1 AND 2′, since we just didn’t get to it in time.
(Oh, and there is not yet a ‘week 3′ or ‘week 4′. I’m hoping by sharing this with you, I’ll be publicly motivated to get it done.)
Our kids seem to really love these little moments. Our son loves that he can read his part by himself AND we let him use a lighter. Our daughter seems to really thrive the discipline of quiet, even though, as an 11 year old, it’s not normally something she sets up for herself. I hope this is a tradition we can keep alive… and that makes a difference for them.
So tell me. What traditions keep the meaning of Christmas tangible for you?
Kim, I’m waiting for the next installment. :) We too try try try to do things like this and end up adding week 1 and 2 together and the like. But as always, you have inspired me and I’m looking forward to the advent wreath with our kids. jnb
This is very awesome. Kim’s writing, all of you reading together. Families can’t do enough of this. In
future years you will experience the fruit. It’s not the doing, it’s your heart’s desire that I hope the kids see. True love and desire. We had family nights when the kids were school age. We have some minutes which the secretary of the family (we took turns) wrote down as to what we did, We have one tape – how sweet now to hear what their voices were like at 3, 5, and 7. We still read the Christmas story before we open
gifts. Will could recite it last year because of school. Our tradition now is to pack the Samaritan
purse boxes. They enjoy drawing a picture and writing
a note. wish one of them would receive a letter in return. JL
Yes, she is that good… The thing about Kim is that if something she is working on turns out at say, an “8″ she will always talk about it like maybe a “5″. I appreciate her modesty, however, sometimes ya just gotta say that the girl has game! Kim has written and “produced” these advent readings (and stuff like this) for our family for the last ?bunch? of years. She by her work has added a richness to these times of year, and I am grateful for her and the talent God has given her.
She is gonna kick me for prop’n her like this… whatever….
Neil
:) how can I kick you when you’re so sweet to me like this? that is not to say my foot isn’t twitching….