Advent in the Herford home

Growing up, I don't recall our family or church celebrating Advent. I don't recall Advent calendars or wreaths, lighting of candles, or even a basic countdown to Christmas day. Somehow, even without Advent traditions in our home, we learned about Christmas and what it really means for us as Christians.

I may sometimes decry the materialism of Christmas, but let's face it - I love getting gifts. My kids love getting gifts. And that's OK. I just want them to discover that giving is fun, too. I love decorating the tree (a pagan tradition *gasp*), but beyond just making it pretty, we can make it significant.

So maybe as I raise my kids, our tree becomes less perfect in its display, but more perfect as I spend time with the family making it our own. The conversations that we have while decorating, buying gifts, and wrapping them can be about what Christmas means to us. But one thing I've learned about myself is that good intentions don't always work the way that I want unless I'm very intentional in the execution.

So I've decided to give in to Advent traditions, and create an Advent tree for the kids. Each day will include an activity to prep us for Christmas. One day, we may learn a Christmas carol, another day we may wrap gifts, and another day we may create pieces for the nativity. I am hoping that this will give me focus as I teach my kids about Jesus's birth, and what we're really celebrating.