Advent starts this Sunday 1 December and goes through until Christmas Eve. In this post I’m going to share advent ideas for families, that I’ve bookmarked and collated from around the web. Last year I shared Advent ideas for households and included a video that explains Advent.
What is Advent?
Advent is a time of preparation. The word Advent means “to wait” or “coming”. It is the time when Christians recall their hope and expectation of the coming of Jesus, the promised Messiah. Purple is the colour for Advent. It symbolises royalty, repentance, & reflection.
Advent Ideas
Advent Family Devotions
An example of a LiFE Pack cooking activity – Baby Jesus in a manger biscuits
- Have you seen my LiFE Packs? It’s not too late to download the December LiFE Pack for free.
- Advent Conspiracy Devotions – You need to register to gain access to their digital resources. A minister I was talking with said that they have some good family ideas.
- 12 Advent Ideas – some of these are for church family events but many could be used at home as a family
Advent Calendars or other ways to count down
advent calendar 
dairy free chocolate fudge 
Jesse Tree for Advent
- My homemade advent calendar and if you’re looking for a gluten and dairy free option to put in an advent calendar try my dairy free chocolate fudge.
- Praying in Color Advent Calendar Templates – Several Templates with space to doodle, write or draw each day or make an Advent Paper Chain using the same principles.
- The Advent Jesse Tree: Jesse Tree Ornament Ideas
- Another Jesse Tree Idea
- 25 Days of Scripture & Activities for Christmas
Advent & Christmas Crafts
Books for Advent
- The Season of the Nativity – a book with lots of ideas for celebrating advent, Christmas & Epiphany.
- Jotham’s Journey and other family advent stories by Arnold Ytreeide
- Unwrapping the Greatest Christmas Gift by Ann Voskamp
- Instead of Elf on the Shelf try Shepherd on the Search – Buy the interactive family devotional book
Keep it Simple
Don’t feel that you have do everything. It’s ok to say no and keep the lead up to Christmas a little simpler. Perhaps just choose 1 new idea to try with your family this year. When my daughter was about 2 & 1/2 I just cut out strips of green and red paper and we added a strip of each colour to a paper chain each night. On each strip we wrote the name of someone that we prayed for. By the time Christmas came around we had prayed for lots of people and my daughter had a nice paper chain decorating her bedroom.
What advent ideas are you going to use as prepare to celebrate Christmas?
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