Adventing Around the Table

When my oldest son was going to have his third Christmas, I wanted a fun way to go through the Christmas story with him that year and for years to come. That was back in the heyday of counted cross stitch, so I decided to create an "heirloom" advent calendar to tell the story of Christmas to him, and hopefully, future siblings.

My sister-in-law, Lois, designed cross stitch patterns and made up kits to sell for extra money, so that made me brave enough to work on my own design. I finished it all that year except the background--which took the next 22 years and the advent of a grandchild to motivate me to finish!

I chose ten different people and events from the Biblical Christmas story to highlight that I hoped would help our children understand the true reason for Christmas and who Jesus is. I created a design for each person or event to be put up on a ten day advent calendar that included a Bible passage to read. I also found a Christmas carol that reinforced the message to sing after we did the reading.

When the kids were little we had to be very careful about keeping track of whose turn it was to attach the figure to the background via the Velcro stickers or there could be some very un-Christmas-like attitudes! In their teen years apathy was "cooler" than excitement about it, but even when we had all grown kids and no grandchildren, they wanted us to do the devotionals. 

Most years we fell behind on the daily readings one or two days because of some other Christmas related activities but we just doubled up on a other days. That didn't matter, the point was to remember and reflect on the Biblical Christmas story.

I'd like to encourage you to consider creating your own Christmas advent devotional to help your children think more about Christ than presents. Even if you don't cross stitch or do other crafts, this kind of devotional would be easy to set up, using a hobby store or Christian bookstore. You could buy a shadow box to fill with nine, ten, twelve, or, if you are really energetic, twenty-five items that you find in the hobby story or Christian bookstore. At my granddaughter's Sunday school they had ten stickers they put on paper key tags to hang on a small tree. Another way to work this would be a nativity scene that you add one figurine to each day. One friend has the wisemen start out in another room and slowly advance through the house each day till they arrive at the stable.

How ever you do it, your kids will love the novelty and listen more attentively to the original Christmas story. And don't forget the carols, even if you can't sing, (I can't at all!). Some we really enjoy and some we laugh our way through when my voice cracks (which is often), but those words will stick with your children all their lives and will be an important part of their Christmas, no matter how far they stray.

I am now working on one for my first two grandchildren. It's in year two of work, but I hope to finish before the oldest's third Christmas next year.

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