Advent with Children: A Simple Gathering

Advent begins this Sunday. Often I would still be scrambling to make the necessary preparations at this point, but several years of trial-and-error have smoothed the process for our family.

Some years we stay home throughout Advent, while other years have us finishing off the Advent season while travelling to visit family for Christmas. This is a travel year, with the particular joy of getting to spend time with two new nephews born in the past few months.

Whether we travel or stay home, we have always worked to observe Advent in some sort of meaningful way with our children. While always shaped by the particular needs of the family, we have found a steady rhythm in a simple daily gathering.

A Simple Daily Gathering:

1. Candles

We begin by lighting a candle together, which lends a sense of wonder and solemnity to this time of gathering.

• A traditional Advent wreath is first lit on the first Sunday of Advent, with an additional candle lit each week.
• A spiral wreath such as this cradle-to-cross wreath or wooden spiral candle holder will count down the days from December 1 until Christmas.
• Any stand-alone candle can be used instead of a more traditional wreath; more important than the colour or the number of candles is the ritual of marking the beginning of this time of gathering in a distinct way.

2. Scripture

Next we settle ourselves on the couch and read a portion of Scripture. This can be combined with the Jesse Tree portion (below) or can be an additional reading of some sort.

• The names of Jesus and their corresponding passages has been a favourite resource of ours for the past few years.
• The Daily Office Lectionary or the Revised Common Lectionary can provide a helpful guide for daily readings.
• This Advent reading plan accompanies The Jesus Storybook Bible, a particularly good resource for young children.

3. Jesse Tree

A Jesse Tree, comprised of 25 stories and their corresponding symbols, tells the story of Christ from Creation to the Messiah's birth. Traditionally a small tree is used on which a new ornament is added after each reading; however, the physical tree, while a nice concrete addition, is not integral to the progression of the story.

• Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp is a popular option, with free colouring pages and tree ornaments to go along with each story.
• The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean is a stand-alone story, which is particularly useful during years of travel. Corresponding ornaments can be created in a variety of ways, however, for those who appreciate the inclusion of a tree.
• There are countless homemade options and other published Jesse Tree resources that allow you to tailor this time to your family's particular ages and preferences; browse Google or Pinterest until you find your favourite!

4. Hymn

Each week we choose a new Advent hymn to sing together at this point in our gathering. This year our selections include:

• Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel
• Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
• Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending

5. Prayer and Peace

We close with a short Advent prayer before exchange the Peace and blowing out the candle.

• The Anglican Family Prayer Book by Anne Kitch is an excellent resource based on the Book of Common Prayer. I appreciate how much it simplifies the process of responsive prayer for our family.
• Your own preferred Advent resource is likely to include a prayer for the day.
• A simple free-form prayer can be offered in response to the days' readings. When going the free-form route, I often have each child share something for which they are thankful as a simple low-pressure addition to our collective prayer.

The details of our time of gathering changes with each year, but this outline provides a simple framework on which to hang those particular details. The basic pattern of coming together with a sort of ritual, moving into the reading of Scripture and/or devotional, and closing with a hymn and prayer provides unlimited potential for shifting and shaping this time in a way that feels smooth and right for your family.

While reviewing my Advent reflections in my Sacred Ordinary Days planner, I noticed that I had made note to not neglect my own personal Advent reflection and prayer. In that vein, my favourite grown-up Advent resources include:

• Comfort and Joy by Elizabeth Foss
• Advent for Everyone: A Journey Through Matthew by N. T. Wright
• Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, with daily writings from C. S. Lewis, Kathleen Norris, T. S. Eliot, Dorothy Day, Henri Nouwen, Madeleine L'Engle, and more.

I hope you find some encouragement above as you create Advent rhythms and traditions with your children. December is a busy month, and a simple time of gathering can prevent us from moving too quickly into Christmastide while also allowing us to prepare our hearts in anticipation of Christ.

How does your family observe the Advent season? Please share your favourite traditions or resources as inspiration for the rest of us! 

Holiday heart-gazing

It's the third day of Christmas, but the main event is over. Our Advent candles are still sitting out, but we no longer gather around to light them each evening. Our tree is still up (the bottom third bare, thanks to a certain grabby toddler), waiting for Epiphany. The cardboard boxes have been taken to the recycling depot. The turkey has been eaten and the stock made and frozen, to my great satisfaction. I do believe it's time to indulge in a little holiday navel-gazing.

Actually, let's rephrase that. Forget navel-gazing. I've decided we'll call it heart-gazing from now on. Navel-gazing sounds so negative. Why is that? Self-reflection is great. It's easy to look at everyone and everything else and pass judgement, but change only happens when we look at ourselves. Get your growth game on, yo.

So there you have it. My positive spin on and justification for some indulgent navel-gazing. Let's make it a thing. Go ahead and use it yourself. You're welcome.

This past season of Advent and our current season of Christmas were both very good and very difficult. The holidays were beautifully intentional, just the way I want them to be. But then I would look up at this whole weary world and I just can't. How do you even pray, where do you even begin to help, to bring hope, or to bring change? I was there during Lent and I was still there this Advent: Thy Kingdom come, dear God, please. It was Advent in the truest sense, a begging hope, a desperate anticipation, a mourning for what is and longing for what will come, for Who will come.

But Advent isn't only for me and my wrestling between hope and despair. And so each day we would light the candles - one spot closer on our spiral wreath, the appropriate number of candles on our Advent wreath - and the kids would argue about whose turn it was to blow out the match, because jostling each other next to lit candles is always a good and wise idea. Then we would sit on the couch (where they would argue about who got to sit on which side of me, because I guess I look better from certain angles maybe?). We would read another name of Jesus, along with the appropriate passage, then move on to the day's reading from Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. We would finish up our time together with a short responsive prayer (thank you to The Anglican Family Prayer Book for making it easy for us) and a weekly Advent hymn. Sibling arguments aside, it was a lovely time each day together, and, I believe, the very first time we have ever got through the entire Advent without losing steam before the end. It flowed well and fit nicely and was a good thing in our holidays.

Christmas was good too. Just us, it was quiet and peaceful and really quite perfect. The best decision I made was intentionally choosing ahead of time to put the camera away while we went about our day. It allowed me to be far more present than other years. No taking pictures of every gift as they unwrapped it, no worrying about blurry shots and missed opportunities and posed smiles and ugh, all of it, I was so glad to just say no to myself and do away with what is usually a stressful and ultimately pointless exercise. When do I ever go back and look at pictures of them unwrapping each gift? I took one quick shot of each of them after the gift unwrapping was done, and otherwise the day passed by blissfully undocumented but fully experienced.

Now comes the time of year when we review, consider what worked and what could be improved. My head's not wholly there yet though. We're busy preparing for "second Christmas" with family arriving this week, but I'll get around to it eventually.

Still, some things are readily apparent to me when I think back on the past months. This year was one of growth and change - as, perhaps, all years should be. I discovered that I could possibly become friendly with early mornings after all. I took up running. I confronted my anxiety for the first time. I sought healing.

Much of it was good, but there is always room for improvement - for healthier and stronger relationships, for more intentional choices, for better routines, for new habits. What do I want for this new year? Not a complete reinvention, but a slow and steady continual turning, growing. If last year was my year to be Fearless, what will be my focus for the next twelve months? I look forward to a time of quiet reflection in which to ask these things of myself and my God.

But first there are floors to be washed and dust bunnies to be defeated and then family to love and enjoy and with whom to celebrate the birth of the One Who would bring us freedom and a new commandment: Love.

To all of you from all of us: May your new year be filled with the greatest joy and deepest peace. Thank you for being here.

Waiting and mourning and longing in hope

I've never spent an Advent in mourning, not until this one.

There have been Advents of joy, quiet ones, intentional ones, busy ones, uncertain ones. This is the slow Advent, simple out of necessity because my grief has little space for extras this year. And yet somehow, unexpectedly, the mourning fits. I mourn what is as I wait and long for what will be, and throughout it all is the hope that silences the temptation to despair. These past months have carried with them a deep, central, soul-level pain, but it is that pain itself which has served as an Advent reminder to me.

It was a reminder that the Kingdom is here but not yet fully here. It is coming but it is not yet fully here and in the meantime things are not as they should be. There is pain and selfishness and fear and quiet whispers in the night, please, please, let it be okay in the end. There is senseless tragedy and there are blissful moments before everything changes - you never thought, no, not that. We hurt each other and neglect each other and fail to truly see each other. Disease ravages and waves sweep away and children go to sleep hungry at night. No, things are not as they should be.

Things are not as they should be, and I am not as I should be. The pain brought that reminder as well, the reminder that the work in me is begun but not yet finished. It is begun but not yet finished and in the meantime I yell at my children when I should be patient, I fail to communicate well with my husband, and how many times, O Lord, have I been unfaithful to You? How many times have I forgotten my first love, despised you with my actions, remained silent and uncaring towards you and your presence? How many times have I sought the satisfaction of my own desires, derived my pleasure from that which is fleeting instead of finding my joy in you? How many times, O Lord?

Things are not as they should be, and I am not as I should be, and I mourn and long and wait, hope holding me up until the day hope is fulfilled and all is put right again. That pain we feel in the deepest part of us will no longer exist.

All will be well, all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.

One day.

For there is a Saviour who has come and is coming and will come again and somehow we can hold all these truths at once, in one hand, roll them through our fingers like marbles. He came. He is coming. He will come. It shouldn't make sense but it does.

And in the meantime we wait. These are the days between Sarah's first hope of life within her and the blessed day when that hope was fulfilled. These are the days of Simeon and Anna, waiting to see the Lord's Messiah. These are the days between a death on a cross and an empty tomb. These are the days in the belly of a whale. These are days of lament and our joy comes from our hope in the one day when all is as it should be.

Maranatha. Come, O Lord.

Humble Love

As Christmas approaches, I find myself missing the churches of my past more than ever. Anglican churches with their beautiful liturgy, always the same, faithful, rooted. Steeples and stained glass windows, church choirs and Christmas pageants, purple candles in green wreaths and a child holding that long rod with the flickering flame at the end. This week we light the candle of Love, oh how we all wanted to be the lucky child chosen to light the candle each week.

It's Christmas and I want all the bells and whistles of my youth, give me a beautiful building with beautiful decorations and all the pageantry of the season! I want the grateful familiarity of long-held traditions. I miss it all.

But Jesus...I think of His own birth.

He didn't even get an inn, much less the high ceilings of a palace. No, he was born in a rough cave hewn in the rock, with animals all around him and dung below. He was lain in a feeding trough, for goodness sake, and I want pews and candles and long robes?

I think of this as I sit in our home, surrounded by a church family far more gracious than I could ever deserve. Stained carpets below us, dust on the shelves, dirty baseboards. (Do people look at baseboards? Please don't look at my baseboards.) I did my best but it's still merely our humble home and I am blessed to have it filled with those dear to us. We sing of holy nights and silent nights and I remember holy nights of my own. This, this is good. It's not the service of my youth but I need to stop longing, trying to recreate, wanting something more than what I have. This might look more like a stable than a palace but it is Good.

Because all of it, wherever we are, whatever it looks like, it's always the heart that matters most. Maybe this year my heart needs fewer steeples, less liturgy, and different traditions, because all of those things are fine but why do I desire them so strongly? What is it that I'm really searching for here?

I'm not sure. But I do know that when Love came down, He chose the stable over the palace. As I shed palaces of my own, I see more clearly than ever that Love remains, always the greatest gift of all. The stable may not look like much on the outside, but that love fills the inside with beauty.

Maybe these year I need something a little quieter, a little more humble, a little more intimate and vulnerable.

Maybe this year I need a stable.

Linking up with the Born in our Darkness Advent syncroblog

with Katie, Emily, Caris, and Brenna...

Hope

Funny thing, the idea of hope has been on my mind and now here it is, the first week in Advent with it's theme of the same. It's nice when life works out like that.

I'm a planner. Goal setting, lists, five-year plans, I want it all, control, give it to me. And yet here we are at this place in our lives where I can see only a few months down the road. After that, nothing. The husband graduates (at long last; I can scarcely remember life without school) and then, degree in hand...what? A job, we hope. A good one, even better. But where? When? Move? Stay? Buy? Rent? Broke?

It's like I can see my life up until the end of May, and then there's nothing but an endless cliff. It doesn't matter how hard I squint, I can't see the answers at the bottom.

(And what folly, truly, to say I can see that far down the road, for I do not know what even tomorrow will bring.)

And so, Hope. It is all I can cling to, this Hope that brings with it a calm peace and the assurance that whatever happens, it will ultimately be for Good.

Henri Nouwen says it best:

Hope is trusting that something will be fulfilled, but fulfilled according to the promises and not just according to our wishes...saying, "I don't know what this all means, but I trust that good things will happen."

And that is where I find myself. I have given up peering over that cliff, squinting, trying to predict the future below. What will happen, will happen, and I trust that it will ultimately be good.

That is the micro.

Then there is the macro, the far bigger picture than my own tiny life. In that there is the Hope that the perpetual advent, coming, of this age, will one day find its fulfillment in God's Kingdom here on earth. What begun with the birth that we are preparing to celebrate will one day, in God's good time, be completed. We can try to imagine what that will be like, but we don't know. We don't. We couldn't possibly imagine it, and what sort of God could be so easily pinned down anyway?

I am reminded, again, that whatever tomorrow looks like, He is already there. And I will forget again and I will be reminded again and then yet again I will forget, this I know of myself.

This is why we need community, to remind each other, over and over.

Again, Nouwen, emphasis mine:

Christian community is the place where we keep the flame alive among us and take it seriously, so that it can grow and become stronger in us. In this way we can live with courage, trusting that there is a spiritual power in us that allows us to live in this world without being seduced constantly by despair, lostness, and darkness. That is how we dare to say that God is a God of love even when we see hatred all around us. That is why we can claim that God is a God of life even when we see death and destruction and agony all around us. We say it together. We affirm it in one another. Waiting together, nurturing what has already begun, expecting its fulfillment - that is the meaning of marriage, friendship, community, and the Christian life.

As we wait together, let us wait in Hope. "I don't know what this all means, but I trust that good things will happen."

Good things from a good God.

Linking up with the Born in our Darkness Advent syncroblog

with Katie, Emily, Caris, and Brenna...

Observing Advent while Travelling

During these early years of forming our family's annual traditions, we've have some hits and some misses. Our biggest challenge, however, has always been the holiday travel season. On the one hand, we want to be with our extended family, celebrating with those whom we don't get to see as often as we'd like. On the other hand, we feel the need for both our own traditions and a focused observance of the Advent season, yet find that our travels often interrupt our attempts.

We have our traditional Advent wreath, but those last candles never get lit. We have our beautiful Advent/Lent candle spiral, but again, it doesn't travel well and poor Mary never quite reaches her destination before we leave. We never get everything hung on our Jesse Tree; the story is often left unfinished.

So what does work? Fortunately, we've had some happy successes.

Activity-based Advent Calendar

Two years ago, we strung our wall with bright red envelopes, each one containing the day's preparatory activity. The events ranged from decorating to baking to service and more. When the time came for us to leave for our holiday travels, we simply took the remaining envelopes along with us. Because we knew in advance when we'd be leaving, we included those days in our envelopes, along with a simple activity for each day we'd be away.

Another fun yet portable Advent calendar is this Advent in a jar idea. Write your Advent activities on slips of paper, glue a colourful felt ball or pom pom onto each paper, then fold and keep in a jar. Easy to assemble, easy to bring along on your holiday travels.

Portable Jesse Tree

A Jesse Tree is a type of Advent calendar which combines daily readings with corresponding symbols, walking through the Story from the garden to the birth of Christ.

One of our most valued gifts has been a felt Jesse Tree storyboard handmade by the children's Oma. Rather than hanging the Jesse Tree story pictures on a tree, as is traditionally done, the felt pictures stick onto a large pocket of felt. The felt pocket houses the daily readings and extra pictures, making the entire package simple to bring along as we travel.

Other portable Jesse Trees could be made with individual pockets, envelopes, magnets, flaps, or velcro. Ann at A Holy Experiences offers a beautiful free Advent Family Jesse Tree devotional (both readings and the corresponding illustrations), which can be used as a basis for creating a portable system that works for your family.

Forgo the tree, keep the Story

Another option is to forgo the tree altogether. While we do enjoy our portable Jesse Tree, some years even that feels like too much. Fortunately, Geraldine McCaughrean has written a lovely book, The Jesse Tree, which tells the Jesse Tree stories within the larger narrative of a conversation between a carpenter and a boy.

The aforementioned Advent Family Jesse Tree devotional could also be used sans ornaments, as well as several other Advent and Jesse Tree devotional narratives. Make it a family read-aloud as you drive to your destination, a nightly bedtime story, an after-dinner ritual, or whatever works best for you and your family.

Another treeless and portable Advent family observance is this Advent reading plan designed for use with the Jesus Storybook Bible (our favourite children's Bible). With twenty-one Old Testament stories (each ending with a paragraph that points to Jesus) and three stories encompassing the birth of Christ, this is the perfect twenty-four day plan to encompass the Advent season.

There are also, of course, countless adult-oriented Advent devotionals, which afford high portability for your own personal Advent reflections. This year I am reading through the Advent devotional Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, which includes daily writings from individuals such as C. S. Lewis, Kathleen Norris, T. S. Eliot, Dorothy Day, Henri Nouwen, Madeleine L'Engle, and more. Find one by your favourite author, or choose an Advent Bible reading plan instead of (or alongside) a separate devotional.


Above all, keep it simple! However you choose to observe Advent, let the season be a time of calm focus and inward preparation rather than another source of stress and busyness amidst your holiday travels.


Do you have a favourite Advent devotional? unique method of combining Advent observances with holiday travel? other travel-friendly holiday traditions? Share your ideas or links below!

Christmas crafting

Here we are, one month after Christmas, and I'm finally getting caught up on pictures!

Once upon a shiny time, I had visions of entirely handmade Christmas gifts - the kids, relatives, the works. Since then, I've modified my ideal. Crafting, for me, is a joy, an expression of praise in acknowledgement of our Creator God, love and prayers woven in with each stitch. I will neither make it a chore nor craft for those who equate handmade with cheap (particularly since I rarely find homemade projects to be much, if any, cheaper than store-bought gifts).

With that in mind, aside from a couple fabric bird stocking stuffers, I took on only three major Christmas crafts this year: a scrapbook album for my mom, Christmas pajamas for the boys, and a tin of cookies and recipe cards for the landlord upstairs (this barely slips in as a "craft", but you'll get a couple bonus cookie recipes out of it at the end of this post, so indulge me).


First up, the castle scrapbook. I designed and made this album for my mom. The idea was inspired by a local scrapbooking shop, which I wandered into for no particular reason one evening while having a little me-time. The album practically leapt out at me, screaming "here I am, your mom's Christmas gift!!" My mom is very Disney/princess/castle obsessed, and last year they went on a(nother) Disney Cruise that took them, among other places, to Russia where they visited a castle. It was one of the highlights of their trip. The album is half-filled with the few pictures my mom had sent me, with space for her to add in a few more.

The structure of the castle was made from chipboard covered in cardstock-weight scrapbook paper. The insides are cardstock-weight scrapbook paper stuck together and embellished with regular scrapbook paper. I used double-sided tape throughout. It was a satisfying project to work on in the evenings, and I'm reasonably happy with how it turned out.


Next, the boys' Christmas pajamas. These were so much fun to make and I am very happy with the final result.

The baby's shirt was made following the 90 minute shirt tutorial. The pants were made using a basic pajama pattern I always use for them (McCall's M4643).

The boy's shirt was made with a more grown-up neckline, while the pants were made with the same pattern as the baby's were.

I tried to take action shots, but, well, most of them turned out pretty similar to this (that would be the boy pretending to eat the baby's head, while the baby ignored both of us in favour of the book I'd given him to try to bribe him into not crawling away):

It's hard to take pictures of two boys at the same time.


Finally, the tin of cookies with recipe cards. I made my specialty, spicy gingerbread cookies adapted from this recipe, as well as lemon thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam filling, adapted from this recipe. Wow, should I have ever made a second batch for us. Those were delicious. The recipe cards were downloaded from Shabby Princess' Holiday Recipe Collection and printed on cardstock.

And here's your bonus recipes!

Enjoy!

A Christmas people

Halfway through this first month, there aren't many signs of Christmas left. Most of the trees have been taken down, the malls are quiet and unadorned, no bells are being rung on street corners, and few houses still turn on their Christmas lights each evening. Another "season of giving" has passed.

I love the flow of the church's liturgical calendar. The yearly walk through the Story draws everything together, ensures we do not pick and choose our favourite focal points. And yet...perhaps, at Christmas especially, we leave too much behind. We pack away Jesus with the nativity, leave our giving spirit on the curb with the tree, and allow generosity to retreat to the back of our mind without the constant holiday reminders. We've tossed a few coins into the Salvation Army buckets, written a cheque to our charity of choice, and sent out cards with our well-wishes to friends and family. We've given our token nod to the birth of Jesus. Too often, that's it for the next ten or eleven months.

Is this really enough for us? An annual burst of generosity, of giving, of well-wishes, of time with family, of celebration of Christ's birth?

What would it look like if we wanted more, if we were to be a Christmas people?

I consider this, wonder what it would mean and what it would lead to, jump from meaning to meaning, deeper and deeper.

Christmas, "Christ's Mass", a celebration of Christ.

Mass, from the Late Latin missa, "dismissal", a dismissal from a church service and an entrance into our mission - a sending out! A celebration of the Eucharist.

Eucharist, from the Greek eukharistia, meaning "gratitude, giving of thanks". The sacrament of Holy Communion.

Finally, Christmas with its modern meaning, watered down to a "season of giving" - noble, yes, but missing the fullness and richness of all it truly is!

In all these ways and more, we can be a Christmas people.

We can be a people who celebrate Christ all year long.

We can be a people who recognized and daily strive to carry out our mission, both as the collective Body of Christ and as individuals in our particular God-given circumstances.

We can be a people who give thanks, as Jesus did.

We can be a people who give generously, caring for the poor, the orphaned, and the widowed year-round.

For which of these should be relegated to a once-yearly celebration? Which of these should not be part of the daily clothes of a Christian? Celebrate the gift of Christ, carry out His mission, give thanks, and consider the needs of others...none of these should be relegated to a mere holiday. If we were to truly be a Christmas people, to truly celebrate Christ and hold firm to all that entails throughout the year, what a joy that would be!

And so I begin, considering ways in which our family can enter into this continual Christ-celebration. Will you join us?




All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around their hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

Well they call him by 'the Prince of Peace'
And they call him by 'the Savior'
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

Well we guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus

Merry Christmas!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end."
Isaiah 9:6-7a

Wonderful Counselor.

Mighty God.

Everlasting Father.

Prince of Peace.

And yet...He was nothing like anyone expected. A baby born to an unwed mother and laid in the animals' feed trough. A man who preached a radical enemy-love rather than overthrowing the earthly government. A Saviour Who died on a cross, hung between two thieves.

Nothing like anyone expected.

Our Advent celebrations are over. Christmas Eve is here. The presents are wrapped and tucked under the tree. The babies are snuggled in bed in their new mama-made Christmas pajamas. Cinnamon buns are baked and ready for Christmas morning. We are surrounded by loving family: my amazing mother- and father-in-law, my two beautiful sister-in-laws, my own sister, and my sweet baby niece, all of us ready to celebrate the birth of our Saviour.

Wishing you a joyful Christmas and many blessings in the new year!




Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl
Just a child, is this who we’ve waited for?

'Cause how many kings stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for His honor and frankincense for His pleasure
And myrrh for the cross He’ll suffer
Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?
It’s who we’ve waited for?

How many kings stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me

All for me
All for you
All for me
All for you

Quick and easy homemade Christmas gifts for children

With just one week left until Christmas, here are some simple last minute homemade gift ideas for children.

Fabric birds

These sweet little fabric birds can be made in under an hour from scraps of fabric. They make cute stocking stuffers or small gifts for children. The tail is perfect for tiny hands to clutch, so add a bell with the stuffing for an easy baby rattle.

My preschooler loves to help make these for his friends. He chooses the fabric, cuts out the rough pattern (which I then tidy up before sewing), and helps me stuff the bird before I sew up the tail.

Beanbags

Beanbags are a classic toy for children. Use a variety of textured fabrics to increase sensory experience. These are easy enough for even the most beginner sewer - simply cut out squares, stitch around three sides, fill with your choice of filling, and sew up the fourth side. As an optional final step, topstitch around the entire beanbag for a more professional look and reinforced finishing.

Crayon roll

Another great stocking stuffer, these crayon rolls are ideal for restaurants, church, and waiting rooms. They also make a great addition to an art bag.

Gnomes

(Photo credit: lokiandazreal)

If you have basic knitting skills and some extra yarn, these gnomes are adorable and have great play value. Make them with all natural materials for a perfect Waldorf toy.

Cloth shoes

Another quick project, these cloth shoes can be embellished in a variety of ways. Add them to a stocking or use them to complete a new outfit. Great for keeping baby socks on little feet!

Pajama pants

A classic Christmas Eve gift, try your hand at a homemade set this year. This tutorial is excellent for a pair of basic pajama pants, and for an easy matching shirt, just add an applique to a plain t-shirt.

Envelope shirt

Alternatively, this 90 minute shirt tutorial is easy to follow, and the results are just too adorable. Also makes a cute daytime shirt all on its own. Make it with new knit fabric or upcycle a men's t-shirt.

Baby sets

Also perfect gifts for baby showers, a basic flannel baby set is both practical and cute. I like to include in mine:

• an extra-large receiving blanket with a basic rolled hem (those store bought ones are never quite big enough after the first few weeks!),
• a burp pad (cut a bean shape, sew right sides together leaving a small opening, turn, and topstitch around the whole thing to close), and
• towel-backed washcloths (I cut up on-hand baby towels for the backing, which never find much use around here as we quickly switch to regular towels both for size and absorbency).

Package in a matching drawstring bag for a reusable gift wrap that can later be used to hold toys or bring along activities in the car.


With that, I'm out, off to finish up Christmas pajamas and tackle my frightening to-do list before our holiday travels begin. Happy crafting!

St. Nicholas or Santa Claus?

Today is St. Nicholas Day, a day to commemorate the selfless fourth century bishop and honour his gifts of generosity and charity.

It was from this giving spirit that the legend of Santa Claus arose. Sadly, this "new and improved" version of St. Nicholas misses out on the most important aspects of the saint's character. This article on The Real "Santa Claus" describes exactly my thoughts on how we have turned "a classic tale into a shallow, sentimentalized version for mass consumption":

"Somehow, the power of modern culture turned him into something quite different. A human saint was replaced by a jolly old elf. A patron of the poor became a judge of who’s naughty and nice. A church bishop became the CEO of the world’s largest toy factory. A man who walked among his parishioners and served the people in his community became a cosmic delivery man who visits everyone everywhere on one night during the year in his magic sleigh. A saint of the church became an icon of popular culture and a vehicle for commercialism. A story rich in human experience became a modern fairy tale we trot out every year to try and put some magic in our children’s eyes during the season."

It is precisely this discrepancy that has prompted us to leave Santa Claus out of our Christmas celebrations. There are no gifts from Santa, no threats of naughty lists and nice lists, no trips to the mall to ask for presents.

Instead, we talk about St. Nicholas. We celebrated St. Nicholas Day by buying an Angel Tree gift for a child, commemorating the saint's reputation for secret gift giving and charity.

St. Nicholas can help us draw our hearts to Christ. He reminds us of the life that Jesus commanded us to live, caring for the poor and orphans, showing compassion to our neighbour, not needing recognition for our charity.

Santa Claus asks what we want, not what we can give. He asks if we've been good enough to deserve a gift, not offering it freely to all. He tells us that he's watching us, not God.

He's actually kinda creepy.

I understand the desire to make Christmas a magical time for our children. I hope that I am doing that myself, that Christmas will be a time of wonder and delight for them, full of good memories and strong traditions. I believe I can do that without Santa, without magical elves, and without the external pressure to "be good or Santa won't leave you any gifts".

But most of all, I cannot bring myself to mislead, or outright lie, to my child. I won't tell him that Santa left him a gift, because it's not true. I won't tell him the mischievous elves turned the milk green, because they didn't. I won't sit him on Santa's knee, because it's not Santa. It's a cheap representation of the richly generous life of a godly man.

I can't reconcile sitting with my child as we read our Jesse Tree devotional over breakfast in the morning, with telling him elves came to do mischief in the evening. I can't reconcile telling him about the gift of Christ coming down to save us all with leaving gifts from Santa under the Christmas tree. I can't reconcile telling him later that yes, Santa was just a pretend game we played with praying that his faith in God lasts and grows through the years.

Perhaps my hesitance is largely because the effects of Santa hit a little too close to home for me. My sister remains without faith in God to this day because when she was finally forced to accept that Santa was a lie, after holding tight to that belief through the early years of her life, she concluded that the same was true of God. It was just a story to make people be good, just a nice hope to hold on to in the face of death.

I know many wonderful Christian families who are able to include Santa Claus and even elf magic in their Christ-honouring Christmas celebrations. I know many strong Christians who have fond memories of Santa traditions and whose faith wasn't at all shaken after discovering that Santa was a game. But for us, I cannot do it. I cannot cheapen the memory of St. Nicholas. I cannot use Santa as one more external motivator for good behaviour. I cannot encourage additional materialism during a season already rife with it. I cannot lie to my child.

I cannot assume that he will understand that one story is pretend while another is the most wonderful, beautiful Truth in this world.

I cannot.

How do you approach the idea of Santa Claus in your Christmas celebrations?

Our Advent

Advent, coming, our time of expectant preparation, has begun. Our family is young, our traditions still fluid, and so we take this, leave that, seeking our unique way to prepare for and celebrate the joyous coming of our Lord.

In keeping with our family's priorities, our Advent activities this year have three goals:

Focused

We draw our hearts towards His coming. We begin at the beginning, seeing the bigger picture form as we read through our Jesse tree devotional. He is the center of this season, the One we are preparing for. This year we supplement our usual readings with the beautiful words of Ann at A Holy Experience. We keep our preparations focused.

Simple

With some sadness, we leave our Advent wreath put away this year. We will be travelling soon, visiting loved ones, and those last unlit candles always feel so unfinished. We sing the old familiar Advent hymns, and we talk, always talk, about the expectant joy of this season, but we leave out those things which threaten to become burdensome rather than useful or joyful. We are careful not to take on too much nor to allow busy distractions to crowd out our time together. We keep our preparations simple.

Intentional

This season should be simple, yes, and not burdensome, but neither do we want to fritter it away with good intentions and no follow-through. We want to live with intention, and so we create an Advent calendar for our family, guiding our December with thoughtful deliberation. We keep our preparations intentional.

Instead of candy or gifts, each day holds one activity. Some big, some small. Some fun for us, some blessings for others. Some keep us indoors, some take us out into our neighbourhood or further. Each activity is recorded on a sheet of paper, then folded into an envelope and hung, side-by-side with the rest, on a string on the wall. One envelope will be opened each morning, and when the envelopes are gone, it will be Christmas.

In determining the activities, we considered our priorities, local events, and the memories we wanted to create this season. Writing them down ensures that our plans become reality. It also makes it easy to confirm that the supplies we need are on hand and ready to go.

With room for flexibility and other endeavors, these are the activities we will be doing each day:

1 Decorate the Christmas tree
2 Paint a Christmas ornament
3 Go to a German Christmas festival
4 Go to a neighbourhood Christmas tree lighting
5 Make a pinecone craft and drink wassail
6 Go to the mall to buy our annual Christmas ornaments and an Angel Tree gift
7 Phone grandparents to sing Christmas songs
8 Bake Christmas cookies
9 Do a Mailbox blessing
10 Have our friends over for dinner
11 Take Christmas pictures
12 Make Christmas cards
13 Attend the Community Carol Sing
14 Go for a moonlit walk
15 Go to a Festival of Lights
16 Make cookies for a neighbour
17 Watch a Christmas movie (Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey)
18 Leave for Oma & Opa's house
19 (The baby's first birthday) Make peanut butter cookies*
20 Cut down a Christmas tree
21 Make a popcorn-and-cranberry chain
22 Go for a nature walk
23 Read Christmas stories
24 CHRISTMAS EVE - Have a birthday party for Jesus
25 CHRISTMAS DAY!

*The boy was continually asking me if he could give nuts to the baby yet. I told him he couldn't have nuts until his first birthday (rather foolish and arbitrary, really, since I'm quite certain I didn't prevent all of those nuts from making their way into the baby's mouth, but it feels like the "right thing to do"). The boy decided that the best way to celebrate the baby being "allowed" to have nuts would be to make peanut butter cookies for his birthday. Who needs cake? We're having peanut butter cookies!

Focused. Simple. Intentional.

What are your goals for the season? How will you be preparing and celebrating?

One Christmas card

I shared a link to (in)courage's Christmas card drive in my Weekend Reading a couple weeks ago. The Christmas card drive ends on Monday, so with only the weekend remaining in which to create that card, I wanted to mention it again.

"I got asked the same question over and over again in a language I couldn’t understand by faces I could read as easily as those of my own two sons, 'Do you know my sponsor? Will you ask them to write to me?'

Sponsor or no sponsor, turns out what every kid really wants is a letter. A letter to tell them they are special and loved and beautiful and necessary and that they matter much, much more than their circumstances may tell them. When you’ve stood in a corrugated iron shack that houses a family of five who barely escaped a mud slide and watched them pull an envelope of letters that stretch back for years out from under the mattress pad you know you’re in the presence of something special."

For only a couple dollars and a few minutes of your time, you can encourage an unsponsored child with a Christmas card, letting them know that Jesus loves them and there are people out there praying for them.

This could be the most important and meaningful Christmas card you send this year.

Holiday music

With Christmas approaching, I am already (much to my husband's chagrin) pulling out the Christmas music, my favourite part of the holiday.

I really need some recommendations, though! I only have a small number of Christmas CDs, and only a couple that I really enjoy. I have the hardest time finding good Christmas albums.

I cannot stand when artists take traditional Christmas songs, change the rhythm a bit, and think they've somehow improved it. You haven't. You've wrecked it. Thanks a lot.

Nor do I like Christmas albums where the traditional tunes are left alone, but sung about three octaves higher than the average person would sing. It grates after about, oh, five minutes.

I have these exact same problems with finding hymn compilations that I like. Leave the rhythm alone, come down a few octaves, and just sing the hymns! They are beautiful as they are.

So - help! Do you have a favourite Christmas album (preference on avoiding Santa-related tunes)? What about hymns - any favourite albums there?

As for my favourites? Dawn of Grace by Sixpence None the Richer and Christmas by Alabama are two that I have listened to over and over and over again. Both of them are beautiful Christmas albums.

Now I'd just like a bit more variety!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our house to yours, and best wishes for the new year!

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:10-11

Second Sunday of Advent

Today we lit the second candle on our Advent wreath, read a piece of Scripture, and said a prayer. I cherish this time of commemorating the first coming of Christ while also preparing for His second coming.

It has been fascinating to me to watch our son grow in his understanding of God. The things he says, the way he picks up on things, his observations, his awareness - it all amazes me. I feel like having a child has brought me back to the very basics of my faith, and I have learned so much because of it. It is frustratingly easy to accept the many man-imposed burdens that are pushed in our direction. Casting them off and returning to the very foundations of Scripture is beautifully freeing. The sense of peace and calm is wonderful, and I am grateful for it.

There is so much going on in our lives right now. We are preparing for the birth of our second child, due in less than a week (less than a week!!). We are searching for a new home and will be moving by the end of the month. We are, for the first time, in a difficult place financially. There is the loneliness of a new city, the struggles of relationships, and the day-to-day demands of life. And yet how can I allow those worries to overcome me even as I recount to my son the stories Jesus told of God's provision, or as I sing with him of God's love and care, or as we talk about all the things that are just so bigger and so much more important than the worries of today?

I can't. Instead, God whispers back to me the same words I whisper to my son. God loves you...God will take care of you...God is always with you.

Beautifully, I find this message driven even deeper within me during this Advent time of both remembering and preparing for the coming of Emmanuel - God is with us.

God is always with us.

Come, Emmanuel

Today is the first day of Advent, a season of expectant waiting and preparation in the weeks leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. As we did last year, we will prepare our hearts during this season with the lighting of an Advent candle each week and a Jesse Tree study each day. May this time be a blessing to us all.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, desire of every nation, Savior of all peoples, come and dwell among us.

Operation Christmas Child

Next week, November 16-21, is the 2009 National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child.

I so enjoy filling these boxes each year. I wasn't sure if we would this year, finances being what they are, but my thoughtful husband encouraged me to go ahead with it. I'm so glad I did - this year has been my favourite yet.

This year, my son was able to be involved in filling our box. This morning while snuggling on my bed after our shower, I pointed out to the boy how lucky he was to have so many nice toys to play with. After he agreed, I told him there was another little boy somewhere who didn't have toys to play with. He agreed that that was very sad, so I suggested we buy some toys, put them in a box, and send them to this little boy.

This definitely appealed to my generous little boy. His generosity and thoughtfulness have long been two of my (many) favourite things about him. He loves to give. If I tell him he can have a snack, he offers one to everyone else before sitting down with his. Kisses are always offered to anyone who gets hurt. He is so appreciative as well, often exclaiming "Grandma bought this for me!" or "oh, that is so NICE!" with such gratitude. Don't get me wrong, he's two and he has his less thoughtful moments, but his overall personality is very much a generous and empathetic one, and I love to see that in him.

All morning he talked about buying toys for a little boy. Finally we made our way to the store so he could pick out what he wanted to send. I made a few additions of my own and we headed home to sort out our gifts and arrange them in the box (which is always smaller than I picture it in the store!).

This year, our box will go to a little boy in the 2-4 category. I usually try to fill my boxes for the older children, as there are annually far more boxes filled for the little ones, but this year we decided to fill for a child our son's age in order that he might relate to the child and also be better able to choose appropriate items to send. If you plan to fill a box and don't have reason to choose a younger child, I encourage you to think of what a box full of school supplies, hygiene items, and gifts would mean to an older child who may never have received a such a blessing before.

Our box is filled and ready to go. This year a little boy will receive a heartfelt gift from our son, including a pad of white paper, a pad of construction paper, crayons, stickers, lined paper, some washcloths, a truck, an elephant, a rubber ball, a hackey sack, and a few small cars. Because our boxes will be shipped to a hot country, we didn't add the usual mitts, hat, etc. I'd also like to pick up a small stuffed animal (we didn't find one today) and we will add a personal note before taking our box to church with us on Sunday.

The boy has been talking all evening about the present he's sending to the little boy. He's impatient for it to be time to go to church so he can give them his box to send away. Ideally, he wants to give it to the little boy himself, but I think we've managed to convince him that the little boy lives too far away.

It's so neat to watch this awareness of others blossom in the boy. While it has long been a part of his personality, it is only growing and developing as he gets older. I hope we can continue to encourage that in him.

And I hope a little boy somewhere out there will be truly blessed by a gift this Christmas.

And a (very belated) Happy New Year!

Ah, home.

My bed. My pillow. My son's bed and pillow. My food. My drinks. My oven. My books. My computer.

Ah, my computer.

The little guy seemed to feel the same way. As soon as we got back home, he walked around collecting all his toys and stuffed animals and blankets and sat down in his chair covered in them. It was so funny to see from a boy who doesn't usually seem particularly attached to any toys!

Things are finally starting to settle back down into a nice routine after our three week vacation. We arrived back home last Thursday at 2:00 in the morning, thanks to some flight delays (making it a 15 hour trip from the time we left my in-laws to the time we walked in our door). The little guy did amazingly well for a 20 month old confined to a carseat or lap most of the day. I wouldn't describe it as "fun" by any means, but it was about as well, if not better, than could be expected.

The holidays were definitely fun, though. We spent a week and a half with my parents in Manitoba followed by a week and a half with my in-laws in British Columbia.

Fun, yes, but also very sickly.

My husband Isaac had a cold for the first couple days.

Then my youngest sister got the flu, which she promptly passed on to my second youngest sister.

My son Jacob got it next, resulting in a Christmas Eve spent alternating between sleeping and throwing up all over his dad. (I admit it, I wasn't complaining when, after spending an hour napping on me, Jacob woke up, squirmed a couple times, asked for his dad and promptly threw up all over him.)

On Christmas morning, my sister-in-law's cat had to be put down.

My grandpa died a couple days after Christmas, the same day my grandma left our house to head back home to him. She says it's a guilt she'll have to learn to live with for the rest of her life (my grandpa was in a nursing home - my grandma has taken care of him every day for years, and finally she takes a trip away and he dies before she gets back - which is not her fault at all but no one has yet been able to convince her of that).

The day we left Manitoba to head to BC, I got my husband's cold, which ended up being the worst cold I have ever had. The plane ride was miserable thanks to my clogged ears, which didn't unclog until the next day, and I spent the next few days blowing my nose every five minutes.

After I got my husband's cold, I got my son's flu and spent the day throwing up.

Then my sister-in-law got the flu.

Then my other sister-in-law got the flu.

Then my mother-in-law got the flu.

Then - surprise! - my father-in-law got the flu.

My sister-in-law also got the cold I brought with me, spending a few days attached to the Kleenex box herself.

And just to end the trip off with one more thing, Jacob hurt his ankle and spent the next two days limping around. (He actually thought this was hilarious though - even immediately after it happened, he tried to walk, fell, laughed, tried to walk, fell, laughed, tried to walk, fell...and then cried. And then it got funny again later when it didn't hurt so bad - especially when he tried to run and ended up with this funny limping run that usually resulted in more falling.)

Oh, and Isaac also gave his cold to his aunt as well, who we stayed with overnight on the way to and from Manitoba.

I think that about covers our sickly holidays. It was crazy, day after day of someone being sick (or worse) - but it did force us to spend a lot of time lazing around the house instead of doing all of the activies we had planned to do. Which was nice, I think. And despite all of the illness, I'd still definitely say that our holidays were fun.

The two visits were so different. There was my family, which this year included my parents, my grandma, and my four younger sisters (7, 10, 12 and 23). Jacob got a bus that (very loudly) sings The Wheels on the Bus, a truck that (very loudly) makes various truck sounds, and many other things. Jacob attached himself to my youngest sister (who is only 7 years old), following her around everywhere. My poor sisters are jealous of both my son and my husband, as they both take some of my attention away from them, but I did try to spend as much time focusing on them as I could. It's hard to live so far away from them when they're so young.

Then there was my husband's family, which included his parents and two younger sisters (19 and 23). Jacob got a lovely handmade quilt/activity mat, some wooden toys, and many other things. Jacob was fascinated by my youngest SIL's bedroom, which was unfortunate because he wasn't actually allowed to go in there - so every once in a while he'd run off in that direction giggling madly because maybe this would be the time he could get in there unnoticed! He really needs to work on the quiet aspect of sneaking away to get into trouble, silly child. He mastered the stairs while at their house (we don't have stairs in our home so he hasn't had much practice), rolled his first bowling ball, learned how to peal an orange, and - his father's proudest moment so far - began to recognize and say "hockey". He's a true Canadian now!

Now we're back home, disappointed anew that we live so far away from both families. I do hope that will change someday - but for now, we all live where we live and will make the best of it, visiting whenever we can.

I hope the holidays were good for you all, and I wish you all the best in this new year.

Christ the Light

On November 30th, the first Sunday in Advent, we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath - the hope candle. We look in eager anticipation to the coming of the Messiah.



Last Sunday we lit the second candle - the peace candle. We thank God for the coming Christ who will bring forgiveness for our sins.



Today we light the third Advent candle, the pink joy candle, to show that the light has now overcome the darkness. Praise be to God!