Reasons to Celebrate Advent with Your Children

Beyond the Holiday Hustle
As soon as Thanksgiving passes events, parties, and activities began creeping on to family calendars and multiplying like rabbits. Learning to just say no is important, but celebrating Advent with your children can also help you to get beyond the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Planning on celebrating Advent will help you guard your schedule from too much business. Daily celebrations leading up to Christmas adds a consistency and rhythm to your extra busy December days.

Together
Busy Schedules tend to fragment families and not bring families together. Children go to Christmas pageant rehearsals and the adults have offices parties they're required to attend. These things pull families in different directions. Even at events where the whole family is invited, rarely is the family ever in the same room. The adults chat over drinks and the kids play video games together. All of these types of activities are not necessarily bad in moderation. They do mean we have to be purposeful about being truly together as a family though.

A daily Advent celebrations brings the whole family together. No matter what the ages or age range of your children, they all can enjoy and participate in Advent. Find a time that works for your family. That time may be in the evenings as an extension of family dinner time or first thing in the morning before everyone has to go their own way.

The Reason for the Season
We often talk about the "reason for the season" or getting back to the "real meaning" of Christmas in a vague way. It sounds nice, but do our actions show we really mean it? Celebrating Advent helps us be purposeful about celebrating Christmas in a more meaningful way. Taking time during the almost whole month leading up to Christmas to celebrate forces you and your family to spend time reflecting on the why of our celebration.

Tips for Celebrating Advent
Search around online and find something that will work for your family. Pre-planned scripture readings and activity ideas are readily available on the web. Get the kids involved in planning. Choose an Advent calendar together to purchase or spend time making one together. It may be difficult to do an Advent activity everyday, especially if this is your first time celebrating Advent. The most important thing is to stick with it. Stick with it even if you are starting late. Stick with it even if you miss a day or two. Even if you are not perfectly consistent in your Advent celebration, you and your family will benefit from it.