Nov
Many of us feel overwhelmed and disappointed by the commercialism of Christmas: it can help to think about what you want Christmas to mean for your family?
The mood in our house, in the build up to Christmas, is one of stillness and peace, an intake of breath and joyful expectation, a pause before the breath is slowly released. Into that stillness comes the gradual building of excitement of Advent.
There are many ways to bring Christmas into the home in a meaningful way. Here are our favourates:
1. Nativity Scene
Build a little nativity scene to brings a strong visual picture of the elements of the Christmas story
2. Build an Advent Garden
Building an Advent Garden is a great, and exciting way to bring expectation and focus to a meaningful element of winter festivities. We wrap 7 x 4 gifts in 4 colours of wrapping. Each has a gift connected to the element we are thinking about that week, Aminal, mineral, plant or human. Gradually over advent we open all the parcels and create a full nativity scene in a garden.
3. Give Gladness Gifts
Making small presents for family and friends also adds to the mood of reverence and thankfulness
4. Candlelit Storytelling
A candlelit story by the Advent table each bedtime marks the special steps towards Christmas Day
5. Reverse Christmas Letter
One of the thing we help our children to do is to focus on gratitude. We write a letter to Santa and describe what we are grateful for and what we going to be giving this year. Will still do this with our older children.
