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SallyT
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| Posted: Nov 13 2015 at 3:32pm | IP Logged
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My children are older -- my youngest two, who are the only ones home any more, are middle schoolers -- and by now it feels as though we've done All of the Advent Things. We've done the Jesse Tree, we do calendars, we do readings, we do the O Antiphons . . . and the last couple of years I've really felt that I was running out of gas with the whole season. I hate that, because I love Advent. But what to do to wake us up a little?
Well, yesterday in my browsing around I came across this. . As conceived of, it's more of a "countdown to Christmas," but I thought, why couldn't this be an Advent calendar in a more Catholic vein (besides being a DIY Advent calendar that even I, who hate crafts, could make, possibly minus the cute pompoms). It could live on our table and be a dinner-time thing: pull out a strip (taking turns nightly), and do whatever the strip tells us, either right then or as soon as the table's cleared afterwards.
So I came up with a page of strips that can be cut apart and put in the jar, each with some (in my vision) after-dinner thing to do in Advent. Some of the things can't be done immediately, like a family Holy Hour, but can be planned right then and executed asap. Some things, like baking cookies, are just fun and not devotional, but most of them are focused on preparing our hearts for Christ's coming.
Here is a link to the Google doc -- please feel free to copy and adapt however you like.
I also started a song sheet with words to the hymns I included.
Anyway, for anyone else who is either running out of steam with Advent traditions, has children who are outgrowing some of the ones you've always done, or wants something super-easy to do to jump-start your Advent devotions -- voila! (and I'll let you know how it goes in our family . . . I did give my husband a heads-up, but the kids have no idea. Being middle-schoolers, they're not going to turn cartwheels of joy, but it might start to be kind of fun after a while).
God bless,
Sally
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Booksnbabes
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What a great idea! Thank you for sharing! 
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St. Ann
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Just now seeing this, Sally.
I just returned home less than a week ago and Advent had already started without me  !
The 14 and 16yr old dds took charge of getting the wreath and calendar while I was away. But everything else is taking a year off this time. I was not here to prepare. The most important traditions of Advent remain. The daily prayers at the lighting of the candles and of course St. Nikolaus!
I do notice that the older girls just aren't interested in more activities for Advent. What we could do more of that they would be keen on is singing.
We enjoy listening to Advent music.
I wonder what is going to happen when the nest is empty? How will our Advent traditions change?
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MaryM
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St. Ann wrote:
J
I wonder what is going to happen when the nest is empty? How will our Advent traditions change? |
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Yes, something to contemplate. OUr nest is emptying - only a teen and some part-time young adults. Hoping that by the time the nest is empty, that there will be grandkids living nearby so we can transition to helping those young families establish traditions and do multigenerational ones all together.
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JodieLyn
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Our Diocese has subscribed to formed.org which makes it really cheap for us to use.. but it's possible to get an individual subscription too.. BUT they have programs and Bible studies.. and there's one on Advent. My older kids and I are enjoying that as a change up from reading. A bit more of a study/discussion than contemplation. (I usually go with the stories to read out loud that are inspiring in some way.
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JennGM
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St. Ann wrote:
Just now seeing this, Sally.
I just returned home less than a week ago and Advent had already started without me !
The 14 and 16yr old dds took charge of getting the wreath and calendar while I was away. But everything else is taking a year off this time. I was not here to prepare. The most important traditions of Advent remain. The daily prayers at the lighting of the candles and of course St. Nikolaus!
I do notice that the older girls just aren't interested in more activities for Advent. What we could do more of that they would be keen on is singing.
We enjoy listening to Advent music.
I wonder what is going to happen when the nest is empty? How will our Advent traditions change? |
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 Stephanie! I've been praying for you.
I have an 8 and 12 year old. The traditions looks different and some stop. I think they become more interior. Instead of keeping track of straws for good deeds, they are doing this on their own, internally. They are learning to be more adult in their living their faith.
I will also say that over the past few years Advent customs have waned. They make it for what they want, but I had no energy or health to make things beautiful. And I have to admit, they thrive on being creative and having ideas of their own.
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JennGM
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Karen Edmisten has a terrific blog post on how things have changed in her Advent: I Don't Miss Our Old Advents
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Jennifer G. Miller
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St. Ann
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Thank you, Jenn
and thank you again for linking to Karen E.'s blog post!
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Stephanie
Wife and mother to Hannah '96, Maria '99, Dorothea '01, Helena '03
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ekbell
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Our main advent traditions (Advent Meditations, St. Nick's day) have been passed down from my family. Even our songbooks are copies of the ones my mom typed up and printed out on her old dot matrix printer. (even when I was living by myself I'd light the candles on my tiny wreath, read and sing a song or two)
At this point if I changed those I'd have a rebellion on my hands. :-)
My children, except the youngest, are very involved with the parish Christmas activities so I haven't felt the need to do more then the above as they spend quite enough time rehearsing (advent is the time to practice for the Christmas concert and pageant).
I've some extra storybooks for my youngest and that's been enough.
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SallyT
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Update: Our Advent jar has been going really, really well. We don't do it absolutely every night (if we've been out to Mass or Holy Hour and gotten in late, for instance), but most nights before bed we've been pulling a strip from the jar before our rosary. My 13yo rolls his eyes, but it's been a lot of fun to do, and has added a good bit to our observance of Advent without being too involved or too little-kid or too "we've done this a million times already."
Like Jenn, I've also been trying to encourage more independent, interior formation in my kids. Right now they've been praying Morning Prayer, using the Shorter Christian Prayer book (easier to navigate than more complete breviaries) and reading the Advent readings daily. I just built that into their school day: it's on the schedule with their daily work, so it gets done. I'm feeling a little adrift, since nobody in my house is doing cozy-snuggle-up-read-beautiful-books-do-beautiful-things Advent any more, but I think that this is a necessary and good transition.
Stephanie, I've thought too about Advents and Christmases in the future, when we might well have nobody in our house but us. Part of me wants to have a breakdown at the thought, and part of me thinks that the quiet and simplicity could be very beautiful. I always did *something* even before I was married, when I lived alone, to create a special atmosphere for the season and to prepare myself, and there are days when the thought of doing it all in a small interior contemplative way really appeals to me.
And then I want to sit down and cry. But that's the story of menopause . . . :)
Sally
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Aaaaaaadvent!
