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Martha
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I want to decorate and celebrate for the first time in 15 years, and I want to decorateand celebrate BIG!
BUT we're seriously low on funds, what with kids liking to eat and all that. I'm sure you understand.
So. Can we share ideas on traditions, foods, homemade decorations and gifts, things you have fond memories of or whatever?
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Martha
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Patty LeVasseur
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It's not free, but it is pretty inexpensive. I get strands of either pink or purple Christmas lights to put around our advent wreath and to decorate. It makes it feel like Advent to me.
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folklaur
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Martha wrote:
| what with kids liking to eat and all that. |
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Martha
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See there? See how bad off I am? I don't even have an advent wreath!
Oh and it doesn't always have to be free, but yeah, I'm thinking inexpensive, which I know is relative. 
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Martha
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~Rachel~
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Cookies!!! I have adopted this American tradition with gusto... grab some of the seasonal cookie cutters, the Taste of Home cookie recipe magazine (they put one out each year) and get baking.
Make some gift baskets and pass some out to friends (this was SO much fun for us last year), mail them to friends and family if possible.
Make some of those cinnamon scented ornaments with the same cookie cutters 
PIE is a big one for us here... and weekly soups. There is the Twelve Months of Monastery Soups to give you great ideas!
Make a seasonal tableaux... or nature table. Decorate with the crib figures and seasonal nature finds.
You can also make the crib figures travel around the room until they are supposed to arrive.
Make the tablecloth purple.
Make an Advent wreath, and light the candles daily for dinner.
Elizabeth's Tomie de Paola Advent study (we love this) or her Jan Brett one, they are both wonderful.
Liturgically speaking, there are so many saints to read and celebrate. Joanna Bogle is coming out with her new 'liturgical year' book soon, so keep an eye open for it!
The O Antiphons
Mum is making my kids advent bags this year... one present for every day of advent.
Advent calendars are one of my favourites... I LOVED these as a child!
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~Rachel~
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Martha, Dawn made a lovely 'wreath' at her blog last year. Well... a sort of wreath. It was pretty cheap to make it
Dawn's Blog
ETA: Clarification
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JennGM
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Great ideas, Rachel. I'm looking forward to Joanna Bogle's new book. Share if you hear any news about it!
I'm trying to think on the "cheap" related to your question.
If you don't have purple cloths, use an old sheet or garage sale tablecloth (cotton) and dye it purple.
If an Advent Wreath just seems too daunting, maybe make a wall banner with an Advent wreath design, "lighting" the candles as the weeks progress.
I love making salt dough ornaments out of my favorite cookie cutters.
We do straws in the crib/manger for good works, prayers and sacrifices, to prepare the manger for Baby Jesus.
This can be done with materials around the house -- shoe box for a manger, "straw" can be thin strips of paper.
Making Christmas ornaments out of used Christmas cards is one of my favorite things.
And books, books, books. Go to the library and check out lots of Christmas themed books, following Catholic Mosaic, Elizabeth's Advent unit, etc. Sharing these stories over some nice "wintery" drinks or snacks is one of my favorite things.
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ShawnaB
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I just wanted to add that our first advent wreath was nothing more than 4 taper candle holders on a plate, surounded by greenery...laurel, evergreen springs, and small pine cones. It was lovely, and as things dried out, the kids just went outside to replace them.
I've been trying to bring more of the outside indoors to decorate this season. For one thing, its beautiful, and very cheap...and the kids can participate in collecting. We gathered some orange rose hips and placed them in glass vases with candles on top. We're doing the same with acorns, and as the season moves towards advent, we'll be collecting baskets and jars of pine cones of various sizes. And you don't have to use flowers in your vases! During the winter, try holly boughs, cedar branches and laurels in vases filled with pretty stones, red glass 'jewels' (available cheap in the craft section at Wal Mart). Vase fillers are all the rage, and you can find them at discount stores. My favorites are the ones made with natural materials, like sand and stones and shells, but there are some pretty "fakies" as well that may look more seasonal.
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aiereis
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My husband's family always makes the first cookies of Advent on St. Nicholas's feast day. Last year was the first time we did that and I think we will continue this year. My husband and I always say the St. Andrew Christmas "Novena".
St. Andrew Novena Prayer to Obtain Favors (Feast Day 11/30-Begin Novena)
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen. (It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)
We also say a Christmas Novena beginning on December 16th and ending Christmas Eve. There are several different versions, so you probably could find one online.
There are lots of great feast days during Advent. You don't have to have dessert every day, but could do some sort of craft instead.
Jenn and Rachel both have some good ideas. Library books are free and there are so many to choose from.
Christina
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Lisbet
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Shawna, I love that look too, but I have found that I prefer mason jars over vases to hold these things. Just another option!
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MarilynW
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Hi Martha - this is a quick response - I can post links later. I also have photos which I hope to put on a blog (before my kids go to college!!!) We have a lot of traditions - they do not have to be costly.
1) Advent wreath - lighting and prayers before dinner each evening
2) Jesse Tree (can use a branch, poster board, mini tree - and print templates off Domestic Church) - we do the readings after dinner each night. Last year we made the ornaments using the Domestic Church templates, colored them, stuck on purple card and laminated. I splashed on a little golden ornament tree last year, but otherwise used a branch or posterboard. Illuminated Ink has a mini tree for $5 I think - also some ornaments but not the 24. We read Geraldine McCaughrean's book too.
3) O Come O Come Emmanuel - we sing each night at dinner. We are trying to learn in Latin this year.
4) Advent dinner routine - we make a special effort to have everyone together each evening - incorporate the above. Also with purple tablecloth and napkins, eat by candlelight.
5) Manger for Baby Jesus - straws put in each evening for good deeds
6)Kris Kringles - everyone picks a name out and has to make a gift and do kind things secretly for this person. We reveal Kris Kringles and give the gifts on Christmas Eve
7) Saint Nicholas - lots of activities for this. Cooking, ornaments, ideas from Saint Nicholas Center
8) Other Feast days we celebrate - Saint Lucy, the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadelupe.
9) O Antiphons and Christmas Novena. Last year we made the O Antiphon House that was Katherine's idea
10) Lots and lots of books as Jenn suggested. This year I hope to have Christmas Mosaic - trying to find some budget funds for it. It is supposed to be out soon I think. I have a whole list of our favorites if you need it.
11) We have a kid friendly creche scene. We make a gingerbread house - usually out of Graham crackers and ingredients my kids are not allergic to. We always visit a local farm - to see how cold and smelly and uncomfortable the stable where Jesus was born must have been.
12) Las Posadas - we read the Tomie de Paola book and the kids act it out for 9 evenings. Lots of arguments about who gets to be the donkey!!!
13) The Twelve Days of Christmas - I will post more of this later. We celebrate Saint Stephen (dh name day), St. John the Evangelist, Holy Innocents, Thomas a Beckett, Mary the Mother of God and Epiphany
14) Nativity Play - the kids put on - rather my poor dd tries to get her brothers to participate - often rather slapstick!
Just some ideas. I am adding new ones this year when I get some time - eg Advent teatime, Dawn's idea of Advent votive candles, and ... hoping and hoping to be able to get Catholic Mosaic!!! It sounds wonderful with recipes etc.
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Erin
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Well dh made our advent wreath the first year we were married and believe me we had no money then. You know if we had enough money for a chocolate bar to share we were doing well.
He took some fencing wire and twisted it into an cirlce shape, he twisted holes into it for the four candles. This way we have been able to use it year after year. Every year we find greenery to put on it, ferns, leaves from the trees and we hold it together by twisting a purple ribbon around it.
Oh and last year my ds12 made us a large manager(inspired by Jenn) from scrap wood. I can post pictures of both if you like. I'll have to think on this more because I have never spent much on advent decorations I have always done this on a budget. And besides I was inspired by Maria Von Trapp they made their decorations.
(I'm heading off to my sister's for her engagement party so I won't get the photos up till Monday)
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Patty LeVasseur
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I just went to Wal-mart and found the purple lights for $2/strand. It has been my experience that they tend to sell out of the purple lights as it gets closer to Christmas, but that might just be the area we live in.
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MaryatHome
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We made a felt ornament Jesse Tree when my children were younger. The first one was in a mom's group, but a few years later, we made one together, an ornament a day.
Mary
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KackyK
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Hey that makes sense about the purple lights being at Walmart now...our neighbors across the street decorate A LOT for Halloween, and they have strings of purple lights out. I guess folks are seeing it as a Halloween color. I'll keep my eyes open...maybe even in the grocery stores??!! hmmm...
But for other ideas...
A friend turned me on to this just last year and my kids and I loved it! I don't know how many Christmas picture books you have...but I wrapped up 24 books (I confess I did purchase some new ones too) and put them under a tree. Then each night a different child (we went in birth order) got to pick a book to unwrap and then either myself or my dh or oldest dd read the book to everyone. We did this after everyone was ready for bed. It was fun to have them unseen...some nights it was a Veggie Tale retelling or another night a board book or another night the Candy Cane legend or another night Silent Night. You just don't know what you'll get!
Also (learned this too from the same friend :-) we make an advent paper chain. There is a link for each day in advent. We have 2 weeks worth of purple links, then a week of pink links, then another week of purple. I take a nativity story narrative and try to break it up into the amount of links that I have. I type it up, print it out and cut out a sentence or two for each link. We glue those to the inside of the links. Then as each day goes by, usually at breakfast, a dc breaks off one link and reads the passage. They can visually see and then also "hear" how close we are to Christmas. We hang it up in different places each time. It's decorative too. A larger version I guess of an advent calendar.
Have fun!
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msclavel
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KackyK wrote:
| A friend turned me on to this just last year and my kids and I loved it! I don't know how many Christmas picture books you have...but I wrapped up 24 books (I confess I did purchase some new ones too) and put them under a tree. Then each night a different child (we went in birth order) got to pick a book to unwrap and then either myself or my dh or oldest dd read the book to everyone. |
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Oh Kacky! I love this. What a great way to read all those lovely Chrismas Mosaic titles. It will help me limit my purchase too as I am dying to run our and buy every single one!
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PDyer
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MarilynW wrote:
| 2) Jesse Tree (can use a branch, poster board, mini tree - and print templates off Domestic Church) - we do the readings after dinner each night. Last year we made the ornaments using the Domestic Church templates, colored them, stuck on purple card and laminated. |
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Our jesse tree ornaments are clipart pictures pasted on squares of purple cardstock, with a small summary of the related reading on the reverse. I punched a hole in one corner and made a hanger for each ornament out of silver curling ribbon. We put up our artificial tree on the first day of Advent and add the Jesse tree ornaments daily during "Advent Wreath Time". On Christmas Eve we do the last reading (the last O Antiphon, really) and then remove all the Jesse Tree ornaments to make way for all the shiny Christmas ornaments. We started this tradition about three or four years ago and the kids are really sold on it.
MarilynW wrote:
| 5) Manger for Baby Jesus - straws put in each evening for good deeds |
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I want to try the crib this year.
MarilynW wrote:
| 7) Saint Nicholas - lots of activities for this. Cooking, ornaments, ideas from Saint Nicholas Center |
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We have such fun with St. Nicholas Day. The hands down favorite of the kids is a St. Nicholas coupon book they find in their shoes in the morning. very simple -- I type up some simple treats in word (fresh batch of cookies, date with Dad, date with Mom, chore free day etc.), print them out and cover them with a red paper cover embellished with a festive sticker. They can present us with a coupon at any point during the year and we have to supply the wish within a few days.
Hope this helps.
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Ruth
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This is what we did last year.
The crafts were pretty inexpensive, between $5.00 and $10.00 total. The Advent Wreath, Christ Child in crib and the Nativity Scene were not 
God bless you. Ruth
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KackyK
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Ruth I love your Advent tree with the purple!
We can't have live trees in our house because I'd have an asthma attack within 15 minutes! So we have 2 fake trees...one larger than the other. The larger one has been for all of the fun ornaments we've collected or made...each one tells a story.
But our smaller tree that we stick in the bay window in the front is themed...it is our Mary tree, as we like to call it. All the glass balls are light blue or silver. There are silver ribbon bows and a light blue grosgrain wide ribbon which winds around the whole tree with a large matching bow on top...the ribbon is edged with silver and has silver flecks in it. All of my family is Protestant (I'm a convert)...so I love when they come over and see that tree and comment how nice it is...my kids say, "It's the Mary Tree!" Always amuses me!
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Ruth
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Thanks, Kacky. I love your idea of a "Mary Tree." We have a Holy Family Christmas Tree
This is another inexpensive idea for Advent. I found most of these ornaments at Kohl's for less than $5.00 each. I have been collecting them for years. I just bought 3 more this week.
The kids can put an ornament on the tree whenever they do a good deed beginning on the first week of Advent. We have a fake tree also.
I hope these ideas help.
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: let's Talk ADVENT!
