The time of Advent presents a wonderful opportunity for parents to convey the true meaning of Christmas at a level their children can understand. The four weeks leading up to Christmas can be the most special time of year – but the most stressful, as well. With presents to buy and goodies to bake, it is hard to bring order into the chaos and make the most of that time. Making an advent calendar with your children brings structure to this time, and also gives everyone something to look forward to each day.
If you are reading this in November, you may already be seeing Advent Calendars appearing in supermarkets and gift shops. Some will be made of wood, with dinky little boxes to be filled with tiny treats. Or, some will be sewn from festive fabrics. Then, you get the flimsy ones that you chuck after Christmas (if the chocolate lasts that long). These are the kind that are covered with mischievous elves and garishly coloured.
Advent calendars are so much fun, for kids and adults alike, if nothing else, just to have a dedicated “treat” time. Whatever their make-up, they DO help to get into the Christmas Spirit.
But the meaning of Advent goes far beyond just eating a piddly wee chocolate every day for the month of December. In fact, when it emerged as a practice around Christmas, the very first Advent observers did the very opposite.
What is the meaning of Advent?
The time of Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas, and ends on Christmas Eve.
It is the time of preparation and anticipation for the expected return of Christ. It commemorates His first coming as a baby born in a stable, and anticipates his second coming on clouds of Glory.
We do not actually know WHEN He will come in all His Glory, but the celebration of His first coming leads us to ponder when his second one will be, so it is a great time to fully embrace that and engage with it. When else do we spend a devoted length of time in preparation for the Second Coming?
May as well do it at Christmas time!
How did Advent originate?
There is no definitive starting point for Advent observation, but it was definitely in existence by the year 480 (source).
The first Advent Observers were monks who decided to dedicate the weeks leading up to Christmas to penitence and fasting. This was to prepare, spiritually, for the coming (hence, “Advent”) of Christ.
This was the way Advent was observed until the ninth century. It is still a big religious tradition of the Catholic and Anglican Churches, with the lighting of the 4 candles on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas.
Present Day Advent Observation
Advent is still widely celebrated, although it has lost a lot of the original gravity. It is observed in both Christian and non-Christian homes. But, instead of fasting and spending time in penitence, most people gobble their daily choc and count the hours till they can have the next one.
The advent tradition has become largely commercialised, with chocolate companies producing their own advent calendars and releasing them at Christmastime. Advent calendars are also available in more permanent forms from gift shops.
You may think that this commercialisation detracts from the original spirit of Advent. And, yes it does. It has changed it from a time of penitence and fasting into a time of devotion, or creativity, of bonding, and of treating.
While these things may not always be done to anticipate the coming of Christ, per se, they ARE done to cultivate joy, and gladness, and revelry in the season.
I, personally, like the shift away from penitence and fasting. Not to say that these things do not have their place. And indeed, if “Advent” is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ, then that could not be done without a good long look at ourselves.
On the whole, though, if I’m waiting to see my Saviour, I want to meet him with Joy and Gladness. So, I like that the Advent Calendar has been re-purposed to celebrate and anticipate the coming of our Lord through activities, stories and treats, rather than to dread the impending judgement.
Different Ways to celebrate Advent
Celebrating Advent is practiced in many ways other than the commercialised calendar. There are many different practices from all over the world, which we will look at now.
Advent candle
An interesting and age-old way to observe Advent is to get one large candle to light every day. The candle is marked for each day, and the candle is burned until it reaches the next mark. I like this form of observance, because there is something sacred about a candle with a single flame. It makes one feel quite pensive and peaceful. When the candle is lit, it could be a time of contemplation, or story time. If you know it will only burn for 10 minutes or so, you can devote your time in an undivided way to observing Advent and meditating on the true, beautiful meaning of Christmas.
Advent Wreath
Usually observed in churches, the wreath with four candles symbolises the passage of the 4 weeks until the Advent of Christ. One more candle is lit every week on a Sunday (1 on the first week, 2 on the second week…until all four are lit on the fourth week). I like this progressive candle-lighting, because it builds momentum and anticipation to the penultimate day: Christmas. Which is the whole point!
Advent Calendar
Like the single candle, an Advent calendar encourages a daily observance of advent. The calendar could contain a different devotion, story, or activity to do every day. You could get really creative here and have some fun. Get your children to think of activities and crafts to do, and they will get more excited about the whole thing. I love this idea, because it lets your children know that there is a plan each day (in what can be a demanding time).
Themes of Advent
There are four themes that coincide with the four weeks of Advent. These are marginally different for each religious denomination. If you are organising Advent in your own home, you could choose which theme you want to dedicate each week to, and centre your stories/devotions/activities around that.
As an idea, the themes tend to go in this order:
- Hope – Peace – Joy – Love or
- Faithfulness – Hope – Joy – Love or
- Prophets – Angels – Shepherds – Magi or
- Faith – Prepare – Joy – Love.
These themes provide a great framework for your lessons and activities.
Why an Advent Calendar is a great thing to do at Christmas
There is much potential for memorable family moments by observing Advent, and specifically with the Advent Calendar.
As a daily task reminder, an Advent Calendar forces you, as a parent, to have intentional time with your children, whether that be just eating a choccy, or doing an activity, or sharing a story together.
Related: Activities you can do with your Children this Christmas
An Advent Calendar is a great way to build anticipation for Christmas. However you fill your Advent Calendar compartments, if all of these have a Christmas-centered theme, then the magic of Christmas can be made to last an entire month.
There are so many wonderful Christmas themes to build upon and instill in your children through the medium of an Advent calendar. Generosity, selflessness, joy, hope, peace, and kindness can all be conveyed through the various activities you choose to do and stories you choose to tell.
Having an advent calendar provides the platform for you, as a parent, to have intentional time to embed these virtues in your children. What other time of the year can you have a whole month dedicated to this?
Activity Ideas for the Advent Calendar:
- Look up a long Christmas story, and read a bit of that every day, ending at Christmas. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a good option – nice and long with a great moral.
- Make Christmas Tree Decorations – examples include: Gingerbread Men, dehydrated orange garlands, salt-dough ornaments or hessian (burlap) bunting.
- Put your Christmas tree up
- Make Christmas treats to deliver to your friends and neighbours
- Make Christmas cards to deliver to your friends and neighbours
- Help your kids make gifts for everyone in your household.
- Make cut-out snowflakes
- Share a devotion of one of the Advent themes
- Make Hot Chocolates and watch a Christmas Movie
- Decorate a Gingerbread house
- Drive to see some Christmas lights
- Plan and rehearse a Christmas Play for Christmas Day
- Sing everyone’s favourite Christmas Carols
- Give each child a window in your house, which they can decorate to their hearts’ content (under your guidance, of course).
- Do a puzzle together
- Make a Christmas cake
- Decorate your table
- Let each child decorate their room for Christmas.
- Dress-ups using toilet paper.
Final thoughts on Celebrating Advent
Whether you are religious or not, observing Advent is just a fun way of maximising every day leading up to Christmas. It ensures you extract the most out of your Christmas Season.
The themes that pertain to Advent are not exclusive to Christianity. We ALL need hope, peace, love and joy. Sometimes, when we need to teach our children these things, we find them, ourselves.
So jump on the Advent train, and share in the comments how YOU made it yours.
