Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Our (homemade) Advent Calendar

I have fond memories of taking turns with my siblings, opening little windows on a paper and cardboard Advent Calendar when I was a child… How we looked forward to it every year!

We’re now compiling ingredients for our first Advent Calendar – a prize “after Christmas clearance” find from last year! Our main idea is to emphasize the Savior – the true meaning of Christmas. Therefore, in the little compartments on our Advent Calendar, I’m placing little objects that emphasize specific truths followed by the Bible verses that state those truths.

The plan is to start simply, using objects already on hand and making the rest out of clip-art on paper and cardboard (with the Bible verses, copied and pasted from BibleGateway [links included below], rolled up as little scrolls and tied with ribbons) – and then improve year by year…

Here’s the plan:
  1. a heart
  2. John 3:16
  3. a little candle
  4. John 8:12
  5. a Christmas Star
  6. Revelation 22:16
  7. Mother and Child
  8. Isaiah 7:14
  9. a crown
  10. Isaiah 9:6-7
  11. Bethlehem skyline
  12. Micah 5:2
  13. the letters J-E-S-U-S
  14. Matthew 1:21
  15. a snowflake
  16. Isaiah 1:18
  17. a cross
  18. Romans 5:8
  19. a sheep
  20. John 1:29
  21. a shepherd
  22. John 10:11
  23. a small candy cane
    (reminiscent of “J” for Jesus and of a shepherd’s crook)
  24. John 10:14
  25. the nativity scene
Our almost four-year-old’s excitement is contagious! We opened Window #1 last night…


5 comments:

  1. WONDERFUL! what a beautiful tradition you are creating. I can see why your little one is psyched.

    I've seen those advent calendars around, but they were always beyond our means. Now I'll be on the look out post Christmas.

    Great to have you join the carnival - JOY is in the air!

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  2. Very creative -- I love that you are using objects you already have and making a few, too. Believe it or not, I don't have an Advent Calendar around here...and I have young kids! What a travesty! Thanks for inspiring me to make it a holiday tradition -- I'm going to be on the lookout for a good one like yours.

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  3. What a great idea and beautiful tradition to cherish for many years! Thanks for sharing today.

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  4. Love this idea! = )

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  5. Check out our progress:
    http://sonidosserranos.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-advent-calendar.html

    We are thoroughly enjoying this educational tool!

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