I have vague memories of the Blue Peter Advent crown that was really a mobile… Without googling I recall coat hangers, silver tinsel and real candles…
I have memories of an advent calendar I shared with my sister (I only had one sister at that stage) with door 24 being bigger and revealing a traditional nativity scene.
I remember discussions about when we would collect the tree, and watching my Dad saw off the bottom of the trunk or shaving it to make it narrower, or trimming the top… because it never quite fitted.
I remember pine needles in my feet from the day the tree arrived until January February March…
But I don’t really know when I started learning or thinking about what Advent really means. And it was only in relatively recent years that I discovered it’s the four Sundays before Christmas… which means that it sometimes starts in November…
However, and whenever Advent starts though isn’t really what matters (I don’t think!) It’s about being deliberate about preparing for Christmas. Not getting the M&S order in, or putting up the tree or writing cards but about choosing to spend time pondering. Reading. Thinking. Praying. It’s about making sure we don’t rush headlong into parties and shopping without stopping. Stopping to recall that Mary had around nine months to prepare for Christmas. God had been preparing it for much, much longer.
In past years, we have thought about Advent in Adventurers, Xplorers and Livi kids and we have prepared for our big carol service events with drama, games, live music and lots of guests. This year, without those face to face events we as parents need to be a bit more proactive about how we use Advent to get ready for Christmas. Can you find a few minutes each day to spend using a family devotional? (Paper and online versions are readily available.) Have you thought about making a nativity scene, advent wreath or Jesse tree? (Pinterest will get you going…)
One thing that might help is our very own Mungos Advent video devotions. Aimed at P4-7 but suitable for younger siblings too, this will be a daily video thought working through advent. It will only be a minute or two long and will be sent by whats app to a parent in those families who have opted in. Lots of families have already signed up but you can join in right up to 1st December (just email Caitlin.boddy@stmungos.org to be added)
Surely, in all the busyness of life, you can find one minute each day to look at your phone… Caitlin Boddy