Making time for the family during the Advent season

Nancy Scheid, has a background in Early Childhood and Family Social Work. The following material comes from a workshop that she holds about “Stopping the whirlwind of holiday activities and creating special times for your family that reflects the true meaning of Christmas”. Her hope is to help us with ideas to create a Christ centered Christmas for your children to remember.  You will learn:

• A little bit about some tools to create warm memories of the Christmas celebration.

• How to celebrate during the entire Advent season!

• Ideas for putting Christ at the center of your family’s celebration so you can help your children learn the real meaning of Christmas.

• How to acknowledge God in your Christmas preparations.

She has done this by creating 4 family nights during the Advent season, all with a different focus. You can view each night at the bottom of this page. If you have already missed out on any of the nights, don’t let that stop you or if you have other ideas that will suit your family better, do that. This is by no means a rule to follow, just helpful information.  The scripture references & lighting the candle are really the important parts of the evening, and of course spending time together as a family. What activities you choose to do on each night is really up to you. During this time, read the Christmas story out of the Bible for your children, but read the story to them in many other forms as well. This is a list of many excellent books that you can use to share this special story with your kids especially during the Advent time.

In order for Christmas to be extra special for your kids, they need YOU to keep things simple and appropriate and that YOU do things WITH them. Most of the time the process is more important than the results, and remember that too many activities can often be too much.

What is Advent?

Advent is the 4 weeks before Christmas. Advent means coming. In celebrating Advent we are preparing our hearts and minds for Christmas (or the coming of Christ).

The Advent wreath should be the center of your family celebration of Advent. The wreath should be a circle, the sign of unending love. Traditionally it was made of evergreen branches, a sign of everlasting life.  Four candles, one for each Sunday in Advent, are set in the circle with the Christ candle in the middle for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

The Advent candles can be whatever color you choose. The traditional colors are purple and pink, or the original color blue. The color is not important and in our house we use red because it is what we always used during my childhood. The candles can be short or tall, thin or fat or even votives or tea lights that might be easier and safer for young children. Ideally the Christ candle in the center should be bigger than the others and always white.

One candle is lit on the first Sunday in Advent , with an additional candle lit each Sunday until Christmas. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on whatever day your family celebrates Christ’s birth.

The candles have different meanings and for simplicity’s sake only four meanings will be covered here. The other meanings can be found on the internet if you want to do your own research.

Advent 1^st – the first family night – The Prophet’s (or Promise) Candle

 “A small group of God’s people hold out hope that God will come” “We are among them”

 Advent 2^nd – the second family night – The Bethlehem candle

 “A tiny town is painstakingly prepared to receive the Lord…as are our homes…as are our hearts.”

 Advent 3^rd – the third family night – the Shepherd’s Candle

“God’s glory surprises some shepherds, then draws them in…as we, too, are drawn to the Light”

 Advent 4^th – the fourth family night – the Angel’s candle

Heavenly messengers knowing the wonderful story, are commissioned to share God’s Good News…as, too, are we.

 Christmas Eve (after sunset) or Christmas Day - The Christ candle

Joy to the world the Lord has come!