The Ultimate Advent: Top 7 Things to Do During Advent

I send this to my mom's group every year. It's been tailored to a more national audience, and I certainly hope you can go through this and determine for your family how to make Advent a time of prayerful anticipation.

Advent and Christmas Traditions Book - Buy this book on Amazon!

I know Colleen, this author, and I love the heart she has for sharing traditions with generations of kids. She has a planning page in the book, and she has "graded" every project as Easy (like for toddlers or moms of infants), Medium, and Hard. There are pages upon pages of traditions and history and our Faith, and I LOVE it, and if you ever want Colleen to come to a group at your Church or a moms group or something, she's been to events with Father Leo Patalinghug, and she'd love to attend yours -- and she comes bearing delicious goodies!

Every year I do the cinnamon roll advent wreath for 1st Sunday of Advent (or whenever I get to it), the kids put foil over a cookie sheet, arrange the Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls in a circle (you could have them make them from scratch), dye the icing green with toothpicks, decorate the tops with purple and pink anything (we've used gum drops, nerds, etc., and enjoy a very simple and time-savvy tradition each year.

I went through the book when I had too many littles, and grabbed 3 Easy projects and did those - St. Lucy's Eyes, Chocolate Nativity Scene (chocolate molds are at craft and cake supply stores and online), and Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Mmmm... ok, now I want to make these again! Now, each year, we always start off the 1st Week of Advent with a cinnamon rolls advent wreath, because it's deliciously easy.

Top 7 Things to Do During Advent

Advent Adventure
Advent Adventure by holyheroes.com - sign up... ages 9mo-... around 8-12 year old lose interest depending on the nature of your 8yo going on 35yo.
I love the videos, I love the coloring pages, and quizzes and just fun activities.

Jesse Tree

Jesse Tree on your empty and lit or unlit Christmas tree until Christmas Eve.

Holy Heroes has a SUPER DUPER simple Jesse Tree if you don't have it. It's basically spending every day of Advent reading the Old Testament Scriptural references to Jesus' coming with an image for each day to hang on the Jesse Tree. Example: snake and apple for the first sin, whale for Jonah, tree stump with leaf for the root of Jesse... I am sending my version of the Jesse Tree.

It teaches me a lot about our Salvation History!!

Every year, I love meditating on whatever the Holy Spirit puts on my heart.

It will be a truly miraculous year if I ever do every Jesse Tree each day... I try.

Holy Half Hour

Go to a local Holy Half Hour (holy hour tailored to kids). SO beautiful. If you don't know of one in the diocese, ask a priest and take more moms who are interested to show clear investment from more than one family.

Immaculate Conception Shrine

During Liturgical Christmas, go to Shrine of the Immaculate Conception or a basilica and see their nativity scene and the beautiful decor.

Baby Jesus' Manger Preparation

Basically, grab a basket that could pass as a manger, and add either strips of paper on which your kids write their sacrifices and acts of kindness, or grab some fake straw from the craft store.

Here's an article about it.

Bethlehem Walk

These are AWESOME! Basically churches all over here stage a "Bethlehem" with live animals, stations, things for the kids to take away and a meditative experience for all.

When to Decorate for Christmas?
What else... celebrate Advent in Advent. There are tons of Catholic blogs about this waiting topic. Here's a recent one.
Celebrate Christmas for at least 12 days if not ... til Candlemas like our pastor prescribes. ;-)