Advent

(Sorry about yesterday. At about 9pm, after a full day of child-wrangling, house-cleaning, and dinner-cooking fun, I was hit with the bug. I'm just now--at noon today--starting to feel a bit more human.)

Yesterday was December 1--day one of counting up to Christmas! We've had an advent "calendar" since Zee was a baby--it is a painted wooden Christmas tree with an arch of 23 bright red beads across the top. Each day a bead gets moved, and the final night has a star. The kids take turns at moving the daily bead. (And then I count the beads every morning, because it is just too tempting to move them back and forth.)

This year my kids (at least Em and Zee) are old enough to appreciate a little more out of Advent season. Traditionally (I think), Advent is celebrated on the four Sundays before Christmas, with scriptural readings and songs and candles and stuff. I wanted to do something (very little) every day, to remind my kids that Christmas isn't just Santa and toys and yummy things to eat.

I made up a little Advent schedule of my own. I decided to base it on the Plan of Salvation, simplified to a four-year-old and six-year-old mindset. Basically, I wanted to emphasize the need for a Redeemer and then the events leading up to His birth.

Last night we lit a candle and (while I was making grilled cheese sandwiches) talked about father and mothers, Heavenly Father, and the fact that we are children of God. Then I sent Zee and Em on a "treasure" hunt to find the "Proclamation to the World on the Family", which hangs on our wall in the front room. ("Go find a picture with writing on it, hanging on the wall!") Once they found it, we read the part about being spirit sons and daughters of God. Then we went back into the dining room and Zee got to blow out the candle. (Em's turn will be tonight, Gee's tomorrow, etc.)

All told, it took maybe five minutes. It was fun, and hopefully we can keep it up all month.

And I'd love to share.

At the end of every post this month, I'll put the scripture and topic we're doing for the next day. That way, if anyone wants to play along, you can! Today, I'll give you yesterday, today, and tomorrow, to get all caught.

----------------
Advent Day 1: We are children of God. Proclamation on the Family, "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny."

Advent Day 2: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created the world. 3 Nephi 9:15: Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name." Moses 2:1: And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak. I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things; yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest."

Advent Day 3: Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, and they lived in the Garden of Eden. Moses 1:34 "And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many." Moses 4:26 "And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living; for thus have I, the Lord God, called the first of all women, which are many."