I all, with Christmas around the corner, I thought I'd through out my thoughts on the holiday and what I do to prepare.
Growing up, I never had an advent candle. Or an advent calendar.
I always wanted one, too. I'm a person who likes symbolism. I get it. I enjoy it. And I'm hoping to pass a little of that love onto my boys. Ever since Andrew was born, I began using an advent candle. I have a green wreath, 3 purples, and 1 pink candle. I tell Andrew each candle has a "meaning." Hope, Love, Joy, and Faith. We burn our candles whenever we eat. So far we've done Hope and Faith.
This year, I've put verses of the Christmas story out of Luke in the Advent Calendar along with a little treat. Andrew enjoys reading the verses. Joe, who is 4, just wants to make sure he gets his share of the treat.
Every week that Andrew goes to Religious Ed, he brings a canned good out of our pantry for the food drive at the church. It's a very rewarding feeling to give so unselfishly.
Joe, who is 4, goes to Little Church. It's a preschool for children while Mass is going on. I help to teach the 3's Little Church. This last week he learned about St. Nick and how St. Nick would leave money and items in the stockings or shoes near the fireplace. St. Nick was called Sinterklass in the Netherlands. Out of Sinterklass grew Santa Claus.
Joseph decorating the tree.
This season, as we prepare for Christmas, let's not forget the reason for the reason.Luke 2, 1-7
In those days a decree went out from aesar Augustus that the whoel world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galiee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrohed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clohtes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
Does anyone have a Christmas book they want to share? One they like to read to their children?
Smiles
Steph
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