Advent Smorgasbord

December 11, 2009 by Kate Wicker
Filed under Media Reviews, Photos, Resources

Life’s been incredibly busy, which explains the recent onslaught of photos (rather than words) of my kids that are incredibly interesting if you answer to the name of Grandma. Otherwise, not so much. Our family has lots of exciting things unfolding in our lives (no, I’m not pregnant), and I hope to go into more detail soon.

In the meantime, here’s a look at what we’ve been up to during the first two weeks of Advent:

Last year I was a super ambitious blogger and included a different way to celebrate this glorious season of waiting for each day of Advent. I had grand plans to do the same this year. God (and my husband) laughed at my plans and pointed out that anyone who includes “take a shower” on her to-do list probably ought to hold off on doing anything extra for a bit. That said, you can find my ideas from last year here.

Many of the posts reference family traditions like the handprint angels we make every year (we added Rudolph to the mix this year). Madeline is also already talking about making Jesus’ birthday cake with her Nana. And we always celebrate the St. Nicholas Feast Day on December 6th. This past weekend our stockings were hanging above the chimney with care with hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there (He didn’t disappoint and left small trinkets for the girls).

To remind my children of the man behind all the magic, we clicked around the St. Nicholas Center and also read about the Bishop of Myra from Sister Wendy’s Book of Saints.

The girls and I are participating in the Holy Heroes Advent Adventure. This is a great, free program that Madeline, who just turned 5, has really enjoyed. Part of the program is making ornaments for a Jesse Tree. Your tree can be as simple as you like. We’ve been making felt ornaments that look ~~a lot~~ remotely like the styles shown on Serendipity. In addition, we’ve been praying a decade of the rosary together using the Joyful Mysteries (almost) every day. After we pray the girls color a picture depicting that day’s Mystery or an illustration related to the Feast Day. On Tuesday they colored a picture of Mary in honor of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

We’ve set up our manger. Gaba (my mom) buys each of the girls a piece from the Fontanini collection. I can’t say enough good things about this Nativity set. It’s durable enough for little hands; yet, the figures are realistic and beautiful. Mary and Joseph are gathered in the stable, but in our home the Holy Family is not complete. During Advent Baby Jesus is missing from the manger and won’t appear until Christmas morning. I’ve carried this tradition from my own childhood. When Madeline asks where Jesus is, I tell her we’re waiting for him and we have to keep searching our homes (for the figure!) and our hearts for him (the real Him!). This reminds children of the “reason for the season.” We also have a baby doll crib where we add strands of yarn (to represent hay) each time one of the girls makes a sacrifice (like makes her bed without asking). Madeline is very eager to make the softest possible bed for Baby Jesus come Christmas.

I’m also using O Divine Night’s Alphabet Advent to make the season come alive for my little ones. The 2009 Advent season is 26 days long, so each day we cut a link from a paper chain that includes words associated with the season that begin with the letter from the alphabet that correspond to that particular day. Then I plan activities around the words.

For example, on the first day of Advent, we talked about angels and made these cute, little guys (pictured above), adapted from this craft idea. On the third day, we baked our first set of cookies for “C.” On the “D” day we listened to Little Drummer Boy and read the Ezra Jack Keats board book. We made gingerbread cookies and sang “Gloria” for “G” this week. You can do as much or as little as you want, but I’m trying to have at least one book to read for each day as well as a small craft or activity. There are tons of ideas for crafts, activities, and other ways to celebrate the Advent and Christmas season over at O Divine Night. Download the Advent Alphabet links here.

We’ve been reading a lot of wonderful stories. Here’s a sampling of a few of our Advent and Christmas favorites:

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona! by Tomie dePaola

“Why the Chimes Rang” from William Bennett’s The Children’s Book of Faith

We read this on “B” day since “B” is for bells. I’m a big fan of Bennett’s children’s book series. The illustrious Michael Hague provides the art for all of the books, which are filled with meaningful, engaging stories by myriad authors. The stories teach children about virtue, faith, patriotism, and what it means to be a hero. Both The Children’s Book of Faith and The Children’s Book of Virtues make great baptismal or First Communion gifts.

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

We don’t only eat those minty candy canes because they taste yummy as this Christmas tale reminds us. This book explains the origin of the candy cane from a religious perspective.

On this Special Night by Claire Freedman

This book’s breathtakingly beautiful illustrations are a visual feast. My girls love the depictions of the gentle farm animals who are following a star on “this special night” – the night our Savior was born.

Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus! Pictures by Ken Munowitz/text by Charles L. Mee, Jr.

This book is sadly out of print, but I remember loving it as a child and now enjoy reading it to my children. Madeline wants to act out the book on Christmas Eve for the extended family and has cast herself as Mary, Daddy as Joseph, Rae as an angel, me as the narrator, and M.E. as Baby Jesus.

The Last Straw by Frederick Thury

I’m getting a little ahead of myself here because this book is really an Epiphany tale about an old, prideful camel named Hoshmakaka who learns a lesson in humility as he carries a heavy load of gifts to the Christ Child. Madeline just saw the image of the book cover and said, “Oooooo. That’s my favorite Christmas book.” Mother tested, kid approved.

Next year I plan on using Elizabeth Foss’s Literature Unit for Advent and Christmas, so I’ll be adding a slew of books to my wish list. (Yes, I’m already thinking about next Advent. That’s what Type Aers – as in anal – do.)

As always, we’ll be spending time in the kitchen getting flour on the floor, in our hair, and everywhere else (ah, the joys of baking with little sous chefs). We’ve already made two batches of sugar cookies as well as a batch of gingerbread people (Madeline clothed most of them in gaudy garments embellished with every kind of sprinkle imaginable). All our cookies so far are smothered in frosting and waiting in the freezer with a “DO NOT EAT” (That means you, Daddy!) post-it note.

We’ll also be making some breakfast foods like muffins and breads (and maybe scones; you know how I can’t get enough of those things) to bring to my Mom and Dad’s since they’ll be hosting tons of family there this year. (It’s the least I can do to help Mom out who’s still recovering from her summer surgery).

I always let Madeline have a say when we’re picking out goodies to bake, and she really wants to make these Santa Hats so we’ll be giving them a try, too. (I haven’t had as much luck with meringue in the past, but I’m up for a new challenge in the kitchen. I’m crazy.)

Finally, I saw this food craft idea to make edible candles, and Madeline and I decided to adapt it to Advent. These might make a tasty addition to your Gaudete Sunday celebration.

To counter all these sweets, I’m keeping our lunch and dinner menus healthy and light and am making lots of soups and salads. (I recently raided the freezer and stripped it of all the Thanksgiving leftovers to make a hearty “stoup.”)

Speaking of Gaudete Sunday, our homeschooling co-op is having a party on Sunday afternoon. Older children will be performing a living rosary and will be acting out the Joyous Mysteries. Then we’re going to have a big fiesta in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe complete with a pinata and Mexican fare. I’m making a light and healthy salad. Combine corn (canned corn is fine), chopped red bell peppers, diced avocado, and black beans with olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper, and fresh lime juice. Serve cold or at room temperature.

How about you? How’s Advent coming along? I’d love to hear about any traditions you might have to celebrate this special season.

Tags: Advent, Crafts, Recipes

Advent Smorgasbord

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