Adventschooling Plans for 2019

Celebrating Advent in a new-to-us home in a new-to-us city brings about mixed feelings. On the one hand, the reason for the season has not changed, our appreciation for a cradled King has not lessened, and our desire to focus our hearts on His birth and all that it has brought to the world has not wavered. But on the other, a new place means that we'll be celebrating all of these things with new people.

Will we bring unrealistic expectations of past Christmases into this one?
Will our new friends understand and value our traditions and make room for us in theirs?

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With a change of locale, some of our favorite Advent Countdown Calendar activities won't continue because they simply can't. We obviously can't get together with longtime family friends for the 14th Annual Gingerbread House Building party when said family friends now live two hours away.

And because we want to be available to form connections, relationships, and traditions with new friends, we know that many of our previous Advent pastimes will get cramped out by others.

That's why, this year, in the midst of forging new plans in this new place and with these new people, I plan to hold a tight grip on a few specific liturgies of our Christmases past. They will act like tethers, binding this new life with the old, helping my children hold their place and not feel uprooted from everything they loved from before.

At the center of it all will be the One whose birth bound all of humanity together, no matter their place of origin or their time in history. From the tribal groups of Ecuador to the wealthy socialites of New York City, from the first-century martyrs to the woman standing next to me at the Christmas Eve candlelight service--we are all connected through the Son.

I'm trusting that the following Advent traditions will stand as simple reminders of that unity. Here's what Advent 2019 holds for us:

Morning Time Plans

Remarkable Advent- We've already started reading this just-released book which beautifully narrates the stories of the key players of Christmas, from Zechariah and Elizabeth to the lowly shepherds keeping watch in the fields. I've no doubt it will give us all a new appreciation for our long-standing tradition of reading the Nativity.

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Vintage Christmas Carol songbooks- We own several vintage Christmas carol books that I've picked up at garage sales over the years. And as always, we'll replace our normal hymns-of-the-month with a few of these Christmas classics.




Memory Verse

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." ~ Isaiah 9:6

Countdown to Christmas with a Nativity Scene- At the close of Morning Time, each of the kids will unwrap one of our heirloom Nativity pieces and place them all in certain designated spots around the house.

Read Alouds

The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins- This Thorton Burgess-esque book is the first in a trio of books that follows the Woolkins, a family of mice, throughout the entire year. In this first adventure, we'll meet Geraldine as she faces the trials of the impending winter. 

Admittedly, this title is a bit juvenile for my older children. But, I thought it would be a nice inclusion for my youngest son who has had to keep pace with a few lengthier and more complicated read alouds in recent months.  

In addition, we will continue our Countdown to Christmas with Books tradition that we've enjoyed for the past 14 years, incorporating picture books that tell the true story of the Nativity (not the fabricated versions peddled by so many children's book publishers) as well as living books that recount memorable Christmases of old.

Other Advent Activities

Advent Countdown with the Names of Jesus- We will end dinner time by unwrapping one of the Christmas names of Jesus, reading the corresponding Scripture passages, and hanging our homemade ornament on the tree.

Chalk Pastel Christmas Art- My kids have never really enjoyed doing Christmas crafts, but they seem to always welcome fine art projects. I've sprinkled in a few Christmas themed chalk pastel tutorials from our You Are an Artist membership as well as a couple of basic Christmas art projects into our countdown activities.

My Advent plans are never set in stone. I hold them tight, but also loosely, knowing that sometimes the very best and most meaningful activities are the unplanned kind.

However, I also know that we're all prone to pay more attention when I give attention to my planning. So with that in mind, I'm grabbing hold of Advents past and tenderly tucking them around us in this new place with these new people in hopes that they will help us form the first layer of many new memories.

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