1) Kimberlee's idea for a sewn book bag is just delightful! We have done the gift wrapped books for several years now, but I like to change things up a little bit every now and then. I already mentioned that I wasn't going to wrap them this year but did at the last minute. I'm thinking next year a book bag might be the way to go.
2) We are joining in on the Wise Men Adventures. We pulled out the Playmobil Nativity set and have already sent the Wise Men on their first adventure. When searching for the Baby Jesus, it's a pretty wise idea to check the baby toys first! But inside the hippo? Really Balthazar?
3) I don't know who Sam Rocha is, but my friend Calah seems to like him a lot and I like what he has to say in this post here. Look, you could make an argument for just about anything. I could even see someone arguing that celebrating Advent in a more Christmassy fashion is like celebrating a baby's impending arrival before they've arrived with things like baby showers and shopping trips. But Sam's post makes sense to me and fits well with what we've always done. I don't think it needs to be a strict observance though and I think common sense should always take precedence. If you turn the Christmas music station on in the car to get a break from the newest pop phenom station, there is nothing wrong with that. And as I pointed out to Sam on FB, those of us with children who are musicians or choir members know that practice makes perfect and sometimes those Christmas tunes start getting practiced in October.
4) If you are looking for a super simple Jesse Tree, my SIL and I created this one last year. I drew the symbols and she wrote the reflections. You can do the longer Bible readings if you want or just read the verse and the reflections. You can find all of her reflections gathered in one document here and you can find my symbols here:
Jesse Tree Symbols Page 1
Jesse Tree Symbols Page 2
Jesse Tree Symbols Page 3
I absolutely love the idea of letting the older kids come up with new scenes! So clever, and brings them in on the fun!!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. Today, I am organizing my Advent to do list but also trying to keep things very simple. and every day is one day closer to this baby coming.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same over here, we slowly build up the expectation during December. The feasts of this season have a way of doing that quite naturally. Of course, we've been listening to hymns and carols played on our piano since late September. Some of those pieces are difficult and take weeks (months) to master. Only two more lessons until the Christmas recital! I've grown to like it - joy is never out of season.
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