Second Week of Advent

Welcome to the second week of Advent! This week, we light the second purple candle symbolizing peace. We think of ways to create peace at home, at school, at work, and everywhere we go. We think of ways to create peace in the world around us, even in places we have never been. We think of how to create peace in our hearts and our minds. What can you do this Advent season to create peace?


I also want to share two resources with you.

http://www.loyolapress.com/liturgical-year-advent.htm 
The first one is a great website with ideas for activities, reflections, and calendars. Although it is a week and a bit late, I do recommend checking out the calendar. There is a printable version and an online version for kids and adults with reflections for each day. There is also a section with some Advent prayers you can say as a family during this season and some short video clips about great works of art and Advent for those interested in art history.

http://www.catholicicing.com/the-reason-for-the-season-challenge-are-you-ready-for-it/

The second link is an article published on one of my favourite blogs for art and activities for kids throughout the year (The graphic above comes from the website as well). It talks about balancing the commercialism of Christmas with the Holy celebration of Advent and the birth of Jesus. The author is a mom of young children and shares her ideas for celebrating Santa, Rudolph, the Elf on the Shelf, etc. without forgetting about the 'reason for the season.' While you are on her site, check out some of the other posts as well as she has some great crafts and activities to do with children of different ages.

FINALLY, we celebrated two special days in the past week! December 6th was the Feast of Saint Nicholas and December 8th was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (celebrating the conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus). This is a great time to learn about the Saint Nicholas and Mary, so take a peek online and see what kind of stories, songs, or activities you can find and share them with your kids.

Have a great second week of Advent!

Alyssa

Mother Teresa Quotes on Advent

Are we ready to receive Him? Before the birth of Jesus, his parents asked for a simple dwelling place, but there was none. If Mary and Joseph were looking for a home for Jesus, would they choose … your heart, and all it holds?
Let us pray that we shall be able to welcome Jesus at Christmas not in the cold manger of a selfish heart, but in a heart full of love, compassion, joy and peace, a heart warm with love for one another.
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The First Week of Advent

Welcome to the first week of Advent! As we enter this busy time of the year, I encourage you to take some time to away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, baking, and tying things up at work and school to really focus on preparing for the birth of Jesus. Take some time as a family and think of things you can do to get ready for Jesus' Birthday. At children's liturgy, we talked about all the things we do to prepare for our Christmas guests--setting the table, cooking, buying presents, doing laundry, cleaning the house, writing cards, etc. But, what do we do to get ready for Jesus? We spend so much time getting ready the big Christmas dinner or Christmas morning and forget about the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Every day that you spend preparing for Christmas guests, Christmas dinner, or Christmas gifts, take some time to also prepare for the birth of Jesus. Pray as a family. Create your own meaningful Advent calendar. Listen to faithful Christmas music. Write letters to Jesus. Create your own nativity scene. Go see a play or movie about the nativity. Write a family Christmas prayer. Think of an Advent goodwill project to do as a family. For those of you who love pinterest as much as I do, take a peek at all the other ideas out there as well. This is a busy time, but it is also a beautiful and joyous time. As you begin your Advent journey, here is a great video that speaks to many of us at this time of year. Enjoy!