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