Advent: Day 1

Every year, I tell myself we're going to do an Advent study and countdown at our house and every year, I fail because I just can't seem to get anything together by myself. I mean, we do lessons here and there about preparing our hearts for the Christmas season and about why Jesus came, but nothing daily. This year, I finally decided to purchase an Advent study called Truth in the Tinsel (this is not a paid review and I paid full price for the book and printables) that includes a lesson for each day, a passage of scripture, a craft, and several printables. The crafts are normal kids' crafts that use tissue paper, beads, pipe cleaner, glue, etc. However, they also sell a file that includes printable ornaments, if you don't have or don't want to buy all of the materials for the regular crafts. I decided to go with the printable ornaments this year, but we may do the regular crafts next year.

Today was day one and I was very excited to start the study with the kids. We made a really easy, inexpensive (I think I spent $2.50 total at Hobby Lobby for the materials) countdown to hang on the wall that has the clue for each day on the back. Kade keeps trying to peek at all of the days and I won't let him, so he will be really excited to find out the hint for each day.

Today, the hint was the word "Light" with a candle. 

We read in Isaiah about Jesus coming to be a light in the darkness and how that darkness is in our hearts if we don't have Jesus. While I was talking, they worked on their ornaments.

Aftewards, we cut them out, punched holes in the top, and hung them on our tree. It would be nice to have a tree just for our Advent ornaments. We may have to find something.

We also sang "This Little Light of Mine" and I told them that when we have the light of Jesus inside of us, it can shine out of us and help others find their way to Jesus.

Thank you, God, for our light, Jesus, who can pierce the darkness of our hearts and show us the way to You.