Christmas Countdown

The Christmas Countdown: Creating 25 Days of New Advent Traditions for Families

by Margie J. Harding

112 pages

NonFiction - Christmas Preparations & Traditions

We discovered this book a few years ago in the Solanus Casey Gift Shop in Detroit and it has become our go-to book of family activities and daily advent traditions! I store it with my extra Christmas cards and usually pull it out about the same time each year. (Admission: I might be a bit behind this year!)

The prayers and activities are simple enough to not feel burdensome during the hectic holiday rush and adaptable to a variety of age ranges within the family. At the same time, the prayers and activities are meaningful and effective at preparing our hearts and home for Christmas.

Each day in advent is a 4 - 5 page section in the book that contains: 

• A bible passage (about 5 - 10 verses) that you can look up yourself as well as the single key verse printed in the book. I just read the key verse to my young children, but plan to have the kids find and read the bible passages when they are able. 
• A one page reflection, followed by a couple questions to discuss with your family. I usually skip to the questions with my young children, but plan to share the reflections with them when they are older. The questions are such that you can have a simple conversation with a young child or a more complicated conversation with older children.
• Family Activity - something small but specific that you can do together to practically prepare for Christmas. Examples include creating a handmade Christmas card, baking cookies, making an advent paper chair and wrapping a gift. My girls love these activities and look forward to them every year! As a parent, sharing the joy of these experiences with my girls breaths life into some otherwise wearying holiday tasks. Sharing the experience of wrapping a gift or making a card together every year becomes a precious memory.
• A special Christmas carol (with lyrics) for the day. Honestly, we skip the rest of the section with our young children, but look forward to growing into it as the kids' attention spans grow! The great thing about this book is that it can be used as needed to enhance your family's holiday experience without becoming burdensome.
• An Adult Challenge for parents to deepen their understanding of the meaning of the season.
• A Child Prompt with an open ended statement for children to complete. This gives parents insight into their child's mind and heart as Christmas approaches.

I highly recommend this book to families with elementary school children! It is an easy but meaningful way to create holiday traditions. The book is very comfortable and user oriented. The great thing about this book is that it can be used as needed to enhance your family's holiday experience without becoming burdensome. This book has been a blessing to our family!

RECOMMENDED FOR: Families with elementary school children.