It’s finally done after a few alterations and tweaks, I am happy to share with you our 2009 Advent Calendar.

Advent Conspiracy is more than just a guide for buying gifts to us. We believe that participating will change Christmas for us this year. We are hoping in the years to come it will allow us to worship more fully and allow our whole family enjoy the holiday with more sincerity. For our kids this doesn’t mean just saying no to Santa, it also means creating activities to allow them to worship throughout the season and establishing traditions that will encourage them to understand why we are celebrating.

It was from this notion that our Advent Calendar was conceived.

I started with 25 words that I felt epitomized the season. Words that I hope will deepen my kid’s understanding of all the hoopla going on around them this time of year.

I received the red date labels as a gift but you could easily make something like this at home using photoshop or even construction paper. I took each word and assigned it a day writing it directly on the calendar where it could be seen throughout the month.

Click here to download my 25 words for Advent

Then I came up with activities that would transcend kids of all ages. Read-sing-gift-create-color-design-act. Activities we could do with each of our children tweaked in slightly different way for age appropriateness through the years. I printed these words out on strips of paper.

I then sewed my labels onto burlap fabric with a thick #5 needle and embroidery thread. I stitched the sides and bottoms leaving the top open to stuff.

In each day I tucked the strip of activity paper and then spent a little time writing down the age appropriate ways we could celebrate the specific word of that day.  Some of them are very simple like day 14’s reading from Isaiah on how Jesus dwelt with us. Some days are more complicated- On day 15 we will give a secret gift to someone who we know will rejoice upon it’s receiving.

Stuffing your calendar with activities is a great alternative to candy but you could also stuff each day with a piece of chocolate or a special treat along with the activity.

The finished product was stapled onto canvas and hung by a ribbon.

Obviously this year the focus of our family celebration will revolve around the adults and in small ways (singing and reading) when we can include the babies. In the future though we will focus on activities that will allow our children to celebrate Christmas using these 25 words on a yearly basis. Repetition and activity breads understanding in young minds.

I am giddy in anticipation of all the fun and worshipful ideas we will enjoy through this tradition.

Drawing what a child perceives is holy. Going to serve someone who is poor. Acting out ways we can love one another. Caroling down the street with joy.

These are the ways our children will learn to truly treasure the Christmas season.

BLESSINGS