Advent Activities

This year, I started a new tradition with the crazies. We have a homemade advent calander and have been doing small activities to celebrate and look forward to Christmas all month. Some of the activities are small winter fun things, like having hot cocoa for dessert or watching a Christmas movie with popcorn. Some of the activities are more holiday oriented, like going to see Christmas light displays and making ornaments. Others are charitable activities like making red kettle donations out of piggy banks, bringing winter clothes to donate at Goodwill, and buying a toy for Toys for Tots. And the last few are reminders of the true meaning of Christmas, reading Matthew chapter 1, Luke chapter 2, and a children's book about the birth of Christ. I really want my kids to know that Christmas is important because of Christ. I want them to realize that we only give each other gifts to remind us that the Magi brought gifts to Christ and that Christ is God's gift of salvation to the world. I am excited to see these things starting to make sense to them.
One day when we were leaving WallyWorld, Fia asked to put a quarter in the red kettle. After she dropped it in, the bell ringer said "Oh thank you, Santa saw you do a good thing!" Fia frowned at her and said "Santa isn't real." The woman insisted he was real, and Fia said "No, my parents give me gifts at Christmas to remember Jesus' birthday!" She tossed her hair and stomped away, irritated that the bell ringer was insisting on being wrong. As I followed her, the woman shot me a look and said "They'll resent you for that someday." I just smiled and wished her a Merry CHRIST-mas. I highly doubt my children will resent having an honest, open relationship with their mother, or learning about their Savior's birth! It was exciting to me that Fia stood her ground and didn't cave when confronted by an untruth. What a strong little girl. :)