Does Christmas sneak up on you? With all the end of year rush do you find that thinking about Jesus is at the bottom of the list?
Below are some resources which are simple ways to focus on Jesus and require minimal effort. Some can be ordered through CV and others you will need to get yourself.
Star from Afar
Star from Afar uses the same concept as Elf on a Shelf. The Elf on the Shelf tradition is that the elf is keeping an eye on the kids to report back to Santa if they have been naughty or nice. The elf is hidden around the house and is usually getting into some kind of mischief, eg playing with the kids toys, stealing biscuits.
Just as the star led the Wise Men, so our star will lead your kids to Jesus.
What you need:
- A star toy (can be purchased from places such as The Warehouse or Kmart)
How you could use this?
- Combine with any of these Advent calendars or nativity scenes to hide the items each day
- Hide with a treat and a short prayer for younger kids
- The story cards with the Kiwi Advent Tree (below) could be good to hide with the star
Advent Calendars
The Kiwi Advent Tree
What you need:
- Purchase your tree from The Warehouse – $15 (https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/the-kiwi-advent-tree/R2571479.html#q=advent+tree&start=1)
- Scissors
How you could use this?
- Add your own treats to each box
- Combine with Star from Afar and hide each day’s card with the star
Generosity Advent Calendar
What you need:
- Generosity cards (available from CV as a pdf or already printed)
- Scissors
- An advent calendar
How you could use this?
- Add the cards to an existing Advent calendar or create your own
- Combine with Star from Afar and hide each day’s card with the star
- Add your own generosity ideas
Gratitude Advent Calendar
What you need:
- Cardboard gift tags (available wherever stationery is sold)
- Pens
- Somewhere to hang the tags, eg Christmas tree, string
How you could use this?
- Get each member of the family to write something they are grateful for each day
- Combine with any Advent calendar
- Add your own generosity ideas
- Use the Advent themes of Peace, Hope, Joy and Love each week as ideas
Nativity Scenes
Lego Nativity Scene
Build up to Christmas by building part of the Nativity scene each day. Download the parts list and start assembling your bricks!
What you need:
- Lego
- Instructions – available at https://bigbrickstory.com/2018/11/08/build-your-own-nativity-advent-calendar/
Christmas on the Move
What you need:
- Print outs (available from CV)
- Scissors
- Felts, crayons, colouring pencils (optional)
How you could use this?
- Add a different character a few days apart
- As you add the characters, read their story from the bible
- Start the various characters in different parts of the house and each day move them closer to the stable. Use washi tape or tinsel to mark the road they travel
- Leave the characters as black and white or colour them in
Print and Colour Nativity Scene
A nativity scene that you colour in. Colour a few images each week to add to your manger. By Christmas, the whole scene will be complete
What you need:
- Print outs (available from CV)
- Scissors
- Felts, crayons, colouring pencils (optional)
How you could use this?
- Get each person in your family to colour in a different character
- As you add the characters, read their story from the bible
Devotionals
Jesus Storybook Bible
For every day of Advent, there is a printable ornament, and on the reverse of each ornament there is the related story to read in The Jesus Storybook Bible. As your family adds the ornaments to the tree, trace God’s hand through all the stories, and tell the one big story of God’s Great Rescue Plan—starting with creation and leading up to Jesus’ birth.
What you need:
- Printed cards (available from CV)
- Christmas ribbon or string
- Somewhere to hang each ornament – eg a tree, hooks, rope
How you could use this?
- Build each element as described on the website
- Combine it with Star From Afar to hide the card of the day
Names of Jesus
Create a paper chain of the different names of Jesus. Each day add a different name. Each name is accompanied by the scripture reference.
What you need:
- Printouts – available from CV or print your own from pdf
- Fun paper to print onto
- Scissors
- Stapler or tape
Sticky Note Challenge
Where is the one place everyone in your family is sure to visit every day? Yep, the bathroom. Each day write one of the names of Jesus on a Post It note and stick it up in the toilet or bathroom. Later in the day, take the sticky note and talk about the scripture reference and what it tells us about Jesus.
What you need:
- Post Its
- Sharpie pens
- List of names devotional (available from CV)
How you could use this?
- Combine it with one of the nativity scenes and stick these to the wall behind your scene
Prayer
Open Doors Prayer Guide
Open Doors serve the persecuted church. They provide resources and support for churches in the most dangerous places to be a Christian. The guide has a prayer for each day of the month.
What you need:
- Open Doors prayer guide (available online or from CV)
How you could use this?
- Combine it with Advent candles to light as you pray
- Pray for hope, peace, joy and love for each situation you pray for
- Consider purchasing one of their Gifts of Hope (purchase online at opendoors.org.nz)
Advent Placemats
Use the placemats each night as you eat dinner. The placemats use the Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love using resources from The Bible Project.
What you need:
- Advent placemats (ordered from CV)
How you could use this?
- As you sit down for dinner, read a different reading each night and discuss how Jesus relates and embodies each of these themes
- Using one theme per week, whoever has the placemat that night can read one of the scriptures from the placemat
- Combine with the Advent Candles
Advent Candles
Decorate each candle with one of the 4 themes of Advent. Light the Hope candle each night for a week when you eat dinner. The next week light the Hope and the Peace candle. Do this each week until you light all 4 in the fourth week.
What you need:
- 4 candles
- Sharpies
How you could use this?
- Simply have the candles burning while you eat dinner
- Combine it with the Advent placemats, Open Doors or Gratitude Calendar and light each candle as you pray
Share your thoughts on each Advent theme as you eat dinner. Relate it to news around the world or a situation you are facing.
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