The First Sunday Of Advent

Morning Walk





















Jesse Tree



Playing with the nativity





Our Blackboard


Christmas Journals





Advent Cake


Our Advent Wreath

Advent Family Worship

Our Advent Family Worship ~ Each Sunday in Advent

This is a repost of how we celebrate each advent Sunday in our home.

borrowed heavily from Kathy

Advent Week One

Scripture ~ Isaiah 9:2,6
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Hope (prophecy) Candle (purple)

Themes to discuss
~God keeps His promises
~God promised to send a saviour
~Jesus promised to return


Prayer ~
Lord Jesus, We thank You for being our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father & Prince of Peace. As we enter the Christmas season, give us grace that we may turn away from works of darkness, turn towards Your light. As You sent your messengers the prophets to prepare the way of salvation, may we prepare our hearts to celebrate the dawning of Your everlasting light.
In your name we pray, Amen.


Hymn ~ Away in a Manger



Advent Week Two

Scripture ~ Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Luke 2:1~7
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Love Candle (purple)

Themes to discuss
~God sent Jesus because He loves us
~Jesus came because He loves us
~We show love to God by loving other people.


Prayer ~
Almighty God, You are the Author of history. You created the heavens & the earth, all that is seen & unseen. In the fullness of time, Your Word became flesh & dwelt among us, full of grace & truth.As we look forward to the coming of your Son, please give us hearts to serve, as Jesus would have us serve one another.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.


Hymn ~ O little town of Bethlehem


Advent Week Three

Scripture~ Luke 2:8-20:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.


The Joy Candle (rose)

Themes to discuss
~Jesus saved us from our sins, which gives us joy
Tree Ornament ~ Bell

Prayer ~
Dear Lord Jesus, There is so much about your birth & life that we do not understand, but we understand enough to be amazed just as the shepherds were. Forgive us for not marvelling more at such a gift; for not pondering this great message in our hearts. Help us to remember You. And help us to notice somebody who needs to be told about Your love for them. give us the courage to spread Your good news.
For the sake of Christ’s Kingdom we pray, Amen

Hymn ~ Silent night


Advent Week Four

Scripture ~ Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

The Peace Candle (purple)

Themes to discuss
~Jesus brought peace to our hearts
~When He returns He will bring peace to the world

Prayer ~
Heavenly Father, Forgive us for seeking to remove Your presence & influence from our lives today. We confess our rebellion against Your absolute sovereign Lordship, & ask that You would create instead a deep desire for You to rule over us. Enable us to delight in this little child who is now the King of kings, & to show our love for Him through our obedience.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen


Hymn ~ The First Noel

Christmas Eve

Scripture ~ Luke 1:68-69
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

The Christ Candle (white)

Themes to discuss
~We celebrate because Jesus was born
~We celebrate because Jesus is our King

Prayer ~
O Lord God, Thank you for visiting Your people with salvation. How you have cared for us, as a Shepherd over His sheep, as a Father with His children. Look upon our joy this day as we celebrate the Messiah’s birth, & cause us to honor & serve Jesus, the lover of our souls.
In His precious name we pray, Amen.

Hymn ~ Joy To The World

Advent Reading

Well, our school books have now been packed away in the attic until next year! The Christmas book basket has been brought down to the living room & I would like to share with you...

Elianna's daily reader for December will be Santa's Favorite Story
I must say the illustrations in this book are charming!

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell GrahamWill be our daily read aloud.
We shall be dipping in & out of the book basket to supplement our reading each day.

The Very First Christmas

The First Christmas

We have had this for years - I think it was the first Christmas book I bought when Elianna was a tiny baby

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore; illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Mary did you know?

Favorite Christmas Carols

The Cobweb Curtain

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Board Book by Jan Brett

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery

My First Story of Christmas

The Tailor of Gloucester (The World of Beatrix Potter) by Beatrix Potter

Jesus' Christmas Party

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers

Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola

Merry the Lamb Finds Baby Jesus

This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar

The Legend of the Candy Cane

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Tale of Three Trees

Getting Ready For Advent!

This is such a wonderful time of year!
Here is how I prepare for the first Sunday in Advent:

Set up our Jesse tree

Each morning at breakfast, we add a decoration to our Jesse Tree. We use the Jesse tree devotions here. However, I personally do not think all of the devotions are age appropriate for my children, so some of them I change or miss out altogether.
Our decorations are home made - some sewed from wool felt, some needle felted, some are simple pictures drawn by my girls.

Our Advent Wreath

In previous years & have used a huge iron thing, wrapped in holly & ivy, however this year I shall be using this wee ring

Our Advent Calendar

I hang this up - it is a simple thing with felt pockets - & a chocolate in each : )

Begin our Christmas Journals

The girls begin a new book each year - on Stir Up Sunday. They decorate the cover with old Christmas cards & stickers. We are off School for December (more about that in another post), so we use it for recording sketches, photos etc throughout advent.
You can see one from last year here
I have a simple journal that I have kept for years. Priceless!

My Christmas devotional reading

This year I shall be reading Immanuel: Praying the Names of God Through the Christmas Season

Choose the childrens evening story book

This year -Advent Storybook: 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas

Begin our Nativity scene.

We have a lovely pottery set that I bought as a newly wed. It goes on our Nature table. Animals, Mary & Joseph, shepherds , baby Jesus on Christmas day & finally, on The Epiphany, the Wise Men.

Bring out our play Nativity set.

You can see the one we have here It is a treasure. I have to confess to playing with it myself : )

Play Carols

Over & over & over! I love it! LOL!

Bake our ‘Happy Advent’ cake

Very simple, always in a bundt tin, always with glitter.

Our Advent Family Worship will be as follows:

borrowed heavily from Kathy

Advent Week One

Scripture ~ Isaiah 9:2,6
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

We light the Hope Candle

Themes to discuss
~God keeps His promises
~God promised to send a saviour
~Jesus promised to return


Prayer ~
Lord Jesus, We thank You for being our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father & Prince of Peace. As we enter the Christmas season, give us grace that we may turn away from works of darkness, turn towards Your light. As You sent your messengers the prophets to prepare the way of salvation, may we prepare our hearts to celebrate the dawning of Your everlasting light.
In your name we pray, Amen.


Hymn ~ Away in a Manger

I hope to post more soon about our Advent school plans & our traditions for the advent season.
I would love to hear about your plans.

Stir Up Sunday!

Our Day In Pictures & Words...

Our early morning nature walk..










We always see two Robins together, every time we walk this way. They are quite friendly & come quite close. Today, there was only one....





















Elianna modeling the mittens she has knit for herself. I am a proud mummy!



After our morning walk we went off to church. Home for lunch & then on to the 'Stir up' part of Sunday!

Making wishes....





Our first hint of Christmas has arrived!



The girls are now tucked up in bed, the Christmas cake is still baking - what a glorious smell!!!
I am off to enjoy a little tipple of Damson gin & get a little knitting done (are the two compatible????)
How was your stir up Sunday?

Stir Up Sunday

Oh, I do love this time of year! Preparing for Christmas - I think I love advent as much as Christmas Day itself.
Sunday will be 'Stir Up Sunday' - the traditional day to bake Christmas cakes & puddings.

You can read more about the tradition & the recipes I use in this previous blog post.

Previous Stir Up Sundays are here & here

I would love to hear your own Christmas baking plans