Advent resources for families

As a parent we want to make the most of every season. Christmas time is no exception. I remember a few years back looking for ways to help my kids “get” the true meaning of Christmas. I’m not anti-santa just more of a Santa agnostic. We tried to teach our oldest that Santa wasn’t real for a while and a few years ago despite our best efforts he opened his gifts and said “Dad, Santa is so good to us.” Boom. Christian parent fail.

I decided to tell my kids there was a real Santa and his name was St. Nicholas. Through the centuries St. Nicholas has continued to be venerated by
Catholics and Orthodox and honored by Protestants. By his example of
generosity to those in need, especially children, St. Nicholas continues
to be a model for the compassionate life. I tell my kids that people want to dress up like him to honor his generosity, but the real reason we celebrate Christmas is the generosity God showed us in Christ.

What we use to reinforce that is we celebrate Advent. We read and pray and wait all of December for the coming of Christmas like the world waited for the coming of the Messiah. This year we are doing Ann VosKamp’s Advent devotional. Here are a list of a few others I know of.

1. Truth in the Tinsel
   
2. Jesus Storybook Bible –
   
   I did a blog post last year that we unexpectedly discovered that there are 24 bible stories that lead to the Christmas story in Sally Lloyd-Jones’ book. We read one each day. If you haven’t figured it out already we are big fans of all people named Lloyd-Jones in the Luce house.
3. Unwrapping Christmas –

   
   This year our family will be going through Ann’s fresh release. I love Ann’s passion for gospel as evidenced in her writing. Gratitude is more than a good idea it’s a sign of a life marked by the gospel of Christ. In Ann’s latest offering she has produced a Advent devotional that is as beautifully illustrated as it is written.

4. The Advent Book –
5. 
   This year a good friend of mine did a kickstart campaign to release a print version of a digital book that he had put together with some friends. They funded their project and you can now get “The Advent Book” to share with your family this Christmas season.

I hope these resources are helpful. Let me know if there is one out there that I am missing. I would love to hear about it.