Living Advent

Advent is a busy time!  It can also be a meaningful, joyful, and even peaceful time. . . if we live Advent intentionally, as a season of preparing our hearts and homes for Jesus's coming.  Here are some Advent essentials to bring you peace this year.

Recursos en español

The Advent Essentials

Living Advent: A 4-Week Journey A fun, four page "how to" guide that makes Advent accessible.  Full of simple ideas for adding meaning to family traditions and incorporating prayer  and acts of kindness.

Advent Faith Conversations One page for each week of Advent, providing a brief adult reflection and daily questions to spark family conversations of faith around the Advent wreath or dinner table. A short family prayer for each week is also included. Download here: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Additional Advent Resources

These additional resources can your family closer together this Advent season by better understanding the Advent wreath, watching some fun Christmas movies, and more!

The Advent Wreath A simple, 1-page explanation of the symbolism of the Advent wreath along with a blessing of the wreath.

Family Christmas Movie Nights A list of some favorite Christmas movies along with some questions to get your family discussing the film afterwards.

Making Room for Jesus A tri-fold brochure of family prayers for all your Christmas traditions. Before you put up the tree or bake those cookies, pause to invite Jesus into your family fun. Print extras to share with friends!

Family Advent Plan A printable chart to plan your family’s Advent. Plug in the ways your family will be living the Advent essentials of prayer/faith talk and living love. Make your Christmas To-Do List and fit it into your Advent weeks.

Fostering Love at Home An ongoing family activity for Advent. The first page explains the activity, the following 4 pages provide the needed “slips of paper” to cut out with ideas for acts of love to be lived in daily family life.

Jesse Tree Bible Story Guide Giving the Jesse Tree tradition a try? This chart names the symbol to place on the tree, the person in Jesus’ family tree associated with that symbol, and where to find their story in the Bible.

Los Posadas Neighborhood Outreach A family activity inspired by the Hispanic Las Posadas, the 9 days before Christmas.  Includes a page explaining the tradition & how to use it as a way of sharing love, as well as a printable Christmas card for your neighbors.

Advent Feast Days A handful of fun ideas and links to help you celebrate each of these favorite feast days:  St. Nicholas, The Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and St. Lucy.

Remember that Christmas is a whole season. Don’t stop now, after four weeks of preparing, the celebrating has just begun! Click here for ideas on how to celebrate it Catholic-style: December 24 through January 9th. 

If these resources have been helpful to you, consider sharing them with a relative or friend!  Thank you.