A number of years ago I came across the idea of a book advent. I think I saw it on Pinterest. 'Advent' is from the Latin word 'adventus' meaning "coming". In Christian tradition it is the period of preparation for the celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, usually 1st- 24th December.
Many people use advent calendars or advent candles but I really liked the idea of a book advent. It's pretty simple to do. The first year we did book advent, I purchased a number of Christmas themed books from a variety of online stores like Deseret Book. In the years since, I have purchased others and I have also been given a number of them. Some of the books are based on the Christmas story, some of them are based on Christmas symbols like Santa Claus or Christmas Trees. Some of the books are activity books and I even have one about a train where you can hear the author read it online as you look at the pages.
Each year, at the end of November I wrap up 25 books. There is an order to them. For example, on day 24 the book is, 'The Night Before Christmas'. I like to do Christmas Story books on Sundays. I also look at how much we have going on that day and if we have a lot on, I pick a shorter story. I use to print and stick numbers on the books but now I just use a marker. I place them all in a wooden box, ready for advent.
From December 1st- 25th, we open one book a day. We read the book as a family. The children love unwrapping each book. It's like getting a gift each day.
How do you celebrate advent? How do you prepare for the Christmas season?
In the beginning, it can seem like a lot of books but I don't really buy Christmas books anymore because I already have so many of them and I just box them up on December 26, ready for next year. It's a simple way to share the spirit of Christmas and remember why we celebrate on December 25.
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