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  Family - Seasonal

Vogel Family Advent Adventures

Jeff & Sherry Vogel

Vogel Family Advent Adventures

Last year, we started a paper link chain - 24 links, one for each day. Each link has an Advent "adventure" on it. Some are fun, others are more meaningful. Every morning we tear off one of the links and read what the "Advent adventure of the day" is! As our daughter grows older, we hope that this will serve not only as a countdown, but also as a reminder that every day is filled with opportunities to give - and that it's fun!

Examples of "adventures" are:
-- Make Christmas cards for special people (grandparents, godparents, siblings, special friends or neighbors, etc.) Last year, since the baby was only 8 months old, we "helped" by stamping her foot in non-toxic poster paint and making cards. This year she'll color them herself!
-- Go through each family member's closet and find a bag full of clothing to give to the needy.
-- Kids go through their toys and pick at least 3 toys (symbolic of the three gifts the wise men brought Jesus) to donate to less fortunate children.
-- Address and stamp all the Christmas cards.
-- Bake Christmas cookies and deliver them to people who are dear to us, including a note of thanks for their specialness in our lives.
-- Take a drive (or a walk) to see all the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations. This is best enjoyed after dark (and after bedtime, in pajamas if possible, so it's a special treat!)
-- Sing Christmas carols around the Christmas tree
-- Watch a video of the story of Jesus’ birth (cartoon version) before bedtime. Cookies and hot chocolate allowed!

This year we made our very own Advent wreath and we plan on eating our dinner every Sunday by the light of only the candles. We have a little family hug and say a prayer right before we blow the candle(s) out - it was so neat this evening!

Our family is still young (well, the baby is anyway!) so we are looking forward to keeping these traditions and watching them grow to be an exciting part of the season for our little girl.

Hugs,

Jeff & Sherry Vogel

Click here for a printable page (PDF, 52KB)