Advent

Advent was such a joy this year.  Our children worked very hard to get to the half way point in their school year so we could take a break for the month of December.  This allowed us to really do a lot of special things and enjoy free time together.  It has been such a blessing.  We have played countless board games and card games and done some crafts and baking.  While I did not get everything accomplished that I wanted to, I really feel that we enjoyed this month and our extra time together.

Planning out advent this year I was a little lax on the activity calendar.  However, we did do quite a bit.  We enjoyed the annual Tower Lighting celebration on the base, had caramel hot chocolate together, listened to a ton of Christmas music (Michael Buble was our favorite this year), watched the Grinch, picked out a live tree at the NEX, baked and delivered cranberry orange themed baked goods to the gate guards, bought gift cards for single sailors in the McDonald's on Christmas Eve, rode a trolley to carol to shift workers on base with the chapel, attended the Nutcracker with sweet friends, and participated in the chapel birthday party for Jesus.

Cranberry orange bread, cranberry orange cookies and cranberry orange muffins for the 3 main gates and our wonderful piano teach Mrs. Solomon.  

Our nightly advent devotions were the highlight of the season for us.  We all looked forward to the time and we managed to make it really special.  After our devotion book ends on the new year we plan to still do devotions by candle light.


Our advent wreath was beautiful.  A friend online inspired me with a handmade wreath with things she bought from Walmart.  I can't get to Walmart due to the distance and time it takes but I did go to the BX and manage to find everything we needed for a beautiful wreath.  The gold plate was on clearance for $2.50 and the four holly branches were about $2 each.  The candles and holders for them were the last ones in the store and so cheap...but I can't remember exactly how much.  We found a nativity ornament from our tree and it all came together.  I think I added it up and found it was less than $20 which is deal since the one I was looking at on Christian Book Distributors was about 50 and I would have had to buy candles and pay shipping.

Each night Daddy would pray and then I would light the proper number of candles.  We took turns ripping off that night's Names of God advent chain and reading the name and accompanying verse(s).  Afterwards, I would read the daily devotion from Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room.  I did not have a devotion for advent but ran across this one on the Passionate Homemaking blog at the end of November.  Because Amazon takes forever to deliver, I just bought it on kindle for under $3 and we were able to have it right away.  Originally I really wanted a real book, but I'm so glad to have one less thing to store for Christmas.  We'll just pull it back up on my kindle app next year and read it again.  After devotions the kids each took turns to blow out the candles.  Then the "book opener" of thee night would walk over to the book basket where I had wrapped 25 Christmas books and pick one to open.  We would read it, say our bedtime prayers and go to bed.  Such a beautiful, sweet time.  Obviously a lot of turn taking went one.  Sometimes we would struggle to remember if we had gone oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest for candle blowing out or chain ripping, but it all seemed to work out.

The names of God advent chain was fun to make and take apart but it was not very deep.  Dan and I found the printable on Facebook and decided to buy it to make with our tween bible study on Wednesday night.  We made it as a craft at the end of November and I hope it encouraged some of them to do Advent devotions.  However, I am really glad we had an actual devotion book to go along with it.  The kids loved watching the chain shorten and Landon and Mareea loved looking up the verses in their new bibles and reading them.  We would hear each verse in NIrV and NKJV.

This year I went and unpacked a box I have not opened in several moves (thanks KonMari) and found a bunch of framed wedding pictures.  Since our anniversary is December 28th and most of the frames are gold I decided it would be fun to display the pictures with our Christmas decorations.  While I would not want to have them out all the times, it was fun to see them again and have them displayed for a short time.  I also decorated some surfaces for the first time since moving to this house.  I have about 5 frames throughout the house that I will find free printables or pictures from old books to switch out with the seasons.  I'm really excited about this because I think in the past I have not decorated much because it is expensive and I get sick of what I bought after awhile.  This will help keep things changed up for a low cost.

Wedding pictures, invitation and decorative marriage certificate.  The ornaments were wedding gifts from our guests or made for our ten year anniversary.   This is also where we kept the advent wreath during the day.

The "kid" shelf.  Soft decorations and fun battery powered lights went up here as well as a couple of framed pictures.  One of the frames I will switch during the seasons is here on the wall.  It's Tasha Tudor as most of the Christmas pictures I have up are.  I just love her.  Please excuse leaning crocheted Joseph...and the fact that I didn't get around to crocheting baby Jesus.  Next year?  The felt nativity ornament I made a few years ago when I was on a felt making kick.  This shelf is way more crowded now.  We found a few more kid friendly decorations (peanuts band that plays Christmas music) at the thrift store and added them.  

This shelf is up high and out of reach.  The breakable nativity we got for our wedding is there along with (my favorite) the wool felted nativity my talented friend Brandy made for us.  Again, two Tasha Tudor prints in frames I uncovered in my clean out.  The prints actually came out of her book Take Joy that I bought at the library book sale.  I didn't really use the book, but the pictures are beautiful and I'm glad to find a way to look at them more often.  They "spark joy" as KonMari taught me.  

Christmas Eve service was beautiful last night.  We all dressed up and enjoyed singing all the traditional carols.  I played Silent Night for the candle lighting on the violin at the end.  It was OK, but I was nervous and it kind of made me unable to enjoy the service as much.

Our sweet neighbor Camille came over to french braid the girls' hair for Christmas Eve service.  Our neighbors are such blessings.  It is hard to believe this is our last Christmas living on a military base.  

 

I wanted to list some of our favorite Christmas books.  All these will definitely be wrapped up next year in our "25 wrapped books".  Most of the books we enjoy have good stories and beautiful pictures.  Many of these are out of print, but we were blessed to find them at the thrift shop on base.