Our Advent Calendar

OK, so now that the kids are older, Christmas is a whole new event. When you're single or even married but have no children, it's still about yourself and you lose the reverence for how holy an event this holiday celebrates. But when you can teach your children to be excited that Jesus is not only real, but we can celebrate his birthday, well that's just too much fun! Our favorite Christmas tradition is our advent calendar. Eric and I happened across it one Fall when just the two of us were vacationing in Gatlinburg. I think Eric found it first and excitedly called me over to it. It has a little numbered door for each day of advent, and behind it is a magnet that is part of the nativity. When each door is opened, a little recording plays and tells of the significance of that particular object. Even sometimes overlooked items like the sheep and a dove are carefully described as to the important role their presence played in that sacred night. Each evening, the kids eagerly gather around our big yellow chair while Eric gets the calendar down from its perch (placed carefully out of reach of over eager little hands). They all take turns on their rotating nights and open the door to reveal the item. As the month progresses, the iconic image of our Savior's birth develops more and more until on Christmas Eve, when baby Jesus in his manger steals the show. Sure, we all wear matching red pjs, put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We threaten that Santa won't come until they're asleep and then hurry downstairs to carefully sneak all the bounty under our tree. But now that they're older...they're starting to get it. Maybe there weren't sheep, or a dove, or many of the items on our beloved advent calendar, but the event was real. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was sent to Earth as a baby. He lived as a man, ate food, had splinters, stubbed his toes, and countless other daily occurrences that we all experience. And then, when his Heavenly Father commanded it, He gave his life for each and everyone of us. If that silly magnetic board that we love so much helps them understand that, then it was money well spent, don't you think?