Advent countdown

I have been wondering, pondering, thinking, researching, reading and getting ideas of what I want to do for Advent this year.  We've not really done anything significant in the past for the countdown to Christmas.  I wanted to do something MORE this year, something MEANINGFUL and something to make MEMORIES.  (How's that for alliteration?)  So, I purchased the book The Jesse Tree  by Geraldine McCoughrean.

I decided to try it this year.  I found some links online that I have also used to help me plan.  I also wanted to try the idea of reading a different Christmas book for each of the 24 days before Christmas.  I also wanted to do some sort of activity each day.  Some days, we have scouts, or a church function or other engagements on the calendar, so those days I wouldn't have time to prepare and help with a craft, so I came up with some lighter things to do those days.  The following is my plan. 

November  30 – Introduction to what the Jesse Tree is
Make the branches for the tree (or set up the Christmas tree)

Read – S is for Star – Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

Day 1 – The Jesse Tree
Read Gen. 1:1-2:3
Make a creation symbol – sun, earth, moon, star
Use a pie pan to cut out a symbol and the head of a nail to decorate it.

Activity – Sing “O Come All Ye Faithful”
Read – S is for Star – Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

Day 2 – Paradise Garden
Read Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24
Make an apple with a bite out of it – Use foam, cut out a worm to put on the apple

Activity – Listen to Christmas music
Read – Gingerbread Baby – Jan Brett

Day 3 – A Boat Full of Animals
Read Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22
Make a rainbow using tissue paper or torn construction paper

Activity - Make Nativity silhouette
Read – Silver Packages – Cynthia Rylant

Day 4 – Strange Visitors
Read Gen. 12:1-3, 18:1-2, 9-15
Make a tent out of cloth

Activity – Wrap Christmas gifts
Read – A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens (Usborne edition)

Day 5 – A Test of Love
Read Gen. 22:1-14
Cut a ram out of stiff brown paper – glue cotton balls to it.

Activity – Watch a Christmas movie
Read – A Carol for Christmas – Ann Tompert

Day 6 – Stairway To Heaven
Read Gen. 28:10-15
Make a ladder with toothpicks or straws

Activity – Celebrate Christmas with extended family
Read - The Quiltmaker’s Gift – Jeff Brumbeau

Day 7 – The Dreamer
Read Gen. 37:1-34
Cut a coat out of stiff paper and fill in the stripes with cloth

Activity – Listen to Handel’s Messiah
Read – Baboushka – Arthur Scholey

Day 8 – Famine and Plenty
Read Gen. 41:46-57
Make a silver coin with pie tin

Activity - Make a Christmas card for someone
Read – The Legend of the Poinsettia – Tomie dePaola

Day 9 – Let My People Go!
Read Ex. 2:1-10, 3:1-14, 5:1-5, 12:31-36, 20:1-17
Make tablets out of cardstock and write roman numerals on it

Activity – Make hot chocolate
Read – Great Joy – Kate DiCamillo

Day 10 – The Foreigner
Read Ruth 2:1-23, 4:13-17
Make grain out of yarn and bird seed

Activity – Sing “The First Noel”
Read – The Wild Christmas Reindeer – Jan Brett

Day 11 – Speak, Lord, for your Servant is Listening
Read 1 Sam. 3:1-18
Make a lamp

Activity – Watch a Christmas movie
Read – The Crippled Lamb – Max Lucado

Day 12 – The Shepherd King
Read 1 Sam. 16:1-13
Make a king’s crown using jewels to decorate

Activity – Wrap Christmas gifts
Read – How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Dr. Seuss

Day 13 – Dancing
Read 1 Sam. 17:12-51
Make a sling shot and 5 stones

Activity – Celebrate Christmas with extended family
Read – Alabaster’s Song – Max Lucado

Day 14 – The Wisdom of Solomon
Read 1 Kings 3:5-14, 16-28
Make a temple

Activity – Make quilled snowflakes
Read – The Candymaker’s Gift – David &Helen Haidle

Day 15 – The Idol and the Still Small Voice
Read 1 Kings 18:21-39, 19:10-13
Make an altar with small rocks with a fire around it

Activity - Sing “Away in the Manger”
Read – Dear Santa – Patrick S. Kleinen

Day 16 – War and Peace
Read Isaiah 11:1-5, 40:3-5
Make a stump with a branch coming out of it

Activity – Watch a Christmas movie
Read – The Nutcracker – Ronald Kidd

Day 17 – Dumbstruck!
Read Luke 1:5-25
Make a priest’s lamp

Activity – Attend the Nutcracker musical
Read – King of the Stable – Melody Carlson

Day 18 – Mary
Read Matt. 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38
Make a heart

Activity – Discuss what the name of Jesus means.  What does your name mean?
Read – Annika’s Secret Wish – Beverly Lewis

Day 19 – Jumping for Joy
Read Luke 1:39-45, 57-66
Make a tablet (chalkboard) with words, “His name is John”

Activity – Celebrate Christmas with the extended family
Read – The Gift of the Magi – O. Henry

Day 20 – The Worst of all Possible Times
Read Luke 2:1-7
Make a manger

Activity – Sing “Joy to the World”
Read – The Small One – Alex Walsh

Day 21 – Wonderful News
Read Luke 2:8-20
Make a shepherd’s staff

Activity – Make Christmas cookies
Read – The Shepherd Girl – Juliann Henry

Day 22 – The Cunning and the Wise
Read Matt. 2:1-12
Make three gifts

Activity – Make the Wise men craft
Read – We Believe in Christmas – Karen Kingsbury

Day 23 – Angels
Read Matt. 2:13-23
Make an angel

Activity – Sing “Go, Tell It on the Mountain”
Read – The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey – Susan Wojciechowski

Day 24 – The Brightest Star
Read Matt. 2:2
Make a star

Activity – Attend Christmas Eve Service
Read – The Night Before Christmas – Clement C. Moore

Day 25 – Christmas Day
Read John 1:1-14
Jesus is the light of the world