Happy First Day of Advent

I always look forward to the fall when we celebrate Thanksgiving and then on to Christmas where we get to focus more, and celebrate the birth of the Messiah, who came to seek and save the lost. There is so much to be thankful for each year, even through our toughest, hardest years. Through the years we have begun several traditions with our children and we have such great memories of these things each year. One of the traditions we do with our kids is the advent, which begins today. Normally we read and talk about a small piece of the Christmas story and then pull a piece of our nativity scene out. Sometimes we might give them a small gift or something to remind them of that days portion of the story. This year feels so much different than ever before. When I look outside, walk through the neighborhood, or go into town there is nothing that reminds me of Christmas in America or even France. Part of this is so sad but part of it may just turn out to be refreshing. I have no Christmas decorations to put up besides one ornament that some friends just gave us yesterday and a string of lights that I found this morning under the bed. We are thankful for these things but they are unnecessary for us to celebrate our favorite time of year.
This year for our advent we have decided to do more activities that will remind of us Christ’s love for us as well as showing others. We will still read over the parts in scripture that talk about Christ’s birth but we will also pray for those who need to know and feel His love, take treats to our neighbors, help some families in need, visit some who are struggling in the hospital, and spend time as a family reflecting and talking about Christ and how we can share his love with others this upcoming year. I hope to document some of our advent this year on our blog. Merry Christmas!