If you’ve been with me for this whole Composing Christmas trek, you should be in a great position to relax a little this Christmas!
This week in the Quillen house, we are finishing up our Christmas letter, waiting for the prints of our picture to arrive, and ready to fold, stuff, and seal our envelopes. {Here’s an idea: a couple of years ago I got tired of agonizing over what each person in our family would like to have noted about their year, so now I simply sit at the computer and have each child dictate what they’d like others to know about their past year, interests, and hopes for the future. It has certainly simplified my effort!}
We also shopped for Operation Christmas Child last weekend and are busy packing our boxes to deliver to the church. I have to say this is one tradition I really enjoy because my kids get so excited about picking out things they’d like to have… to give to someone else. Several years ago we made a deal with our kids that we, as parents, would fund two boxes for our family, but we’d also match any money our kids want to contribute to the purchases so that their contribution would go twice as far. This year I started thinking we may need to put a cap on our matching program. They were that excited. It’s not too late for you to participate. This week is Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, but there will be churches collecting and delivering boxes well past November 24. Check out the link above to see how, when, what, where, etc.
We’ve also chose a date for our annual Open House and designed and printed invitations this week. I can tell you it helps to be on other people’s calendar early! It also helps us to plan for the days leading up to the party – so we have time to clean, cook, and arrive at our own party rested and energized for our guests.
Speaking of invitations…
Last week I mentioned an Advent Bible Study – this week you can start signing up!
The Advent Study will officially run from December 1-14, but you’ll get some preparation emails as early as November 28, and there is a wrap up email coming on December 25 or 26.
I’m inviting you to more than just another “Christmas-y activity.”
This is an invitation to experience Christmas in a new way – to see the coming of the Christ child from December 1-24. It’s an invitation to read about his coming all the way from the Old Testament prophesies to the New Testament fulfillment.
It’s a chance to usher our hearts again into the season of Advent in which we live every day… waiting for Christ, the Prince of Peace, to return for his people.
And if you’ve never met Christ – the grown-up-sacrificed-so-you-can-be-born-again Christ – I invite you to meet him and learn all about what his birth, life, and death can mean to you. This is one invitation you do not want to miss.
Some details:
If you already subscribe to CultivateGrace.org, you’ll have to subscribe to the Advent Study separately. You’ll continue, Lord willing, to get the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Cultivate Grace blog posts as scheduled, but if you subscribe to the Advent Study, you’ll also get some fun printables to begin your own Advent tradition.
The Advent Study participants will receive daily emails from December 1-24 with a brief devotional, verses to ponder, a short selection to read as a family, song ideas (if you have time to learn a verse of a hymn together), and scattered throughout the month will be memory verse ideas and activities you can do with kids or grandkids to help bring the message to life for little ones.
I have also created a Facebook Group you are welcome to join for discussion, encouragement, and prayer. You can join the Facebook Group without subscribing, but the materials all come via email with supplements on Facebook. Check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/SavorTheSavior/ to join the group.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Advent study by clicking here or visiting CultivateGrace.org and clicking on the Savor the Savior link!