The Advent Season

     December is always a special month!  We enjoy the advent season of awaiting Christ's birth (and His return), having special candlelighting/singing/Bible story time with the  kids each night, and doing something special each day for the countdown to Christmas.  This year we had to put our calendar up high so that Ike wouldn't pull it down or eat it.  In each envelope there was a special activity written for each day.  We didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some of the ways we had fun!

Decorationg the tree (also up high- on a table- so that Ike wouldn't eat or destroy it)

     Making Snowflakes (Anneka LOVED this and could make them all on her own without help.  She made them all throughout the season and covered our floors with tiny bits of white paper.)

Making Snowglobes

Skyping with Grandparents and doing special activities with them.  My parents read the story of the three trees and then had a craft they led the kids through.  The girls really liked it.  Irene taught the girls how to say "We wish you a Merry Christmas" in sign language.

Sleeping on the floor with the Christmas lights

Eating Indian food on the floor in the living room.

     I don't think this was one of our advent activities, but I like this picture of Ella and Ike with Lena and Nettie!

     Making  and wrapping presents and jars of hot cocoa for neighbors and friends.  Also, passing out goodies to store workers and neighbors

Making Christmas Cards

   Leif and I got to celebrate our 10th Anniversary by going to Lake Baikal! Anneka made this chain necklace for me to wear out on a date with Leif.  =)  Inka stayed with the girls overnight, and they LOVED the time with her.  She did special crafts with them and they both climbed into bed with her in the middle of the night.  Anneka snuggled up close, and Ella took over half of the bed!

We made birdhouses

... And had different friends over (this day was the Hoffstetters).

We went and saw the ice sculptures downtown and slid on the ice slides.  It was -35C that day!!

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Anneka celebrated 12/12/12 at 12:12:12 with her English classmates

  They had had a feast for lunch and activities that all corresponded with the song "The 12 Days of Christmas"... for example, they had little muffin drums with pretzel drumsticks for 12 drummers drumming and a jump-rope game for the lords-a-leaping.

My grandparents gave us money to each pick out something at a specialty grocery store.  Leif found wraps, I got green beans, Anneka got sweet corn puffs, and Ella chose crackers.

Ike chose french fries.  It was very fun to do this as a family, and we had such incredible finds!!

Decorating Christmas cookies with the Brubachers.

     We were also all in a play at our church.  Our pastor's wife wrote a script to explain the Christmas story to people.  It's amazing how few people here celebrate Christmas (or even know what day it is!).  I took Anneka back to school on the 26th, and the teacher found it so interesting that we celebrated Christmas and this is why she missed the 24th and 25th.  I explained that it's the biggest holiday in America... practically everyone celebrates it.  This was mystifying to her.  The play was a special way to be a part of the Christmas story.  It always amazes me to think of Jesus coming to this earth as a baby and all of the miracles surrounding it.   When the shepherds in the play came and told Mary and Joseph all they had seen and heard, I thought of how that must have really been for them!  

      Advent for us is a special way for us to make Christmas traditions as a family and to draw others into it with us. We love incorporating Jesus into the special things we do and try to focus on giving to others while we're having fun.  The girls got into it, and I suspect they all of the kids will love it more and more with each passing year!