It can be tempting when you have kids, especially little kids, to start talking about Christmas like it’s already here, skipping Advent altogether. After all, most kids don’t have the gift of waiting. Plus, there’s also the impending promise of presents. 

But Advent is actually a wonderful way to change their perspective on the whys and whats of Christmas. One of our family’s favourite traditions is the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is a way to teach kids about Jesus’ family tree, and through it, the story of salvation and God’s faithful love for his children. Every day, your family reads a different Bible passage about someone from salvation history, and you hang an ornament on the tree with a picture of that passage. Depending on the age of your kids, you can read the passage or have them take turns reading the passage. Each of the 25 days of the Jesse Tree helps kids learn important moments from the Bible and builds anticipation for Jesus’ arrival.

Another way to mark weeks of Advent is to use your advent wreath. We light one at Church each weekend, but you can also do this tradition at home. Having a family Advent wreath can help give a daily and weekly tradition to mark the passage of time. Every day at supper time, you can include lighting your advent wreath as part of your grace, and say a prayer. You can either make up your own prayer or say the traditional Catholic prayer: “Lord God, your Church joyfully awaits the coming of its Savior, who enlightens our hearts and dispels the darkness of ignorance and sin. Pour forth your blessings upon us as we light the candles of this wreath; may their light reflect the splendour of Christ, who is Lord, for ever and ever. Amen.” Each Sunday, you light the next candle, until you have all four candles lit. 

It's important to also build your own traditions around Advent. For example, you could do a reverse advent calendar, where you add non-perishable goods to a box every day and then donate it to a food bank or shelter on Christmas Eve. You could get your kids to help you shop for a family in need in your area. You could make Christmas cards for your neighbours or cookies for your extended family.

By helping kids pass through this season of waiting with traditions, we can build in them an understanding of the purpose and meaning of Christmas and give them opportunities to fall in love with Jesus. How you engage in Advent and in Christmas teaches your kids what really matters. Through your traditions, you can plant seeds of joy in their hearts.