From Thanksgiving to Advent: Four Evenings to Bring Your Family Back to Jesus
BLUF: Bring your family back to Jesus every evening before Christmas, starting this week, with a free four-evening printable that bridges Thanksgiving into Advent.
The moment I hesitated
I was several hours deep into building an app that helps parents plan their Christmas elf visits when I first hesitated.
A stray thought caught me off guard. The elf was never part of my family's traditions growing up. It's something I married into. It's fun, but now my kids celebrate Christmas in two houses, and it's probably a tradition they'll enjoy at their mom's house.
At my house, I wondered whether there would be room to revisit some of the older Christmas traditions, the things I did growing up. That's where the idea for Advent Together began.
What I love about Advent, and what didn't land
I love so many things about the season. I love the smell of lit matches, the flicker of the candles, the beauty of the wreaths. I love the deliberate slowing down to reflect, and the way Advent turns your focus around in the run-up to what is inevitably a chaotic holiday.
But something didn't quite land for me. As a kid, we celebrated Advent every Sunday. I remember the anticipation each morning before church especially vividly. Monday through Saturday was different. Those days became Santa's Christmas, the Christmas of presents, food and lights, and rarely the Christmas of Bethlehem, the Star and Jesus' miraculous birth.
I want to teach my kids something different. As they feel the rush and buzz and joy of the season, I want those feelings to be accompanied by contemplation. I want my kids to see the Nativity every day, and to bring their devotion alongside the wise men and the shepherds every day, not just on Sundays.
So I built Advent Together
It's a daily family devotional that brings you back to Jesus every evening in the build-up to Christmas. And while I built it, I thought about what else it could be.
- A story, a question and a prayer every evening
Ten minutes at the table. Someone reads, everyone answers the question, someone prays. - Prompts about who to serve, and how
Advent is about making room, so each day comes with a small way to make room for someone else. - An activity to make the story stick
Something quick for the kids to do together, so the evening is more than a reading. - A Nativity that builds on your fridge
A linocut Nativity picture your family builds tile by tile, so progress is something you can see. - Grace for missed evenings
Real Decembers are busy. If you miss a night, you pick up the next one. Nothing needs making up. - Your kids' names on every evening
The pages are tailored to your family, and you print them week by week.
It starts on the first Sunday of Advent, which moves every year. Not sure when that is for you? The free When does Advent start? tool gives you the date, how many evenings you'll have and which Sunday lights each candle.
Advent Together: your family's names, your evenings, and a Nativity that builds tile by tile.
The gap between Thanksgiving and Advent
I built it with the Advent season in mind, but as I did, I realized there isn't a big gap between Thanksgiving and the start of Advent. So I wondered what it would be like to bridge it.
That's where the four evenings in the free printable come from. They use the four Old Testament scenes that open Advent Together: Let There Be Light, Stars Like Abraham's, Ruth and A Promise to David. Whether you get a jump start on Advent or take a breather between the holidays, it's a way to help your family focus on the right things this Christmas season.
Start tonight. The free printable has four evening cards, four activities, a way to serve and a coloring strip for the fridge.
The sticky note
- Keep it to ten minutes
Gather round the dinner table, light a candle or three, and keep it short. A short evening you actually do beats a long one you skip. - Let the kids run it
Hand the reading to your oldest reader and the candle to your youngest. They'll remember doing it more than hearing it. - Missed one? Just start tonight
Nobody needs to catch up. Pick up with the next evening.
Dad's Take
My hope for your family, as much as it is for mine, is that you'll find ten minutes each evening to gather round the dinner table, light a candle or three, and remember our Savior together. If Advent Together helps you as you gather, even better.
— Dad
Get the free printable
The Thanksgiving to Advent printable is four short evenings from Thanksgiving week into Advent. It has a Start Here page with the rhythm and a link to find this year's Advent start date; four evening cards, each with a short story, a question and a prayer; four activities, Light Hunt, Promise Slips, Our Family Line and Ask a Grandparent; a way to serve called Make Room at the Table, with an invitation card to fill in; and a four-evening coloring strip to keep on the fridge. Drop your email and I'll send it over.
The rest of Advent
Want every evening of Advent planned, with your kids' names on it?
Advent Together carries your family from the first Sunday of Advent to Christmas, with a story, a question and a prayer each evening, a quick activity, a way to make room for others, and a Nativity your family builds tile by tile on the fridge. Miss a night and you just pick up the next one.