This blog post will detail a little bit about what I do for Advent and Christmas to make sure they are both holy and smooth sailing. I get started planning for Advent and Christmas somewhere between the middle of October to beginning of November. I started doing this about 5 or 6 years ago and it has been such a game changer to be prepared ahead of time! When I am prepared, I have a much more focused and holy Advent and Christmas!
I like to break down my planning into 5 different categories and focus on them individually. The categories are usually: personal spiritual goals, spiritual goals for the children, food, miscellaneous, and gifts. I love to brainstorm ahead of time and try to prepare all the details so that they are ready in time for Advent! It’s helpful to look back at notes from previous Advents/Christmases to figure out what traditions we will keep! Click here to download a copy of my free printable Advent and Christmas PDF to help you plan!
Personal Spiritual Goals: I encourage you to take Advent a little deeper this year by adding a special prayer rhythm to your days. Whether it’s working through a beautiful Advent devotional HERE are my ideas, or praying the St. Andrew Christmas Novena, or simply reading one chapter of the Gospel of Luke each day, these small spiritual practices can draw your heart closer to Jesus and make the season even more meaningful.
Children’s Spiritual: Here is a list of some of the liturgical living ideas we do during Advent: I always have our Candles and devotionals ready for the beginning of advent! CLICK HERE for my the advent wreath links below.
Saint Nicholas is such a joyful way to step into the Advent season! This feast day is filled with simple, meaningful traditions that bring so much excitement and wonder to our children. From little surprises in their shoes to playful family activities, there are so many ways to make this day special and faith-filled. In the video below, I share some of our favorite ideas to help your family celebrate Saint Nicholas Day with joy and intention! For my full blog full of more ideas CLICK HERE.
The St. Lucy tradition is truly one of the most beautiful and joyful ways to celebrate Advent! It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about this amazing saint and reflect on how her courage and faith can inspire us to grow closer to Jesus. One of our favorite traditions is having our oldest daughter Bella dress up as St. Lucy, and then we all pile into the car for a cozy night of looking at Christmas lights while sipping hot chocolate. It’s simple, meaningful, and so memorable for the kids! For my full blog all about what we do CLICK HERE. In my YouTube video below, I share even more of the St. Lucy traditions our Catholic family loves.
We also love doing the Jesse Tree each year – it’s such a beautiful way to prepare our hearts and our families for the coming of Jesus. This simple devotion walks us through the story of salvation history, highlighting the key moments in the Old Testament that lead to the birth of Christ. It’s a meaningful tradition that helps our children understand the bigger picture of God’s plan and builds excitement for Christmas in the most prayerful way. CLICK HERE for my full guide and lots of different ideas.
Food: I keep all my Christmas recipes in a folder and I love to go through them every year to figure out which ones were keepers! I love to prepare in advance for any recipe I plan on making. For instance, we do these awesome cookies that everyone loves, but I will have to make sure I buy the red and green m&ms in advance since they can be hard to find sometimes! Here is our FAVORITE Christmas cookie recipe! And if you are looking for the most adorable Nativity Cookie Cutters these are the ones we use.
Miscellaneous: This category usually involves random things that I like to have done before Christmas! Some of the things I like to do include:
- Clean out our old toys- I like to go through them when they’re at school and sort through things what they don’t play with anymore and donate them
- Order Christmas jammies and ornaments
- Plan the children’s Christmas outfits for Mass, Christmas (& Thanksgiving)
- Order Christmas cards (Look for the best deals- have them done by Thanksgiving!)
Gifts: Brainstorm kids gifts, spouse gifts, teacher gifts, parents, in-laws, etc.
- Kids gifts- I try to keep them as simple as possible- it usually includes 2 play things and 1 thing of books (usually a series). Here are all my Catholic gift Guide Ideas.
After the first list with all the brainstorming ideas, I write a second list of all the things that I’ve bought and wrapped. I try to get all my Christmas gifts out in the mail by Thanksgiving. Trust me, it is a huge game changer! Click here to print your Christmas gift list.
I hope these lists help you and your family have a focused, peaceful Advent and Christmas! Let me know what works for you and how you like to plan for Christmas!
2 Responses
This is an amazing and helpful post – Thank you!!!
Thank you so much! I’m so looking forward to doing as much as I can. I’ve not ever heard of a Jesse tree. Curious why it’s called that? Well I’ll be doing one this year as well as the advent devotion which is new to me as well. Thanks again, Heather I’m looking forward to making it a Christ centered as a Catholic. I’ll also be observing St. Nicholas and his feast day as well. Love the show idea! God Bless!