Waiting

December is this time when we are reminded to wait.  It is the season of advent, the season to be reminded of the waiting that occurred 2000 years ago.  The Jewish nation had waited for a Redeemer for centuries and Mary waited for 9 months for a baby.  We begin to practice waiting four Sundays before Christmas and call it advent.  For our family, the Advent season has begun to take on more and more meaning.  Each year we add or modify our tradition until it feels like maybe it is unique to us.  These traditions have become more important to me than our Christmas traditions.  I always end up wishing they could last all year, but then they wouldn't be special.

Advent for us means extra time as a family and more saying "no".  This is hard this time of year when there is a Christmas party around every corner, but when it comes down to it I want my kids to remember, reading, hot chocolate, putting together a puzzle, playing at the library, not extra time spent with a sitter while mom and dad go to parties.

The foundation of our Advent season is reading.  Paul and I are reading Behold the Lamb of God by Russ Ramsey.  The goal is not necessarily for us to talk about it together, but rather to direct our hearts in the same direction.  At night before bed we are reading Tabitha's Travels by Arnold Ytreeide.  This is the third book in a trilogy about children who happened upon the birth of Jesus as well as different individuals who a part of the birth.  We have read all three and had read the first one three years in a row.  It has been great to find the space and commit to reflecting on the birth of our Savior each evening.

Another favorite of the Advent season is our puzzle.  We started this last year.  I divide up the puzzle pieces for each day and each morning they get to open a bag.  The kids can't wait to get up and do their puzzle.  Its like Christmas morning every morning.  We try to keep the picture hidden so the kids can practice waiting.  This year the boys figured it out the third day.

Our newest activity this year is the Lego Advent Calender.  I don't have a good reason for this, except the kids love Legos and it looked super fun.  They are loving watching the city expand and grow.

Advent is all about waiting and the anticipation that erupts with the waiting.  Its about seeing a million small pieces come together into one big picture, a big picture where a Savior leaves his throne in heaven to enter our mess here on earth.  This is what we remember, this is what brings us hope and a willingness to live well in anticipation of the day when he comes again.