Advent

I wanted to do advent with the kids this year, but I changed it up a bit to help make it easier for them to understand the symbolism... and easier on me as I did not have any purple candles. A traditional wreath uses only purple, pink and white candles. I made these simple advent wreaths using plastic lids, paper and a standard pack of birthday candles. Each Sunday (& Christmas Eve) we light a candle and hear a part of the nativity story.

Here our the advent stories that go with each candle:

Week 1- The Prophecy Candle

A yellow candle representing those who saw light in the darkness. 

We read "Peace Will Come," the story of the prophet Micah in Micah 4-5 from the Read & Learn Bible.

Week 2- The Love Candle

A pink candle for the heart of Mary and her love for Jesus.

We read "A Message for Mary" Luke 1:26-55

Week 3- The Shepherd's Candle

A green candle for the fields where the shepherds kept watch. 

We read "The Shepherds" Luke 2:8-20

Week 4- The Angel's Candle

A blue candle for the sky where the angels & star appeared.

We read "Wise Men From the East" Matthew 2:1-12 

(I deviated a little on this one because we already read about the angel visiting Mary and the angels visiting the shepherds, so the focus is on the sky and the star of Bethlehem.)

Christmas Eve- The Christ Candle

A white candle for Jesus' purity.

We read "Jesus is Born" Matthew 1:18-25/Luke 2:1-7