Advent

Well, our start to the Thanksmas season was not what I or any of us had expected, as Mother Nature decided to force us to stay home for the November holidays, but we have begun our Advent season and have tried to invite joy and gratitude into our hearts by following traditions and learning new things together. We are, after all, still very blessed to have each other, and in 2020, that seems a special blessing to me. 

My good friend M and her children write to us (and we to them) and she asked me in a letter what Advent traditions we have in our home. We have started a few things but, as I suppose is usual, not everything sticks. We do try to do a countdown of some sort, though it seems like we do it slightly differently every year. A few years ago, I bought a wood and metal advent calendar that I still put up each year, and we say we use by adding to its metal pockets a note describing our fun activities as we do them, which we did consistently for at least two or three years; but to be honest, since the elves on the shelf started coming, their antics, gifts, and the fun activity prep "they" do is mainly how we count down to Christmas now. A more in depth conversation on them will follow if this post doesn't get too long... it might be confusing that a family that doesn't do the Santa Claus thing has started doing the elf thing.. heheh. We also love to craft, sing, and cook. Gingerbread cookies and houses are something we do a lot- sometimes even twice or thrice, like on years when we do it at home a couple times only to do it all over again during our family Christmas trips-- because it's just so much fun to us. You'd think we'd be better at it, since we do it so much, but in reality, we are terrible at building them. But, we think it's still fun. And of course, two or three years ago, when Miss E started to read independently, we started looking for more than the usual children's story book for them, and ended up going back to the Original Source when a blogger I follow pointed out how perfect it is that Luke has 24 chapters in it. So now we try (through it has been a lot easier to do it consistently now that we have school at home) to read a chapter each day of December. Last year, because Mr E was so young, I also showed them a cartoon series on YT. Also because we were doing it during bedtime, and I think by then, after full days of his new-to-him school activities, he had trouble paying attention to more readings. Miss E was better equipped for extended late night reading, but I think only because school was no longer a new thing for her and she was less exhausted. Anyway... wonder if we should do it again just to reinforce... But this year we are definitely doing our readings.

Here is the first video. The series is by the Bible Project, and I think it is very good. 

In November Miss E loves to make her first paper Nativity set or paper puppets set, as soon as the sounds and smells of Christmas start to linger in the air. She will do it once or twice each year, depending on how pleased she is with them, and use them to tell the Christmas story over and over again. I posted about it on FB, and our pastor saw it and asked if we would be open to recording it so she could use it during an advent service. I sent her two videos, of which I am pretty sure she will use the more serious one, but I have to admit, I loved the funny one. If she uses the serious one, I'll make sure to post the funny one here. There are so many gems in there, but I think it's especially funny that Mr E keeps interrupting it by trying to explode all the characters. I recorded the whole thing, trying not to let my laughter shake the camera too much, and then told them most sternly that they were not allowed to explode baby Jesus, after which they recorded a second, much more respectful one. 

Here are some pictures of the paper puppet making fun.

 Guess whose the T-Rex puppet might be....

A few nights ago, after diner, Miss E asked to light a candle, and read the Bible by the candlelight, so we did. Then we had some impromptu prayer, during which she prayed for her nuclear and extended family members, all of them one by one, and Mr E thanked God for his dinosaur and his dinosaur encyclopedia.  

We have also been preparing for Mr E's birthday! We have made a pinata (designed by the kids) and they also did some prep for some games. Miss E has a list on a clipboard of all the things they want to do together. When I first saw it, I told her HE should be the plan manager, and he immediately said he wanted her to do it and she was the best sister ever. LoL. Okay, then! They have both been having fun coming up with ideas, and once he or she is done with a game, we put them in a large envelope, so it's ready for the big day. And of course, he's been opening his birthday gifts as they come, and gets to have a wonderful time with each one instead of the usual and almost overwhelming avalanche I might have created in the past by holding on to them so that he could have them on the day of. Heheheh... I really do love how the birthday thing changed this year. I do hope they have enjoyed the good parts about this year being a different kind of year! Maybe we'll keep doing this.

 Mom and Nana, I'm sorry I don't have pictures of him opening yours. I think maybe we opened them while you were video chatting and then I forgot to double up with pictures too... 

Wait wait. I found pictures of Nana's gift

 

I am in all honesty a little nervous that he will think that partying with us just won't be the same as a more social event, but he has had so much fun waiting around for packages and jumping excitedly every time the door bell rings.. So I am very glad for that.

What else?

The sweater I made him! Which most of you have seen, but still. Posterity and all. 

Color looks funny in that last picture...

Finally, an announcement that I've finally recorded their birthday interviews for this year, which is a tradition we have very imperfectly kept throughout the years. I also found an old one of Mr E's. I'll add Ms E's to her birthday post (look back in a couple days if you'd be interested to watch it) and to Mr E's future birthday post I'll add both the one I found from before and this year's interview as well... maybe I should write a post on that whole thing... Not sure, but I'll get to this after posting about the elves and the Christmas themed activities they've brought so far... I'm a little behind hehehe...