Christmas Craft Idea: Family Advent Box

Here’s an idea I posted last year. We’ve done it for a few years now, so I thought I’d share it again now that Advent is underway.

You can read more details at the link above, but the gist is simple:

1. During Advent (ahem, now), Christmas-wrap an empty shoebox, and cut a slit in the top.
2. Put it on the kitchen counter and ask the family to submit a note whenever they do or witness a kindness (or are stirred with gratitude for something, etc.).  Keep strips of paper (we do Advent colors, purple & pink) next to the box for convenience.
3. On Christmas Eve, have your family take turns reading the notes (keep it fun!), and link them together in a chain to drape around the tree.
4. On Christmas morning, let it serve as an immediate reminder of who we are celebrating!

Your family’s actions and centeredness during the Advent season constitute a form of prayer, and the chain represents a tangible gift to the Birthday Christ that everyone, including your smallest children, can get behind!

To take it step further, when you take down the tree, throw the notes into a manila envelope write the year on it, and you’ll have a fun collection of good things hand-written by your kids that you and they will get a kick out of years down the road.