The Kid-Friendly Advent Wreath

If you have never taken part in an Advent Wreath tradition, none of this will be a stretch for you. If you have, please know that my version of the tradition is not traditional in almost any way. If you want to stick with the traditional readings and candle colors, please do. I began this way of celebrating advent about 3 years ago, during my Man-Cub's second Christmas season. Back then, we could barely get him to sit still long enough to make it through the reading, but we persisted, and now he eagerly looks forward to Sunday evenings and the time to light (and blow out!) the candles. Now we are approaching our fourth advent season since we began doing the wreath and as soon as I pulled out the holiday decorations he was searching for the wreath and candles. That will warm a mama's heart!

The picture above is Man-Cub with the wreath last Christmas morning. I purchased the supplies to make the wreath at AC Moore Arts & Crafts, but almost any craft store should have the supplies needed. It consists of:

• Wire wreath form with candle holders (check floral supplies aisle if not in the seasonal section)
• Holiday decorative picks
• 4 taper candles (I chose colors that coordinate with my decor)
• 1 medium-large pillar candle for center of wreath

Each Sunday night after dinner we gather back at the family table and bring out the Bible and our Little People Nativity set as well as other props if applicable.

Click HERE for the weekly, kid-friendly readings.

Each week we light the candles from the week before, adding a new candle each week. We read and discuss the message in the reading and ask age-approriate questions to review. Then we take turns blowing out the candles.

On Christmas morning, after stockings are un-stuffed but before we begin opening gifts, we light all of the candles, including the big one in the middle. We keep all of the lights off so that the only glow comes from the 5 lit candles, and we read about how Jesus is the Light of the World. We finish this special time by singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and allowing the little ones to blow out the candles as if they were the candles on a birthday cake. 

This year, now that Man-Cub has become more contemplative, we plan to add one final question to finish our Advent celebration:

What birthday gift will you give to Jesus this year?

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Kid-Friendly Advent Readings

To read the beginnings of this family tradition as well as a list of supplies to make the wreath, click HERE.

The first Sunday of Advent this year is December 2nd. 

If you are late getting started or miss a Sunday, just catch up on a week night. We have been know to move our candle lighting to a Monday night from time to time if the kids are cranky on Sunday nights.

Okay, let's dive in!

Week One: Mary, the angel, and some very exciting news!

You will need: Bible, nativity figures or some other representation of Mary and an angel, advent wreath , candles, and lighter/matches

• Read Luke 1:26-38
• Light the first candle.
• During the reading, point out to your child which of the characters are Mary and the angel, allowing them to hold the figures.
• Questions for review and reflection:

1. Who brought the good news to Mary?
2. How do you think Mary felt? (Surprised, worried, happy, scared, sad?)
3. What do you think if would be like if an angel showed up in your room to give you a message? How would you feel?
4. What was the very exciting news that the angel brought to Mary?
5. What exciting news does God want us to share this Christmas season?

• Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the good news of Jesus' birth! Please help us to wait as expectantly as Mary did for the coming of your Son. May we always remember the true message of Christmas, and share that message with others through our words and deeds this Christmas Season! Amen.

Week 2: Joseph has an important dream.

You will need: Bible, nativity figures of Joseph and an angel, advent wreath, candles and lighter/matches.

• Light the first week's candle
• Read Matthew 1:18-25
• Point out to your child the characters of the story and allow them to hold them when they come up.
• Light the second candle.
• Questions for review and reflection:

1. What was Jesus' mother's name?
2. Who was she supposed to get married to?
3. How did the angel appear to Joseph? What did the angel tell him?
4. What did the angel tell Joseph to name the baby?
5. What other, special name did the angel say that Jesus would be called? (Remind your child of the meaning of Immanuel).
6. Did Joseph obey what the angel told him to do?
7. Are we supposed to obey God? What does obedience to God look like?

• Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us how to obey you by showing us how Joseph obeyed you. Help us to listen for what you want us to do and obey you right away. May we remember to be obedient to your will at Christmas time and always. Amen.

Week 3: No room at the inn.

You will need: A Bible, something to represent a stable (from a nativity set or even a box), figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in a manger, and a donkey, Advent wreath, candles, lighter/matches.

• Light the candles from the first 2 weeks.
• Read Luke 2:1-7
• Point out the figures in the story and allow your child to hold them and place Mary and Joseph in the stable.
• Light the 3rd candle
• Questions for review and reflection

1. Who had to make a long trip?
2. Where did they go?
3. Did they find a comfy place to stay while they were visiting Bethlehem?
4. What very exciting event happened while they were in Bethlehem?
5. Do you know what a stable is? Do you know what a manger is? (Explain these words, being sure to emphasize the fact that a stable is a common barn, and a manger is where an animal drinks. Also use wording to describe the "stinky" or unpleasant environment that a stable would be for sleeping) 
6. Where were you born? (emphasize the comfort and cleanliness of hospital or birth center settings vs. a stable)
7. When you were a little baby, where did you sleep? (again, emphasize the comforts of a home and crib). What would it be like to sleep in a barn?
8. Why do you think that God would send his Son to be born in a barn?

• Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you so much for the birth of your Son, Jesus! Although Bethlehem did not have room for Him, allow us to make room for Him in our hearts. We pray that we would not miss out on how special His birth was this season. Help up to remember His humble start and to stay humble ourselves. Amen.

Week 4: Shepherds and Wise Men

You will need: Bible, figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men, and various animals, some kind of star, Advent wreath, candles, lighter/matches

• Light the previous 3 candles.
• Read Luke 2:8-18 and Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11
• Light the fourth candle
• Point out the figures in the story and allow your child to hold them and place them in their appropriate spots.
• Questions for review and reflection:

1. How did the shepherds feel when the angels appeared?
2. What did the angels tell them to do?
3. How would you feel if all those angels appeared to you?
4. What did they do in response to the angels good news? (emphasize that they obeyed, worshipped AND told others)
5. What did the wise men follow to find Jesus?
6. How many gifts did they bring? Do you remember what the gifts were?
7. What is the greatest gift of all time?

• Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gift of your Son! We know that He is the best Christmas present of all! Help us to respond to His birth the same way that the shepherds did, and worship Him the way the wise men did. Remind us of the lessons that we have learned from the shepherds and wise men, and help us to live our lives as a precious gift to you. Amen.

Christmas Morning: The Light of the World!

You will need: Bible, Advent wreath, candles, lighter/matches

• Turn off all the lights, light the 4 taper candles and the center candle.
• Read John 1:1-5
• Questions to ask:

1. Who is the light of the world?
2. Who's birthday is today?
3. What birthday gift will you give to Jesus this year?

• Prayer: Jesus, we love you so much! Thank you for coming to this world to be our light! Help us to shine your light to the whole world, at Christmas and always. Be with us as we strive to live out the gifts we promised to give you this year. Happy Birthday Jesus! Amen.
• Sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and allow the kids to blow out the candles as if they were the candles on a birthday cake!

It is my sincerest hope that this tradition has blessed your family this advent season. May the joy of the birth of Jesus permeate your heart and life at Christmas and always!

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Get Serious About Celebrating!

Right now I am reading the supremely inspiring book, "The Purpose of Christmas" by Rick Warren.

This book contains the wake up call that we all need from time to time during the holiday season. I am about 50 pages in, and I already have a new mantra; celebrate.

It's that simple, and that complicated, all at once. Just celebrate. Christmas is a giant, one-month-long birthday party for the greatest person that ever lived, and that is cause for some big time celebration. 

So I am taking a few hours today to check my calendar, make lists of to-do's and the dates that they need to be completed by, and then I am letting go of the stress. I am letting go of the impulse to cram one more thing in, to hunt for the "perfect" gifts for one more hour or to allow one more "to do" to ruin my celebration. This holiday season I will simply celebrate. I will attend parties, bake, cook, read, laugh, play and enjoy the wonder and magic of Christmas, but I will not do a single thing that is not celebratory.

Will you take the steps needed to get serious about celebrating?

Let's Give Thanks Part V: 1 Turkey Carcass 3 Meals

I really hate the word carcass. But when I consulted my handy thesaurus for less graphic sounding alternatives, the options were pretty morbid themselves; body, cadaver, corpse, remains, shell....its not pretty.

But I needed to be specific that these are not recipes for leftover turkey, these are recipes that utilize the bones and the bits of meat that cling to them. One 20 pound turkey carcass can yield 3 recipes, and depending on your serving sizes and size of your family, at least 6 meals. 

My method for brined turkey is here, but if you did not brine your turkey, you will want to add some extra seasoning, which will be listed at the end of the post. If your family serves the wings and drumsticks on the bone, you will not be able to do all 3 recipes, so just pick your favorite and make one nice pot of soup. Also, you will probably want to start this process in the morning, as it is kind of an all day thing.

1. You will begin with 3 large pots and a very sharp knife. Remove the wing, leg and thigh bones from one side of the bird and place in a pot. Do the same for the other side, adding those to the second pot. Finally, put the entire body of the bird into your third pot, cutting into several pieces if necessary to fit. Cover all 3 with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for as long as is needed for bones to be completely bare. It took mine about 4 hours. As mentioned, if your turkey was brined you will not need to add anything to your water and bones, the saltiness and seasonings will be sufficient to make a wonderful stock.

2. Remove all bones and cartilage from each pot and continue simmering as you add the remaining ingredients to each one.

For Herbed Noodle Soup add:

2 diced carrots

1 stalk celery, diced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

chunks of leftover meat (if more meat is desired)

2 cups farfalle or other noodles (add after vegetables are tender)

For Spicy Sicilian Soup add:

2 diced carrots

1 stalk celery, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

1 can Rotel, do not drain

chunks of leftover meat (if more meat is desired)

1 cup ditalini or other small pasta (add after vegetables are tender)

Black pepper to taste

For White Chili add:

2 cans navy beans, drained

1 can cannellini beans, drained

2 packages "White Chicken Chili" seasoning

chunks of leftover meat (if more meat is desired)

Simmer each of these until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is al dente. For the White Chili you need only simmer until flavors are combined and beans are heated through. Because I serve soup with sandwiches or salads for dinner, I then separated each recipe into 2 gallon sized bags, then froze them flat on a cookie sheet so that they can be neatly stacked in the freezer. We eat all of our leftover turkey meat with the leftover sides or on sandwiches, so I did not add any additional meat to my soups and they are still very rich and hearty. A lot of meat comes off of the bones since I am not very thorough about "picking" the turkey. Talk about being resourceful! With the original holiday dinner,  our leftover meals, plus the soups and chili, one turkey has yielded 10 meals for my family! 

*If your turkey was not brined, you will want to add the following to each pot of water and bones: 1 whole stalk of celery, 1 whole carrot, 1 quartered onion, salt and pepper to taste. Remove the whole aromatics when you remove your bones.

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Let's Give Thanks Part IV: Entertaining the Kids

The big day is here! 

The parade, turkey, football, and the pile of Black Friday ads on the coffee table. But if you have little ones, you know that there is little likelihood that you will be hanging on the couch watching the parade until the meal and then following it with a tryptophan-induced mini coma.

Especially if you are visiting someone else's home, one where there isn't any "kid stuff" and the space has not been toddler proofed.

The home where we will be spending this Thanksgiving dinner will contain 5 sets of aunts and uncles, 16 of my husband's first cousins, and enough of his grandmomma's fragile heirlooms to keep me on my toes for the entire day. Oh, and my kids are the only one's under the age of 16 that will be present today. 

When there was just one child in my care, I could easily follow him around the house or, weather permitting, take him outside to play on her lawn or walk him over to see her neighbor's horses. But now I am outnumbered. Not that my fella won't help, but if there is a particularly interesting play happening in whatever football game is on, I may be on my own. 

In my imagination, I spend the day with a screaming-because-she-wants-to-run-around toddler on my hip while I chase the 4 year old around begging him "Don't run in the house! Don't tackle your relatives! That's not a toy!" while the relatives look at me with either sympathy or helplessness.

So, I am taking a proactive approach to avoid all of that. I am packing Man-Cub a backpack full of quiet activities that he has never seen before. I have a few simple Thanksgiving themed craft kits from the craft store, a Christmas coloring book, and some pumpkin-pie scented play dough as well as his Leapster and a spare set of batteries. For the Girl-Child I have some toys that she hasn't seen in awhile and an arsenal of toddler friendly finger foods. I also know that I can always rely on the grandmothers, aunts  and girl cousins to want to snuggle the little one and the grandfathers, uncles, and boy cousins to take Man-Cub outside for basketball or to play catch after the meal. 

And even if there is some chasing and correcting, I will not allow myself to be stressed out, because this is Thanksgiving, and I am so thankful for my little ones. I wouldn't trade them for all the parade floats and long naps in the world!

Let's Give Thanks III: Friends-giving & Brined Turkey

I really like to cook Thanksgiving, and I have an extra special love for all of those turkey day leftovers. For many years, while we were stationed away from home, I cooked the whole feast and then we invited over as many single sailors as we could find to enjoy the meal with us. Since we are "permanent" where we are now, at least every other year there is a family meal to attend, which leaves me without my beloved leftovers. So two years ago I began the tradition of hosting a "Friends-giving" a few days before the actual holiday.

This gives me the opportunity to do the cooking that I enjoy so much, and gives my fella the opportunity to do the socializing and entertaining that he loves so much. Typically we invite friends that live far from home or for some other reason don't have holiday plans. We eat, we drink, we laugh, and most importantly, we give thanks. We are thankful for the friends that are in our life and for the unique relationships that we have with them. Friends never take the place of family, but having strong friendships is such an important part of a healthy, balanced life.

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”

-C.S. Lewis

One of the reasons that we host "Friends-giving" is so that we can enjoy an awesome brined turkey that I started making a few years ago. My fella says it "ruined all other turkey" for him. It is a variation on Alton Brown's famous Good Eats turkey from 1999. 

In a large stockpot combine:

2 cups kosher salt

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup whole peppercorns

1-2 whole cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup dried rosemary (or throw in the contents of the whole jar if you don't have quite that much)

1/4 cup dried sage

2 tbsp dried thyme

Aromatics for roasting:

1 apple, quartered

1 onion, quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled but whole

Fill up the pot with water and slowly dissolve brine seasonings over low heat. Allow to simmer for at least 10 minutes to fully bring out the flavors of the dried herbs. Completely cool in the refrigerator. Place thawed turkey in a large oven bag in the roasting pan in case of leaks. With help, pour cooled brine into the bag. Allow to brine in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, turning once during that time. Remove turkey, discarding liquid but retaining herbs (I just pour the brine through a strainer to do this). Add herbs back into cavity of turkey. Place aromatics in a bowl with 1/2 cup water and microwave for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatic (minus the water) to the cavity of the turkey. Pat whole turkey dry with paper towels and coat liberally with canola oil. Place uncovered in 500 degree oven for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 for the remainder of cooking time, tenting as necessary if the bird begins to over brown.