For many adults, the Christmas season seems to go by too quickly. But to a small child, the countdown to Christmas morning can feel like an eternity.
One of the ways to make the days leading up to Christmas Day more special for each member of your family is by downloading and using the World Help Advent Calendar.
What is an Advent calendar?
The first recorded Advent calendar was created in 1851, but the tradition did not become popular until the early 1900s. Still, families began counting down to Christmas long before that.
The season of Advent consists of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, and it has been celebrated since as early as the fourth century. In many ways, the idea of an Advent calendar echoes how the people of Israel must have felt long ago. For generations, they had been waiting for the Messiah. Can you imagine waiting so many years for Christmas?
Finally, the world received the first and greatest Christmas gift — baby Jesus. The season of Advent is meant to mimic the journey toward Jesus’ birth.
Most modern Advent calendars begin Dec. 1 and count down to Christmas Day. Some are constructed of paper, some are wooden, and most contain some kind of little surprise like chocolate or a personalized note each day. You can even buy calendars full of different pairs of socks!
Advent calendars can be a fun and special tradition for the whole family — one that points you to the reason for the season. And this year, we want to help make your holiday season even more meaningful.
How do I use the World Help Advent calendar?
The World Help Advent Calendar will take you and your family deeper into the Christmas Giving catalog by introducing fun facts and guiding you through the different ways you can transform lives as a family.
By downloading the calendar here, you can start celebrating with your family in a new way! The instructions for how to assemble your calendar are included.
Want to make your Christmas giving extra special? Here are a few other ways you can use this resource:
• Use the gift featured each day as a conversation starter to inspire meaningful discussion around the dinner table. Simply spend a few minutes of your mealtime discussing how each gift can change someone’s life.
• Pull a fun fact from the World Help Christmas Giving catalog or our scavenger hunt and write it on your children’s lunch napkins — allowing them to learn about changing the world all day long.
• Make it a game! Have your children or grandchildren flip through the catalog and guess what item will be uncovered next!
• Get creative — draw pictures of a person receiving each gift, illustrating what a chicken or a Bible or a pair of shoes will mean to someone.
• Use the Advent calendar as a prayer guide. As you uncover a new way to transform a life, pray for the people who need that particular gift.
There’s no shortage of ways you can use this calendar to make your holidays extra meaningful. Download the Advent calendar today to enhance your family’s Christmas giving.