We are knee deep in the Holiday Season 2020! Advent is officially November 29- December 24. Most people start Dec. 1st. It marks a season of reflection as we prepare for Christmas, 25 days before Christmas. Advent in Latin means “coming”… it is the season of preparation for the coming of Jesus into the world. Christmas is special for so many reasons. I love all of it, the twinkling lights, bustling holiday shopping, santa, trees, and all the other wonderful memories of xmas… but for us, its truly celebrating the true gift of Jesus.

I collected just a few simple, but beautiful and meaningful ways to prepare our hearts for the “coming” of the best gift of all. There’s still time to order all of these!

Emily Lex Christmas Truth for Today Cards

I’ve been following Emily Lex for over 10 years. She is a mom, blogger, entrepreneur, artist and author. She is based in the PNW, where I am originally from. Her style is sweet, simple, and reflective. She recently came out with a set of scripture cards, and I’m so excited that she created a special set just for Advent. They feature her own watercolor artwork along with a bible verse. These can be displayed in a frame and revealed one at a time.

Unwrapping the Names of Jesus

I learned of this author as a guest on Monica Swanson’s podcast, Boy Mom. Asheritah is a mom, author and speaker. She has written several books primarily encoring busy women to make to room to find Jesus. Her book, The Names of Jesus sounds wonderful, and I ordered it for this year. It looks lovely and simple, spending 4 weeks uncovering the different names of Jesus. I’m super excited to try this on this year.

Jotham’s Journey

I also ordered this book, Jotham’s journey. This came as a recommendation from a follower and it looks wonderful! It’s a book organized into 25 chapters and follows ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. “Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.”

Jesse Tree

Jesse Tree. A Jesse tree is 25 devotions or pictures that can be used as ornaments that tells the story of creation to the arrival of Jesus. The name comes from Jesse who was the Father of the great Jewish King David. Jesus comes from the lineage of David. You can find many variations and versions of this. Here is one on etsy that I really love.

Lastly, this one is super simple. Find 25 Christmas books, wrap them up, and your family can unwrap one each night and read a Christmas story. I’ve done this in the past, and the kids love the anticipation of opening one present each night. You can incorporate any books you like.

I hope this list is a great resource to you. I am always looking to find and add meaning to our everyday routines in simple and doable ways.