The (Gentle) Way Into The Advent that You Need (with Printable Night Before Advent Kit)

When I found this little ceramic Christmas tree from the 70’s — that had no star?

Just a table-top tree with translucent multi-colored bulbs, up on the upper shelf of a piled and tilting thrift store?

Yeah, I rescued a sting of childhood memories and brought that chipped star-less tree home.

Love always lightens us.

Because it’s almost December the 1st, and the hype ends now, like someone, thank God Almighty, duct-taped all the grating noise and made a sacred space of sane stillness.

These are loud and wounding days of right reckoning. News streams are a torrent of pain. A lady yells at me on the way home with this blister of 40 tongue-lashings.

And I’m telling you: When we dash one person’s light — we dash a world of light, because we tend to pass on our pain, instead of passing the peace.

Maybe when we are most disillusioned with each other, is when most need to be blaze illumination for each other.

JoyWares 

JoyWares

And before I tuck her in for the night, we open up The Wonder of the Greatest Gift — and there it is — she has a tree, her very own tree, right in her lap.

The practice of Advent is participating in the ancient expectancy of the Messiah — and ardently expecting Him again.

And we read December 1st’s reading — and she holds in her hands the story of her family tree, the family tree of Jesus, the grafted-in family tree of the people of God — and her eyes light, and she opens the first of those 25 Advent flaps, and hangs the first Advent ornament, and I can’t help blink it back in all this light.

“Can I, Mama?” She looks up. “Can I take out the star, Mama?” And I nod and she cups the star in her hand and beams.

And I don’t notice it until I tuck the covers in underneath her chin, stroke her hair back, brush one last kiss on the top of her head: she’s fallen asleep holding the star in her hand.

The Girl’s becoming a little Light Poker.

The Girl’s sleeping with Light. The Girl’s becoming Light. All His light.

Now is the season to be a star that shatters the dark.

You see it everywhere you turn these days of Advent:

What breaks any dark

is the courage of just one star.

 

And we all get to begin together!

Just a little invite? Come experience a Christmas like you’ve always dreamed? 

So come Christmas morning — you’ve unwrapped the greatest gift you yearn for — more of Him.

Gather around the Greatest Story this year for the whole family with all 3?

And we all get to begin together on December 1!! 

The Greatest Gift (adult edition),

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift (family read aloud edition),

and The Wonder of the Greatest Gift (pop-up edition with your own 14 inch tree, 25 days of readings, 25 day advent flap calendar, hiding all 25 Biblically inspired ornaments! For any age) 

annnnd?

The Whole “Night Before Advent” Kit is free for you right here [just scroll over the photo, and then click on download]

The Free Printable Advent Calendar is here for you in red, or in snow blue or chalkboard black [just scroll over the photo that pops up, and then click on download]

And the printable bookmark of the poem: “The Night Before Advent”

Click over to The Greatest Christmas and Check out our whole library of free printable ornaments, cards, gift tags, gifts boxes, Sticky Notes for Your Soul, Advent Calendars  and more — our gift to you for The Greatest Christmas!