Family Advent Bags

Christians around the world are celebrating the season of Advent by preparing their hearts for the birth of Jesus Christ. Some Christians celebrate with Advent calendars, family Advent devotionals, lighting Advent candles, and focusing their hearts on Jesus’ birth.

What is Advent?

Advent is the first season of the Christian church year. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Advent means “coming.” During this season, Christians are preparing for the coming of Christ. We can look back and remember how the Israelites anticipated the coming of the Savior, a promise from God. As we celebrate the first coming of Jesus as a baby born in a manger, we can also anticipate the second coming of Jesus as the fulfillment of what He promised while on this earth.

Celebrating Advent as a Family

Christmas gets very busy when you have a family. Lots of parties, gifts to buy, and places to go. Sometimes we went get busy doing that we forget to center our lives around the birth of Jesus.

As a Children’s Ministry Director, I wanted to provide a resource for the families in my church that could help them focus on Jesus during the Advent season. I wanted them to be able to open their Bible together, read some family Advent devotionals, enjoy a craft together, and have fun doing all the activities on their Advent calendar. I put all these fun activities together and gave out Family Advent Bags.

The inspiration for this bag came from a YouTube video by Shawn Howell: How to Make Advent To Go Bags for Families. I included some of her ideas and others I created myself.

Items we included in our Family Advent Bags

Family Advent Devotions

I have written five Advent devotions for families to use: four for each Sunday in Advent (plus one for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). These devotions have a Scripture verse, devotion, prompting to light the Advent candles, and a prayer. Get a copy of the Family Advent Devotions!

Faith 5 Bookmark

I wanted to give families a guide in knowing how to do a family devotion. I found a Faith 5 Bookmark that highlighted a great way to do one. Faith 5 lists these steps for a family devotion: share highs and lows, read a Bible verse or story, talk about the Bible verse or story and how it can relate to your highs and lows, pray for one another’s highs and lows, and bless each other.

Family Advent Calendar

Family Advent Calendar Kit is a resource that will help families focus on the birth of Jesus this Advent/Christmas season! This kit includes 3 things families can add to their Advent calendar: Scripture cards, Song cards, and Service cards. Each day in Advent (Dec. 1-24, plus an added bonus to use on Christmas Day), families will read a portion of the Nativity story (Scripture card), then will listen to (and sing if they like) a Christmas worship song (Song card), and finally, will do something that serves God and others (Service card).

Advent Wreath Magnet

The most simple Advent wreath I found was magnetic! Families can stick it on their fridge and place new candles on it every Sunday. These Advent Wreath Magnets were a fun and easy to use.

Craft Ornament

I included an Oriental Trading Nativity craft in each bag. A packaged craft that was simple and easy to do for any age.

Glow Stick

Inside each bag I put one glow stick. I told families to break this stick on Christmas Eve and sing Silent Night with their family. This is a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the world.

Sticky Notes

A pack of sticky notes was included so that families could use them to write encouraging words to each other.

Christmas Prayer Cube

Living Grace makes a wooden Christmas Prayer Cube that I bought and put in the bags. On each colored side of the cube is written a prayer. Families can roll the cube and read the prayer together before meals.

Jesus’ Birthday Cake Recipe

I have no idea where I got this recipe, but it was given to me back at the beginning of my ministry career. Each layer of this Jesus Birthday Cake represents something.

The Family Advent Bags were a hit with the kids and parents at our church! I loved hearing the stories of how their family was excited to celebrate Advent and enjoyed the family advent devotionals.

More family ideas for Christmas and Advent