Advent Resources for Tired Families :: 2015 Edition

Six years ago, Advent was new to me.

As a child, I hadn’t celebrated Advent apart from watching families light the Advent candle at church each Sunday. With a little one at home, I was eager to learn more about Advent and find the best resources to shepherd my kids through this season. The goal, of course, was to point my children to Christ.

Finding great Advent resources for families has kind of become a tradition on this blog. What works great for one family, might not be a fit for another, and with new resources being put out each year, I want to help YOU find the best choice for your family so you can be intentional in celebrating Jesus.

But here’s the deal. I’m tired.

I WANT to take advantage of this season of pointing my kids to Christ, but I also don’t want to start one. more. thing. and then not follow through. So :: my Advent resources this year are geared toward the family who is tired.

Maybe you’ve never celebrated Advent before, or maybe you’ve tried year after year and never finished. These resources are for you. I hope you find something that will work great for your family. My goal for this list is varying degrees of simple. and doable.

Advent Resources for Families

There are SO many Advent resources on the inter webs, but these are the ones I’m excited about this year. For other options, check out this post, this post, and this post too. :)

• Adventures in Odyssey Countdown to Christmas Advent Collection :: We LOVE Adventures in Odyssey, listening to a story (new or old) almost nightly. This collection includes an episode for each of the 24 days leading up to Jesus’ birth!!  Bonus :: Adventures in Odyssey also offers an Advent activity calendar.

• Prepare Him Room :: A traditional family devotional but in a unique {flexible} format and written by the author of these very popular books, we will be using this for our family Advent this year. It also accompanies what our children’s Sunday School is using.

• Awana Advent Devotional :: Of course we love Awana, and I was thrilled to be invited to contribute to their annual Advent Devotional for families. You can subscribe to receive this FREE resource here.

• The Stories Behind the Music: Christmas Carol Devotionals for your Family :: Free for a limited time

• Curious about Christmas Advent Calendar :: Created by my friend, Logan, these super cute tags include 24 fun facts and Scriptures to celebrate the holiday season {Free!}

• Unwrapping the Names of Jesus :: I don’t know much about this one, but it piqued my interest, especially because there looks to be a daily component for moms and weekly activity and teaching for families.

• JOY Cards Advent Calendar :: Want to keep Advent simple this year? These JOY Cards are your answer.

Advent Devotionals for Parents

Like Advent ideas for families, devotionals for parents are abundant, too. I’ve shared some in these other posts. This year, I’m only sharing the one my husband I will be reading. We have quite a few on our shelves, but because we have been so blessed and challenged by the teaching of Louie Giglio, we opted to read his Advent devotional : Waiting Here for You: An Advent Journey of Hope.

Question for You ::

What about you? What are you doing to prepare your heart and family for Christmas?

Resources for You ::

• TONS of Advent ideas for families
• Advent resources for CHILDREN’S MINISTRY 
• The best Christmas WORSHIP music
• Games make great gifts! These are our favorites!
• Truth in the Tinsel for families