Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. It’s a time when we prepare our hearts and our homes for Christmas. I know in today’s world, where we are always a season ahead, it’s easy to forget about Advent and just jump into the gifting and Christmas parties. But Advent is an important time in the Church, crucial to have our hearts prepared for Jesus’s birth. So every year, I try to do something that will help us maintain the real reason for the season in our home. Here are a few ways I’m doing that:

An Advent Devotional

This is my third year using the devotional from Blessed is She, and it’s always such a perfect way to start my days during Advent. Get yours here, and use the code jenise10 for 10% off your order. They also have a kid’s version, and I ordered that for Caleb this year. You can bundle them here.

Advent Candle Kit for the Kids

I can’t even count how many times I realize on the first Sunday of Advent that I haven’t bought candles! This year, I ordered this set, so the kids can make the Advent candles themselves.

Catholic Family Crate Advent Box

We have been using resources from Catholic Family Crate for a few years now, and I love how easy they make it to involve the kids in the faith.

The Christmas Star from Afar

We do the Elf on the Shelf at our house, but we also do The Christmas Star from Afar – the elf and the star work together in our case as another small reminder of what the season is truly about. This comes with a book, a wooden nativity set, and a box to keep it all stored.

Rosary Bracelet

This year, I had the pleasure of helping design a bracelet with my friends at Taudrey. We came up with the beautiful Full of Grace Rosary Bracelet (which you can still buy here). For the holidays, we designed a single decade rosary bracelet, and that will go on sale on November 23 (with a waitlist opening up on November 21). You can browse their products here.

Mass Journal

So this one isn’t Advent specific, but since Advent is the start of the liturgical year, it does start on the first Sunday of Advent. This is a beautifully designed journal by Every Sacred Sunday that you can take with you to mass, follow along with the readings, take notes, and reflect on your week. I’m so excited to start using this, because often while I am at mass, I want to jot something down but I don’t have anywhere to do so (I really dislike taking my phone out during mass, which is why I never have photos during mass).

If you’re looking for a way to begin preparing for Advent, I hope these will provide some resources for you!

xoxo