13 Catholic Advent Activities for Families
KEEP YOUR FOCUS THIS SEASON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DIY Advent Wreath
DIY Advent Calendar
Celebrate the Saints!
Sing Christmas Carols
Give God Time Every Day
Don’t Forget the Candy Cane!
DIY Jesse Tree
Read Christmas Stories
Create Holy Moments
Dedicate One Night for Family
Watch a Christmas Movie
Play with a Nativity Scene
Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus
As a season of preparation, Advent offers a wonderful opportunity for your family to engage in activities that create a deeper connection to the true meaning of Christmas. This year choose one or two activities that resonate with your family, and keep the focus on the spiritual significance of the season. Whether it's creating an Advent wreath, reading and discussing daily Scripture readings, or participating in acts of kindness and charity, these intentional activities foster a sense of anticipation and reflection. Guide your family towards a Christmas filled with faith, love, and joy.
1. DIY Advent Wreath
Creating your own Advent wreath is a simple and meaningful activity. And it only takes a few steps! The wreath can be a focal point for your family's prayers and reflections. Each Sunday of Advent gather around the wreath and recite the Advent Wreath Prayers together—it’s a simple and powerful way to prepare for the birth of Jesus as a family!
Download DIY Advent Wreath Instructions
2. DIY Advent Calendar
One Advent tradition that kids love is the Advent calendar. This special calendar doesn’t just track the days of Advent—each day of the calendar also contains a numbered flap, which opens to show a picture or a small surprise. Each box is filled with daily inspiration that will help your kids grow through Bible verses, reflections, and holiday fun!
Create Your Own Advent Calendar!
3. Celebrate the Saints
No one becomes great on their own. We all need people in our lives who inspire us, show us what is possible, raise our standards, remind us of our essential purpose, and challenge us to become the-best-version-of-ourselves. We all need the saints.
Saints represent every race, come from every culture, and span the centuries. Male and female, young and old, rich and poor, introverted and extroverted, practical and mystical, the saints are a kaleidoscope of the human experience. There is literally no aspect of life that the saints have not experienced, no emotion they have not felt, no doubt they have not faced, no suffering they have not endured. And so, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, the saints can offer you the encouragement and wisdom you yearn for as you prepare for Christmas!
There are many powerful saints that Catholics celebrate during Advent. Here are just a few examples:
- December 6: Feast of St. Nicholas
- December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
- December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe
- December 13: Feast of St. Lucy
Sharing the stories of these saints with your family is a wonderful way to learn about the inspiring friends of God who came before us, embraced their faith and left lasting legacies.
4. Sing Christmas Carols
Did you know that many Christmas carols, like The Twelve Days of Christmas, actually have Catholic roots?
Timeless classics like "O Holy Night," "Silent Night,” "Away in a Manger" and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" are all great options to sing with your family. Through these songs, you can deepen your family's understanding and appreciation of the true meaning of Christmas.
You can listen to Christmas songs as you drive in the car to Mass, attend a “Lessons and Carols” service at a local church, or gather with friends in your neighborhood and sing outside for your neighbors!
5. Give God Time Every Day
If there’s one thing that will change your Advent experience as a family, it's the daily habit of prayer. Daily prayer has endless benefits—it will deepen your relationship with God, transform the culture of your family, and create unbelievable clarity and peace in your home.
This Advent, set aside dedicated time as a family to come together and pray. Use the Advent Prayer for the Family, allowing its words to guide your intentions and foster a spirit of anticipation.
You can also use the daily BEST ADVENT EVER video as a prompt for reflection and discussion.
Another classic Advent tradition is to pray the St. Andrew Novena, which is said 15 times every day from November 30-Christmas Eve.
If you commit to praying as a family every day, you will discover it is a game changer for your daily life and the way you prepare for and experience Christmas together.
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6. Don’t forget the candy cane!
One powerful way to prepare for Christmas as a family is to decorate (and enjoy!) candy canes.
The candy cane holds beautiful symbolism related to Jesus' birth and sacrifice on the Cross. Shaped like a shepherd's crook, it signifies Jesus as the Good Shepherd who guides and protects his flock. The white color represents the purity and innocence of his birth, while the red stripes symbolize the blood shed on the Cross for our redemption. When inverted, the candy cane forms the letter "J" for Jesus.
Hang candy canes on your Christmas tree as a visual reminder of these meaningful messages. Then gather as a family and read the Nativity Story from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Luke's Gospel highlights the role of the shepherds and their encounter with the newborn Jesus!
7. DIY Jesse Tree
Most people celebrate Christmas with a Christmas tree...but Catholics have another wonderful tradition: The Jesse Tree!
A Jesse tree is a display with ornaments that tells the story of the Old Testament. Starting on December first, Catholics will hang one ornament at a time—each one representing a different Old Testament story (Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, the Ten Commandments, etc.). Every day, your family can talk about the importance of each Bible story and how it led to Jesus’ birth. Through the use of stories and accompanying pictures, kids can gain a deeper understanding of the prophecies that foretold the birth of Jesus.
As the Jesse Tree unfolds, children can witness the unfolding plan of salvation and appreciate the continuity between the Old and New Testaments
Download the Jesse Tree Instructions Download Printable Ornaments
9. Create Holy Moments
One of the greatest ways to prepare for Christmas with your family is to create Holy Moments together.
Here are a few ideas:
- Organize a visit to a nursing home where you can share the joy of Christmas by singing carols and spending time with the residents.
- Extend kindness to an elderly neighbor by preparing homemade cookies and heartfelt cards to brighten their day.
- Donate gifts to a giving tree at your local parish.
- Offer to shovel someone else’s driveway.
- Help someone elderly decorate their home for Christmas.
- Invite your loved ones to celebrate Christmas Mass with your family.
You can keep track of your family’s Holy Moments in a special way: every time your child creates a Holy Moment, invite them to add a piece of straw to your family Nativity Crèche. If they create enough Holy Moments, baby Jesus will have a comfortable bed of hay to rest on when he’s born!
10. Dedicate One Night for Family
Designate at least one night for a meaningful at-home family gathering. Drink hot cups of eggnog or other festive treats. Talk about the season, reminisce about Christmas memories from the past and share your favorite part of the Advent season thus far.
11. Watch a Christmas Movie
Have a movie night. Pick a Christmas movie this year and commit to watching the same movie every Christmas for the rest of your life.
It is what is unchanging that allows you to make sense of the change. Fixed points of reference like the North Star allow us to navigate through life. And something as simple as a Christmas movie can help us assess our lives and provide clarity about what matters most and what matters least.
12. Play with a Nativity Scene
Harness the power of play to engage children in the story of Jesus' birth during the Advent season.
Create a small nativity scene that is easy for your kids to play and interact with. This hands-on approach helps children develop a deeper understanding and connection to the nativity story, bringing it to life in their own unique way.
Invite your children to create a nativity play at home with you, acting out the story as a family.
Additionally, consider visiting a Live Nativity at a local church, where your family can witness a live enactment of the Christmas story. These interactive experiences help children grasp the significance of Jesus' birth in a tangible and memorable way.
13. Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus
In all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s easy to lose track of the true reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Put Jesus at the center of your celebration by hosting a birthday party in his honor on Christmas Day! Gather your family and sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. Indulge in a sweet treat, such as angel food cake, symbolizing the heavenly significance of the occasion.
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