Advent, Week 2

Oops. This week got away from me. We are hurtling through Advent...Bud checks the dry erase board every morning for a fresh look at how many days until Christmas. And the slowing down isn't happening as much as I'd like.

This morning in school, Bud journaled a little bit about the season we're in. He can't wait to open presents--and to give them away. He also loves looking for the Elf.

Ah, the Elf.

The kids' aunt and uncle gave them their very own Elf on a Shelf a couple of years ago for Christmas, and it has bloomed into a tradition all their own. We don't really follow the original intents and purposes of the Elf; we don't have a little spy who goes and reports to Santa whether they have been good or not. Mainly because we don't tie Christmas presents to good behavior. As a friend in our Wednesday night group pointed out last week, "That's blatant works-righteousness. Plus even bad kids almost always get presents anyway, so what they're really learning is that whatever they do is good enough." Not exactly the gospel, eh?

(That friend was NOT talking about the Elf, by the way. Just generically about Santa Claus.)

Our Elf's name is Tompton. His last name is "Elf-on-a-stick" in German, which I can pronounce but cannot spell, so you'll just have to take my word for it.


Every morning the kids come out and try to be the first to find Tompton. He hides all over the place, trying to blend in. With his bright red it doesn't usually work for very long.



At first, we said that whoever found him first was entitled to light the candles in the Advent wreath during our worship times that day. This did not work out very well in Wombles' favor, so we came up with an elaborate civil code with various contingencies and exceptions.


That didn't work either, not least because I couldn't keep track of it all or decide what was fair.

Turns out, there didn't really have to be a reward for the kids to love combing over the house looking for our little SchtechelElf. They actually DO very much enjoy just hunting and finding. Who knew? (We do give a candy treat, though, for the first winner. Often that's Bud before anyone else has gotten out of bed, so no hurt feelings.)



One of the delights of parenthood is getting to help build what will be our children's memories and traditions. Along with special family worship morning-and-evening, we have our Elf on a Shelf. It's fun to play.


And although I don't think the kids are conscious of any parallel, I like the idea of incorporating a bit of hoping and searching into our Advent traditions. I like to think that there's some little heart muscle getting exercised that will be ever more ready to hope and search for the returning King.



During our worship times, the format is the same as last week. In the morning, we have switched our prayer to the following:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

And our memory verse to the next two verses in Revelation, 22:14& 15 (12-13 were last week).

In the evenings, we've switched around our original plan for singing. This week we're doing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" in order to stay ahead of what we're doing in corporate worship. Instead of saving it for last, we're doing it now so that the children will know the words when we all sing it together. A fun element has been that it's one of Pixie's pieces for her recorder recital next week, so she has accompanied us once and I hope she will again.

Happy second week of Advent!