Winner of the Advent Calendar Giveaway is...

Thanks to all my readers and followers who participated in my 2012 Advent Calendar Giveaway.  I truly appreciate all your kind comments and input!  Congratulations to Marianthy Karantzes, the winner of the beautiful calendar!

I'll be doing another Giveaway in December - for St. Lucia Day.  And later today I'll post my Advent and Christmas Resource page, to help with all your book choices for this Holy Season.

I'd like to extend my thanks also to Monastery Greetings, who donated the calendar, with artwork by Ruth Sanderson.  It can be purchased here, from their website.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN - ALREADY?

source: onecharmingparty (right click)

Why am I posting about Christmas early in November, before we've even celebrated Thanksgiving?
My husband and I drove past our huge local shopping mall a couple of nights ago and could hardly believe our eyes: the shops and parking lot were all decked out for Christmas!

[photo sources: OC Register]

It can be challenging to find ways to help children keep their focus on the birth of Christ during the annual "Countdown to Santa/Christmas Presents" that our frenzied culture of consumers gets so caught up in. Well, thank goodness for another kind of countdown: Advent, a time of joyous expectation.
Advent means "coming" or "arrival", referring to the coming of the Christ Child as Messiah.  It is a time of waiting and of preparation.

For Western Catholic and Protestant Christians, the season of Advent doesn't start until the fourth Sunday before Christmas.  But for me, an Eastern Orthodox Christian, Advent - also know as the "Nativity Fast" - begins on November 15th every year, lasting 40 days.

In helping to mark off the anticipated days leading up to Christmas, many families enjoy using Advent Wreaths with candles and Advent Calendars with little windows to open (look for my Advent Calendar GIVE-AWAY here or at the end of this post). Give-away over 11/15/12

Some devotional books you might consider using during your Advent Countdown...

A daily prayer and activity book for families
during Advent. Link here (right click)

This book has a story for each night of December.
description here (right click)

A great resource during Advent, with Christmas
traditions, recipes, and crafts from many different countries.
right click to browse inside

Make an Advent Calendar of Christmas Books: 

I'd like to share some ideas for incorporating beautiful Christmas picture books into your family traditions during this time of anticipation. It takes a little planning, but it's worth the forethought and effort... 

1- You need to determine how many books you need - this will depend on how many days leading up to Christmas you'd like to do this activity (i.e. during all of Advent, during the month of December, or just the last two weeks leading up to Christmas).

 2-  Choose the books.  Gather Christmas books you already have (add some library books if you don't have enough of your own - just be sure to label and read the ones from the library first, so they won't be overdue).  This is also a nice way to start collecting Christmas picture books - buy a few a year to add in!  Click here for my Christmas Book Resource Page, if you need book recommendations.

photo source

3- Wrap the chosen books in Christmas paper and number each book according to which day you want your child to open and read each one. [If you're very ambitious, you could number envelopes to adhere to the books.  Inside you would put a card with either an Advent activity, craft, or bible reading written on it.  Refer to the 3 books I mentioned at the beginning of this post for ideas. Or - look here for Christmas crafts from Crafty Crow, and here for Orthodox readings for 40 Days of Advent].

Source here (right click)

4- Put the wrapped, numbered books in a special place...
Some families put them in a basket by the fireplace, ready for a book to be chosen and read each night.

source: The Blackberry Vine

You might want to put them under the Christmas tree - opening and reading the last one on Christmas Eve and replacing with presents for Christmas morning...

source: babyjaynes (right click to open new window)

You could line them across your fireplace mantel...

This ambitious idea is from Babycinno (right click)

Or on bookcase shelves...

from Sarahjanestudios (right click)

Whatever you choose, have fun.  And don't miss MY ADVENT GIVEAWAY 2012: An Advent Calendar with artwork by Ruth Sanderson from Monastery Greetings. Leave a comment on this post and go HERE for details. 

HOW TO ENTER: Giveaway over 11/15/12 - Congratulations to Marianthy (mom2eleni)!

1- Leave a comment here or on any of my blogs posted from November 12, 2012 through November 14, 2012. 

2- "Like" or comment on this post (or any others I post from 11/12-14/12) on Facebook.  

3- Share this post from my Facebook page to yours, to enter your name in the drawing twice.

ADVENT CALENDAR GIVEAWAY 2012

IN ANTICIPATION OF CHRISTMAS

Giveaway: ADVENT CALENDAR from Monastery Greetings. 

From November 12, 2012 - November 14, 2012 (at midnight PST), you can enter my Advent Giveaway for a chance to win this beautiful 25-day Advent Calendar.
Drawing Results*: November 15, 2012  Giveaway over 11/15/12. Congratulations to mom2eleni!

This beautiful calendar artwork is by
Ruth Sanderson, from her picture book The Nativity.

HOW TO ENTER:

1- Leave a comment here or on any of my blogs posted today (11/12/12) through November 14, 2012. 

2- "Like" or comment on this post (or any others I post through 11/14/12) on Facebook.  

3- Share this post from my Facebook page to yours, and I'll enter your name in the drawing twice.

Advent Calendar description: Mary lovingly embraces the newborn child Jesus in this manger scene. Prepare for Christmas by opening a window each day during December to reveal a special picture.

The front is accentuated with glitter. Bible texts that follows the story of the Nativity are presented on the back of each window. This Advent calendar measures 8 1/4" x 11 3/4". Easy to hang or display anywhere. 

Watch for my upcoming post on how to incorporate books into your Advent traditions.
Thank you to Monastery Greetings for participating in this Advent Giveaway with me!  You can visit their wonderful website, HERE. 

*I'll be using List Randomizer for the drawing results.  Winner will be chosen on November 15, 2012.