I enjoy this season of the year so much.  I love the wonder and the anticipation as we get ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday. 

     We got our tree on Monday and decorated the house that day too.  There is nothing like the smell of a freshly cut tree, even if it is so hot that we turned on the air conditioner in the car on the way home from the tree farm!   

     Each morning during Advent we light our Advent wreath and have special devotions.  Then we add one more circle to our Jesse Tree. We also take a link off our chain to count down the days until our Savior's birth.  The children have chosen their favorite recipes, and so Monday afternoon we shall commence baking.  The children have also drawn names amongst each other so they are now each on a quest for the perfect gift for the sibling whose name they drew from the hat. 

      One last note concerning advent...this is one of my favorite websites.  It's an advent calendar with all kinds of ideas for different celebrations, including advent wreaths, a Jesse tree, carols, crafts, Christmas around the world and vocabulary. It tells you suggestions for each day of Advent in each category.   No matter how you want to celebrate Advent, this site has it all coordinated!