A few years ago I wrote a kid’s advent devotional for my two boys. It was written with parents and elementary aged kids in mind, walks through the four traditional themes of advent, and goes through different Scriptural stories leading up to the birth of Jesus. (And because I am a parent I know that sometimes the idea of going through a devotional every day feels more intimidating than inspiring. That’s why this is only 20 days long.) For each theme, there are five days of devos, giving you as a family space to skip a night should chaos take over at dinner, or a meltdown derail the mood. This is a “no pressure, do when you can, do how you can” advent.

There have been years where Legos got more attention  than me when reading. Years where, as soon as I finished I immediately started yelling about needing to brush teeth and clean rooms. But that’s okay. That’s Christmas with kids. Equal parts wonder and exasperation.

 2020 may feel off the rails. But I hope this advent gives you and your kids a chance to recenter on the things that don’t change and still matter amid all the challenges this year has brought. As the apostle John wrote, “the light has shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Advent. We wait. We hope. We do not despair. The light is coming. 

(Click the pdf below to download!)