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Last year I found myself struggling with the whole Christmas machine here in the U.S. It’s messed up. However, instead of being cynical, I decided to lead my family into a more meaningful perspective on Christmas. I found a very purposeful and relevant way to go about Christmas in Advent. So, I set up an Advent calendar.

Advent means expectation. After all, Christmas is about the arrival of the Messiah, the One who had been anticipated for centuries!

This year I thought it would be good to take that expectation literally. We’re journeying through the Old Testament with our hearts bent towards Bethlehem. After all, the Old Testament is a longing for the expected One, Jesus. So, we’re longing right along with them.

You can download the Advent calendar/schedule I put together here. Feel free to use it for your family, small group, whatever.

How does your family celebrate Christmas?

I think that I have officially overcome my Christmas cynicism. Christmas just didn’t have any meaning for me. I mean, yeah, it’s Jesus’ birthday (actually, it’s not really), but the whole deal to me felt messed up. And, truthfully, it is. But, it doesn’t have to be for me and my family. I’m still not buying into the super-sized hype (and I hope I never do), but I do believe this time of year is an important season of refocus and refreshment.

Anyway, I started looking for a tangible way to get at the heart of what Christmas is all about. That’s when I discovered the tradition of the Advent Calendar. The whole idea behind advent is anticipation. Anticipation for the coming of the Messiah (as opposed to the coming of the Wii). And why was/is the Messiah anticipated? Because he was/is going to bring justice. He was/is going to set things right. He was/is going to wipe away the tears.

So, I built this advent calender (below). Nothing too extravagant. Just cups hanging from a string across our kitchen. Each evening we take down a cup and read the verse that is in it. The verses are centered around God bringing justice, healing the broken, and making things right. We read them with anticipation that he is coming (again) to do all this and also with the attitude that, in the mean time, we are to be laboring along with him to those ends. As the cups become less, our anticipation becomes more. Anticipation for the coming of the righteous one, who will make all things right.