Celebrating Advent as a Family: Building a Legacy of Faith
My husband and I started celebrating Advent with a simple desire: to help our toddlers learn about Jesus. We didn’t realize those December evenings would become a regular practice of family devotions and Christ-centered traditions. What began as a small family practice became part of a spiritual legacy for our children.
Advent has roots in the early church, and many churches today observe Advent during the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Celebrating Advent gives families a recurring opportunity to remember Jesus’ first coming, celebrate His saving work, and look forward to His return.
Deciding to celebrate Advent as a family
The Holy Spirit used Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world,” to challenge our family’s approach to Christmas. Instead of letting presents and activities fill every corner of December, we decided to make a big deal about Jesus throughout the month. We wanted to demonstrate that knowing Jesus is a greater gift than anything under the tree.
We started small. Each evening, we opened our family devotional to read about Jesus’ first coming and promised return then sang a Christmas hymn as we lit a candle on our homemade Advent wreath. The display wasn’t elaborate—just a dollar‑store wreath and a few candles—but it gave our family a simple way to mark the season and gather around God’s Word.
Our family Advent devotions became a lasting tradition
Up to this point, we hadn’t established regular family devotions. But my husband and I committed to trying them during Advent. Some evenings, we read at bedtime with tired, fussy children. Sometimes, we missed a day altogether. It wasn’t perfect, but we didn’t give up and simply returned to it the next evening. What began as a December commitment gradually became part of our family life throughout the year.
Looking back, those simple Advent evenings became one of the most meaningful ways we shared our faith with our children.
When my son was little, baby Jesus often joined him at play. The nativity figurine rode in the back of his dump truck and sat beside him on stroller rides to the playground. Those little moments gave me natural opportunities to talk about Jesus being with us wherever we go.
As time went on, I began to see the story of Jesus becoming part of my son’s everyday world. And while our family was celebrating Advent when he was 8 years old, our son surrendered his life to Christ
Passing a legacy of faith to the next generation
As a military family, our Advent traditions gave us something familiar wherever we lived. We read about Jesus’ coming, sang together, and prayed. Even during a cross‑country move, opening our familiar devotional and singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” helped a hotel room feel like home. As our surroundings changed, these traditions reminded us our ultimate home is with Him.
Today, both of our adult children celebrate Advent in their own homes. Seeing them continue these Christ‑centered traditions gives me hope for the generations to come. Beginning that December activity 20 years ago passed along a spiritual legacy and a way to share the truth of Jesus with the next generation.
5 Simple Advent Traditions for Your Family
Celebrating Advent doesn’t need to be elaborate and glamorous. Here are some of the ways we used to celebrate Advent over the years. I encourage you to choose one that fits your family and try it out this year.
1. Read, sing, and pray together.
Share a short Scripture passage or family devotion, sing a Christmas hymn, and pray together.
2. Make the nativity part of everyday play.
Choose a child-friendly nativity set that little hands can handle, allowing children to explore the story of Jesus’ birth through play.
3. Read Christmas books about Jesus.
Build anticipation for Christmas with books that focus on Christ’s birth and the meaning of Advent. Check the local library for nativity titles.
4. Choose Christ‑centered movies.
After watching a movie about Jesus’ birth, ask your children what they noticed about Him.
5. Hide the Christmas star each day.
Choose a small star ornament and hide it each day of Advent for children to find. As they search, remind them how the star guided the wise men to Jesus.
Try taking one small step this year to celebrate Advent. Years from now, your children may carry on the same practices in their own homes. You may not see the full impact today, but each time you make room for Jesus in your Christmas celebrations during the month of December, you can plant seeds of faith and build a spiritual legacy that can reach beyond your own home.
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Beth Runkle is a FamilyLife writer and author of Another Move, God?, a devotional for military wives. After coming to faith and experiencing transformation in their marriage through Weekend to Remember®, Beth and her husband embraced marriage ministry throughout Air Force life. They have two adult children. Beth enjoys helping women love God’s Word.