Let’s imagine, just for a moment, a December that doesn’t rush past you.
No frantic scrubbing of glitter from the table while the children squabble, no gnawing sense that you have “missed” Advent once again.
Instead: a candle lit on the dresser, a Bible open beside the teapot, wellies by the back door, and a sense that this year you are actually walking with your children towards the Light, slowly, gently, just one small step at a time.
That’s the Advent I longed for, and it’s the Advent I planned for in our home. Not perfect (never that!), but rooted, unhurried, and quietly devoted.
Today I’d love to share a few thoughts on shaping that kind of season, and then introduce three gentle companions I’ve created for you:
- The Nature Advent Curriculum (for you and your children)
- Light in the Darkness: A Devotional for the 12 Days of Christmas (for you)
- Celtic Advent – A Gentle Advent Companion (a free gift for women walking toward the light)
My hope is that, you’ll leave with a handful of fresh, practical ideas to fold into your own Advent rhythm.
Advent as a Season, Not a Scramble
One of the simplest shifts we can make is to remember that Advent is a whole season, not a frantic countdown to one big day.
In the older rhythms of the Church, Advent is a time of watching and waiting:
- listening more than we speak,
- noticing more than we achieve,
- preparing room in our hearts, homes, and even our calendars.
In the British tradition, this slower preparation begins with Stir-Up Sunday, that lovely final Sunday before Advent when pudding bowls are brought out, wooden spoons are passed round, and everyone takes a turn stirring and making a wish. It’s practical, yes, the Christmas pudding and cake needs time to mature, but it’s also a gentle, domestic way of “stirring up” our hearts.
You don’t have to bake a pudding to honour this; you might simply stir a pan of soup, bless your home, and pray, “Stir up our hearts, O Lord.”
A Nature-Based Advent with Your Children
The Nature Advent Curriculum
Many of us long to mark Advent with our children in a way that feels holy but not heavy, simple but not shallow. We want to avoid heaps of busywork and still offer something nourishing to the soul of our child.
This is exactly why I created The Nature Advent Curriculum.
It’s designed as a simple, open-and-go guide to help you celebrate:
- The natural rhythms of the season – bare branches, early darkness, birds at the feeder, frost and rain.
- The Church’s season – watching, waiting, and welcoming the Christ-child.
You’ll be gently introduced to Advent and to the British tradition of Stir-Up Sunday, and then guided through the season with a repeatable, daily structure:
- Create an Atmosphere of Reverence, Wonder, and Devotion
- Scripture Reading
- Moment of Silence and Prayerful Response
- An Outdoor Activity
- An Indoor Activity
And then, woven through it all:
The Advent Journal – For Child and Parent
One of the most precious parts of the curriculum is the Advent journal.
You are encouraged to keep a journal alongside your child. Not a perfect art book, but a humble record of:
- little drawings,
- copied scripture,
- snippets of prayer,
- notes about the weather and the birds,
- thoughts about waiting and hope.
This isn’t just “schoolwork” for the children; it’s a spiritual practice for you as well. You’ll find that, as you sit together with your pens and glue, your hearts quietly align.
If you are longing for a way to mark Advent with your children that feels sacred, seasonal, and mercifully simple, The Nature Advent Calendar is there to hold your hand day by day.
Christmas is Not Just One Day
Light in the Darkness – A Devotional for the 12 Days of Christmas
Another gift of the Church year is the reminder that Christmas itself is a season, not a single exhausted morning followed by a mountain of recycling.
The 12 Days of Christmas – from Christmas Day through to Epiphany – give us time to dwell in the mystery of God-With-Us.
I wrote Light in the Darkness – A Devotional for the 12 Days of Christmas especially for women, as a companion through these holy days.
If you often pour yourself out for everyone else in December and then feel oddly empty once Christmas is “over,” this devotional is a way of giving your own soul a soft blanket and a candle in the window.
Celtic Advent – A Gentle Advent Companion (Free)
Finally, I wanted to offer something entirely free, as a simple gift to you.
Celtic Advent – A Gentle Advent Companion is for women who are walking toward the light with tired feet and hopeful hearts. It’s shaped by:
- slow, Celtic-inspired faith
- an awareness of the turning seasons
- a desire to go gently rather than grandly
You can use it:
- on its own,
- alongside the Nature Advent Curriculum (while the children do their work, you take a cup of tea and a moment with your own pages),
- or as a gentle thread running beneath the busyness of December.
It’s there to remind you that you are also being accompanied – that as you peel potatoes, hang damp coats, and tuck children into bed, Christ is quietly walking with you in the darkening days.
Three Tiny Advent Practices You Can Begin Today
Whether or not you choose to use any of these resources, here are three small, unusual practices you might like to try:
- Choose a Daily Threshold
Pick one doorway in your home, perhaps the front door or the kitchen entrance.
Each day of Advent, pause there for a brief moment and quietly bless all who cross that threshold:“May all who come and go here find warmth, kindness, and God”s light.” - Keep a “Light List” Instead of a To-Do List
Alongside your practical lists, keep a tiny column titled Light.
Each day, jot down one small thing that brought or received light;
a child’s giggle, the way the sky looked at 4pm, a line of scripture that stayed with you. - Advent Weather Watching
Make a tiny note of the day’s weather in your diary or Advent journal:
“Low grey cloud, a robin on the fence,” or “Cold, clear, and starry.”
Let this be a reminder that God’s story in your life is being written not only in church pews, but in skies, puddles, bare branches, and kitchen sinks.
A Gentle Invitation
If this resonates, if you feel “I want this. I want a quieter, more rooted Advent for myself and my children,” then I warmly invite you to explore:
- The Nature Advent Curriculum – to walk hand-in-hand with your children through Scripture, nature, and simple daily practices.
- Light in the Darkness – A Devotional for the 12 Days of Christmas – to tend your own soul once the wrapping paper has gone.
- Celtic Advent – A Gentle Advent Companion – a free little lamp for your path as you walk toward the light.
No hustle, no pressure. Simply choose what will genuinely serve you in this season, and leave the rest.
Put the kettle on, light a small candle, open your diary, and ask quietly:
“What would a gentle, Christ-centred, nature-soaked Advent look like for us this year?”
And then, let’s walk it together. Slowly, one patient step at a time.
An offer: Use code ADVENT20 for a 20% discount on your purchase.
From my home to yours,
