Page 7 - Lessons and Activities on What Makes Us Catholic

ACTIVITY SHEET 1
Make an Advent Chain to count the days throughout Advent to Christmas.
Make a family trip to the library and check out some books about Christmas.
Read the Christmas story from the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Begin tonight to put up your nativity scene. Talk about the part that each person or animal had in the Christmas story.
Tonight is a no-television night.
Spend time tonight reading those books you checked out of the library.
Today (Dec. 6), celebrate the feast
of St. Nicholas. Exchange your gift certi cates. Telephone a loved one long distance
for a surprise.
Make a list of love and appreciation.
Talk about what you love/appreciate about each person on your list. Be sure to have some- one take notes; then give the notes
to each person.
Tonight, make a family Christmas card for one of the special people on your list.
Whoever opens this envelope gets to choose what the family will do together this evening.
We are getting ready to remember the birth of Jesus. Take out your picture albums and re- member the birth of each family member.
Give someone a simple gift and don’t take credit for it. You could leave baked goods, candy, or an anonymous Advent greeting on a neighbor’s doorstep.
Make cookies for a lonely neighbor, for a soup kitchen, etc.
Take all of your Christmas books, wrap them, and put them in a box. Each night—or once a week—take one, unwrap it,
and read it together.
Pray the O Antiphons before dinner each eve- 7 ning (the week before Christmas).
First Sunday of Advent:
Set up your family Advent wreath.
Go shopping together to buy a new toy for a charitable organization.
Tonight, play Christmas music
and make decorations for your tree.
Tonight, take a family walk in your neighborhood and look at Christmas decorations.
Tonight (Dec. 5), get ready for the feast of St. Nicholas by making gift certi cates for everyone in the family.
Today (Dec. 8) is one of the feasts of Mary.
As part of your family prayer together, pray the Hail Mary. How do you think Mary felt while she waited for Jesus to be born?
Pray together: Thank you, God, for the excite- ment we feel. It is very hard to wait to nd out what will be under the tree. Help us to think more of you. Give us the peace of Christmas as we continue waiting.
Let everyone take a turn telling what she or he thinks was the best thing about last Christmas.
Write a prayer together that you can use when you place the Infant Jesus in the crib.
Have a wireless evening/day. Unplug every- thing and decide on a way to just enjoy/be together with your family.
Read about the Old Testament people that are featured on the Jesse Tree. Make one or two ornaments of Jesse Tree people.
Decorate a mini-Christmas tree and take it to someone in a nursing home.
As a family, record a Christmas voicemail message—in the spirit of the meaning
of Christmas.
O er to babysit for another family so the parents can go shopping.
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