homeschooling log 2010: chapter eight: what will we do during advent?

So, I love December.

It's my favorite month. For a number of reasons.

It's my birthday month (December 1.)

It's also my anniversary month (December 20).

One of my children also has a birthday this month (December 26), as does my mother (December 8).

It is the culmination of my favorite season of the year, Autumn.

But most of all, it's Christmastime.

I am one of those oddball people that thinks if this time of year doesn't make you happy inside, not even in the slightest way, or if you hate Christmas music, or anything having to do with this time, then something's off with you.

There really is something in the atmosphere at this time of year. It's almost tangible.

I believe it is the anticipation of the glory that comes upon the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Advent is a celebration, if you will, of that anticipation. It is a time when people focus on Jesus and the meaning of his birth, life, and subsequent death and resurrection.

I decided to teach my little ones about advent this year. I know many people use advent calendars, or advent boxes, or Jesse trees, but I am doing something different.

Since I am a singer, and my children love it when I sing to them, I am going to teach them a Christmas carol, a Nativity-focused song, each day until December 25.

They may not remember them right away, but I have decided that this is going to be a new tradition for us and over the years these songs will become solid in their hearts and minds and they will always remember Mommy singing to them. And they will especially remember the meaning of Christmas thanks to learning these songs. That is my hope, anyway.

This isn't to say we won't be singing songs like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Jingle Bells," or "Jingle Bell Rock." We will. I love all Christmas songs. I will just be concentrating on teaching my little ones these Nativity-focused ones.

Next week, I will share a week's worth of songs in a new chapter of the homeschooling log. But for today, since we just started, I will share with you the song that I taught them today. Maybe I will record these too...

God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay;

remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day

to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came,

and unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same,

how that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.

Incidentally, a good friend of mine looked up my name, Natalyn, and found out that it means "Beautiful Tender Lake/Waterfall Christmas/Birth Day." So, that's extremely happy.