This is my fourth year picking up an advent calendar from Naptime Diaries ( 2013, 2014, 2015) but this year the company has a new name – Amen Paper Company. I couldn’t find the new name more fitting. Four years ago I picked up the advent guide because I so desperately wanted to make the Christmas season more intentional. It is one of the most magical times of the year but it is also filled with so much noise and so much rush. I wanted a way to intentionally celebrate. To begin traditions in my new home. And to ground my heart with the real meaning of Christmas.

The word Advent comes Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” It is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ. For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives – the season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah and to be alert for his Second Coming.

Christmas is a season. One that you either make 2 months or 2 weeks long depending on personal preference but a season none the less. It is a time of expectant waiting, of generous grace, of new mercies, forgiveness, and hope. We are able to love, give, serve, believe, trust, hope, and forgive during the Christmas season in powerful ways not because of what we have done but what Christ has done in us!

This year the advent calendar sits in front of me – waiting until the first days of December for me to dig into. Calling and challenging me again to a slower pace one more focused on the people than the to-do lists. Please join me. Pick up an advent calendar from Amen Paper Company here and make a commitment to not get caught up in the noise & the rush but instead in generous grace. There are 3 days left to order to guarantee delivery before December 1st so make sure to jump on that! Use code: OAKANDOATS for 10% off your purchase.

This year let the season speak to the depths of your heart.