Christmas Advent Blessings Box

My sister in law, Laura, showed me this cute Christmas advent idea last year, but I didn't get a chance to do it. I am excited to try it with the kids this year along with the Jesse Tree that my sweet friend Waverly made for me a couple of years ago--It is so neat! Below is a copy of what you will do each day during the month of December. This project took me about an hour to do because we had almost everything around our house. I am sorry that I am not able to give credit to the writer of the material below. I don't have the website info anymore.


Blessings Box- December 2008

"Today we begin something new. Each day, until Christmas, we will open a little gift to help us learn about God’s best Gift to His people. Read John 3:16. What did God give us? His Only Son! Jesus, God’s Son, is “the gift of God” (John 4:10). “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). We can tell God “Thank you” for Jesus, His Gift to us.

1) BREAD OF LIFE PROMISE BOX – Listen carefully while I read this verse. See if you can tell me what Jesus is called. “Jesus said…I am the bread of life: (John 6:35). Did you listen? What is Jesus called? Bread! The Bread of Life! Jesus has many names. One of His names is “The Bread of Life”. Jesus says “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Every day you eat, don’t you? If you didn’t eat, you would get sick and weak and wouldn’t be able to live (if you went for days and days without eating!). It is very important that you eat good foods. But Jesus tells us it is even more important to listen to God’s Words from the Bible every day. That is the way to know Jesus, to live for Him and be strong to do the right things. You can draw a card out of the “Bread of Life” Promise Box each day and remember that Jesus is “The Bread of Life.”

2) PEARL BRACELET – Jesus is the Pearl of great price. (Matthew 13:45,46) Do you know what a pearl is? It is a hard, smooth, little white ball that has a soft shine. Women sometimes wear it for jewelry. A pearl is beautiful and costs much money. As you wear these pretend pearls, think of Jesus who makes us beautiful and valuable.

3) PILLOW – Jesus is our Rest. Jesus tells us: “Come unto me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, also Exodus 33:14). As you lay your head on this pillow (Olivia made for you), think of Jesus Who lovingly gives you the rest you need.

4) TOWEL & SOAP – Read John 13:5. What did Jesus do for His special helpers (called “disciples”)? He washed their feet. He wanted them to learn to serve each other. (Wash each other’s feet) What other things can we do to serve each other?

5) FLASHLIGHT – Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). What does light do? (It helps us see, shows us the way to go, keeps us from falling over things) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” Psalm 11:105. Jesus tells us things in His Word, the Bible, to help us know the right things to do.

6) BIBLE – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1. Another name for Jesus is the WORD. We can read His Words in the Bible. “…from a child thou hast know the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise…” 2 Timothy 3:15. Listen carefully to God’s Word.




7) HEART – What does a heart make us think of? Love. Did you know that “God is love?” He has shown us love by sending His Son the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. (1 John 4:9) “If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” 1 John 4:11. God loves us and wants us to love Him and also other people. What can you do to show love to God? Daddy? Mommy? Kaitlynn?

8) CROWN – Jesus is the Crown. When someone wears a crown, other people must obey them. They make the rules. They are the king. “In that day shall the lord of hosts be a for a crown of glory…” Isaiah 28:5. Jesus is called the “King of Kings” (Revelation 19:16). He is over all the presidents and other kings. Everybody should obey Him.

9) ERASING PEN – When you make a mistake in writing, you can erase it and start over again. When you do something that does not please God, called sin, you can come to Jesus feeling very sorry for your sin, believing His Words, and asking Jesus to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…” 1 John 1:9. Jesus is our Forgiver. Only He can forgive sin (“…the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins” Mark 2:10), forget all about it “(“…their sins…will I remember no more” Hebrews 8:12), and help you to start over again. Can you think of any wrong thing you have done today?

10) ROCK – “…and that Rock was Christ” I Corinthians 10:4. Did you know that another name for Jesus Christ is “Rock”? What is a rock like? This is a little rock, but when we think of Jesus as a Rock we can think of a great big rock which is so heavy and strong it cannot be moved or broken.

11) STAR - Do you ever go outside and look up at the stars? The stars are like Jesus’ eyes looking down upon us. Jesus says, “I am the…bright and morning star” Revelation 22:16. Look at the brightest star and think of the pure, good Lord Jesus Christ. He is called the Star…the bright and morning star.

12) BOOK – Another name for Jesus is “Author”. We read this in Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author…of our faith”. We think of an author as someone who writes something…a story, book, poem. Your mother is an author. Jesus is the Author of your life. Your life is like a book and each day He is writing the story of your life. He already knows the last chapter! Here is a book for you to read. Look for the name of the author.

13) BANDAIDS – “Jesus went about…healing…sickness..among the people…they brought unto him all sick people…and he healed them” (Matthew 4:23,24). Jesus is our Healer. He cares about His people. He created their bodies and knows best how to make them better. The next time you are sick you can pray “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14).





14) HAND PUZZLE – Yesterday we heard of Jesus as the Healer. He often used His hands to heal. “By stretching forth thine hand to heal;...that wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:30). His hands made you, Kathrynne! We are so thankful to Him for you! “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments” (Psalm 119:73).

15) GLOVES – “The Lord is my helper” (Hebrews 13:6). What does that verse tell us about the Lord Jesus? He is our Helper! We do not have to be afraid. We can cry out “Lord, help me!” (Matthew 15:25) and remember “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). God has given you two hands so you can be a helper, too. What are some things you can do today to help Daddy, Mommy and Kaitlynn?

16) SMILEY FACE STICKERS – Jesus is our Joy. He gives us a smile on our face. Are you smiling, Kathrynne? J To know Jesus is to have joy. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). His words in the Bible bring us joy. Keep smiling today!

17) MAGNET – Jesus is like this magnet. Many things come to this magnet. Today you can try to find things around the house that the magnet will pull to itself and pick up. Jesus says, “I… will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). He says “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28). As you watch the magnet pull objects to itself, remember how Jesus wants you to “come unto” Him.

18) RULER – This is called a ruler. It is made to measure things…to tell us how long they are. Today you can have fun measuring different things in your home. The Lord Jesus Christ is Measureless. He cannot be measured because He is too big and has no beginning or ending. “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (meaning it cannot be measured)” Psalm 147:5.

19) HONEY – Do you like the taste of sweet things? Did you know Jesus is Sweet? Read Psalm 119:103: “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” What does the Bible say Jesus’ words are sweeter than? Honey! Jesus can give us sweet words to say. “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul…” (Proverbs 16:24). What sweet words have you said today?

20) WATER – Do you ever get thirsty? If you eat something salty, or if it is a very hot day, you might feel more thirsty than usual. It tastes refreshing to drink cold water. Jesus is the Water of Life. He says “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14). He always refreshes and satisfies us.

21) COMBS – Can you count how many hairs are on your head? No! There are too many to count! But Jesus can. Jesus can do all things and He knows all things. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Jesus made your pretty hair. Thank Him for your hair as you use this gift. J
22) PINWHEEL PEN – Can you turn around? Do you know what it means to “turn”? If someone tells you to turn around, they want you to stop going the way you are, and start going a different way. Jesus turns people. If they are doing a bad thing, He can turn them from the bad thing (like not obeying or saying unkind words)to the good thing (like obeying or speaking kind words. He tells us “Turn ye even to me” (Joel 2:12). As you blow on this pinwheel and watch it turn, think about how Jesus is the only One who can turn us from the bad to the good.

23) MIRROR – Look in the mirror. There you see a little girl that Jesus made. We know He made her because the Bible says: “Lord…thou hast created all things” (Revelation 4:11) and that includes Kathrynne Elisabeth Paine! J You were made by Jesus. You were made for Jesus. “All things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Whenever you look in a mirror, tell Jesus “Thank you” for making your eyes to see, your ears to hear, your nose to smell, and your mouth to taste. You were made by Jesus to please Him (“for thy pleasure they are and were created” Revelation 4:11). Ask Jesus to help you use your body to please Him.

24) WOODEN TREASURE BOX WITH PENNIES – Do you know what a “treasure” is? It is something we love very much and think is more important than other things. Some people think of a lot of money as a “treasure” because of all the nice things they want to buy with the money. Jesus tells us it is bad to love money (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus should be our Treasure. “In whom are hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). His riches are “unsearchable” (Eph 3:8). Things we buy with money, like toys and clothes, wear out, break, get stained, torn, lost or we get tired of them. Jesus lasts forever! We will never get tired of Him! J

25) BABY PHOTOGRAPHS – You used to be a baby, didn’t you? So did Jesus. This is the story of Christmas, though some people forget that. “Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger…and they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12, 16). He didn’t stay a baby. He grew up so He could be our Savior. This is God’s best Christmas Gift to us. You are growing up, too, Kathrynne. Jesus is the One Who makes you grow. As you grow, you can learn more and more about our Precious Gift from God, the Lord Jesus Christ. "