Advent Conspiracy Family Kit 
A booklet full of prayers, ideas, and activities for each week of Advent. Conspire with your kids to make Christ the center of your Advent season!

Family Christmas Budget: Get Your Kids Involved!
Christmas is a great time to teach kids about stewardship and generosity.  Include them in your discussions about creative ways to spend less on yourselves, so that you can give more to others in need.  The mom-blogs "Dont' Waste the Crumbs" and "Penny-Pinching Mom" offer great practical advice for teachings kids about budgeting at Christmas.

Count Your Blessings
A good way to fight the Christmas "gimmees" is to focus on what you already have.  Invite family members to write down what they are grateful for on a slips of paper and place them in the center of your Advent wreath.  When you gather for family meals, prayer time, or bedtime, take a few minutes to read out these messages of gratitude out loud.  Say a prayer of Thanksgiving for the blessings God has given your family.

Celebrate the Immaculate Conception
On December 8, we will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  This feast celebrates the way that God prepared Mary from the moment of her conception to be the Mother of God.  Watch the movie "Mary of Nazareth" (available for free from Formed.org) and discuss: God gave Mary the gift of an immaculate conception (meaning she was saved from Original Sin from the first moment of her existence).  What gifts does God give our family?  How can we show him that we are grateful for these gifts?