The usual Advent calendars help children count down to Christmas by giving candy or toys each day. Desiring something less consumerist and more connected to our faith during Advent, ADOTS Communications Associate Rachel Moorman took a cue from a tradition her mother-in-law used to have with her own children during Advent: sharing the history of a Christian saint each night.
A downloadable Advent calendar of saints for December 1-24 is the result, shared here for those wishing the same for themselves or their families.
Click to view or download
Anglicans do not have feast days or celebrated saints for every day of December. To fill in the gaps, Rachel has taken saints from Catholic or Orthodox calendars to include a variety of interesting saints and stories of those who came before us. Each description has an accompanying icon and is easy to understand for younger children, but does not gloss over saints who were martyred for the faith.
This calendar prints out four days to a page, ready to cut apart to use in your own Advent calendar. Not just for children, this calendar can also help adults focus on Advent and remember those who have sacrificed, lived, and died for Christ, and who have had a lasting impact on the Christian tradition.
Click here for the Printable PDF Download for personal use