Keeping Christ in Christmas–Candle Scripture Advent Calendar

Scripture Advent Calendar . . . use this free printable advent to keep the focus on Christ this Christmas. It is a favorite Christmas tradition at our house!

Candle Scripture Advent Calendar

Thanksgiving is over (it was wonderful), and we are in full blown Christmas mode at our house. We got the tree and the lights up, so now I just need to tackle the contents of boxes that are strewn all over my family room. I may have a tiny problem with buying and making too many Christmas decorations. But what can I say–I love Christmas!!

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to use advent calendars to count down the days till Christmas. Some of them are simple, like eating a piece of candy. Some of them involve activities every day.

But we try to do a few that involve the real meaning of Christmas–the celebration of Christ’s birth. This simple candle advent is a great reminder of the events leading up to the birth of the baby Jesus.

How to make a Candle Scripture Advent Calendar

Supplies:

–12″ White Taper Candles
–Red and green craft paint
-Paintbrush
-Toothpicks
-Printable scripture countdown page (at the bottom of the post)

Instructions:

1- Since you need to make twenty four marks on your taper candle, it is helpful to first mark them with a washable marker to make sure they are evenly spaced.  (Just make sure you leave about an inch at the bottom so the candle can sit in the candle holder.) I’ve made enough of these that I don’t make the marks anymore, I just skip to the next step.

2- Squeeze a small puddle of red paint onto a paper plate. Use the end of a paintbrush to make 24 dots on the candle. To get the best results, dip your brush in the paint every time you make a dot. That helps keep them the same size. Let the paint dry completely.

3- At this point you can be done, the candle works just fine with only dots. I like to make mine flowers, so I use the end of a toothpick to make tiny green leaves on each side of the dot. A tiny paintbrush works well too, but I couldn’t find mine.

4- If you make any small mistakes, you can just use your fingernail to scratch the paint off and try again. Yep, I had a wonky paint dot that I had to fix.

5- Place your candle into a candle holder.

Q: I don’t have any craft paint, can I just use a marker for my candle scripture advent?
A: Yes, you can use a Sharpie marker. It’s not quite as vibrant as paint, but it will still work.

How to Use the Candle Advent:

Print out the scripture advent paper. (link at the bottom of the post)

Every evening, you light the candle and let it burn down to one of the marks. As it is burning, read the scripture and discuss it, or sing the song that goes with it. We usually do it before bedtime because it calms everyone down and brings such a peaceful feeling into our home.

Even the little kids are fascinated by the flame of the candle, so they usually manage to sit still and quiet long enough for us to get through. Hope your family enjoys it as much as we have.

Tip: The paint doesn’t burn  with the candle, it usually just falls into the melted wax. I just use a knife to pick off the paint dots and discard them.

Scripture advent candles make great neighbor gifts or church handouts. I like to make up several candles at once so that I have them on hand for a few years. Just wrap them up before you store them, and keep them out of really hot temperatures.

I hope this becomes a treasured tradition at your house too! Please pin this post to share, I appreciate it!

To print off the daily scriptures for the Candle Advent, click the following link:

Christmas Candle Scripture Advent Calendar

Here are a couple more ideas for having a Christ centered Christmas:

Printable Gratitude Christmas Tags

Feed the Hungry

Have any great ideas for keeping Christ in Christmas?? I’d love to hear them!!