Advent Sacrifices

We have been talking about Sacrifice this week in our daily Advent Prayer Services. Here is a list of suggested sacrifices your children can make during Advent. You can use this list in several ways. You may want to select a sacrifice for all of Advent, something to give up or an extra job to do. Or you can cut these ideas up into strips of paper and place them in a jar, and then everyone can take out one or several every day or week to do.

Ideas for sacrifices we can do to prepare our hearts, minds, and wills to serve God:

• Give up a special treat or snack. 
• No snacks, no dessert, no favorite food. 
• Give up TV, video games, computer time – at night, during the week, on weekends, you choose! 
• Do an extra chore without being asked. 
• Only drink water to become “thirsty for Jesus.” 
• Say an extra prayer like the Hail Mary or Our Father (especially good to say this prayer for a special intention). 
• Make a bowl of sacrifice ideas and pick one every day to perform. 
• Clean your room without being asked. 
• Help your parents the next time you see them cleaning. 
• Don’t complain about what is served for meals. 
• Give one of your siblings the choice of game or toy you are going to play with. 
• Serve younger children first at mealtimes. 
• Do a chore for someone else. 
• Let someone else choose the bedtime story. 
• Read a saint book (or two!) 
• Go to bed right away when you are told. 
• Say prayers every night for particular people – the Pope, friends, and family. 
• Add more family prayers – or learn a new prayer by heart by praying it at every lunchtime/every meal/every morning/every night (a great way to learn a Latin prayer or a song). 
• Kneel and say prayers after Mass. 
• Put your own money in the Poor Box. 
• Don’t push “snooze” when the alarm goes off in the morning! 
• Light a candle, pay for it yourself, and pray for someone. 
• Make a card for a sick person and mail it. 
• Go through your own toys and give some away to another child or to a thrift shop. 
• Everyone give away something nice to St. Vincent de Paul so that another child can have a Christmas gift. 
• Help your Mom cook dinner and clean up afterwards. 
• Gladly go to confession or to Mass when the time comes. 
• Go to daily Mass more – especially on feast days that are special to our family. 
• Say a prayer for your parish priest. 
• Instead of watching your favorite TV or video, do a job around your house. 
• Do your homework without being told. 
• Help a sibling. 
• Make a present for someone. 
• Help clean up after a meal. 
• Give cookies or small gift to someone that serves you (like your mailman). 
• The next time someone says something mean to you, say nothing in return. 
• Say a prayer for your family.
• Read a story to a sibling. 
• Tell your parents how much you appreciate all their work and love. 
• Call a grandparent or close relative who is lonely or who lives far away and tell them about your day. Pray for your deceased relatives. 
• Don’t yell for someone in the house to come to you, but instead go find them to talk to them quietly.