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Advent Conspiracy Stories

Last year, several people from Mosaic participated in Advent Conspiracy to varying degrees and in unique ways. Here are a few of their stories:

Jon & Susan Zall

c_cg_zalls Choosing to participate in Advent Conspiracy often begins with the quiet act of listening - which is almost revolutionary given the energetic rush before Christmas. Times of silence and solitude usually don't happen during this season unless we intentionally choose for them to happen.

For Jon and Susan Zall, consciously listening has led them through a gradual transformation in the way they celebrate Christmas. Several years ago they began to reconsider the number of presents they exchanged as a family, yet they recognized that change is a process rather than a one-time event. Their first step, in 2006, was to give a llama to a family overseas in addition to their other traditions.

Last Christmas they built on this beginning by convincing their family to exchange homemade gifts – with the exception of the Zall's five-year-old grandson, who "needed legos and dinosaurs". One family member made picture frames decorated with old keys and coins, other family members made homemade baking mixes and presented them along with aprons and chefs' hats.

For their out-of-town family, the Zalls purchased gifts through World Vision – chickens, goats, wells for clean water - to give in the name of each family.

Ultimately, Advent Conspiracy is an opportunity to listen, and to consider whether or not our established habits still express our deepest joy in the season. Change, when it comes, can be large or small. As large as a llama or as small as a lego, apparently.

Dave, Kristy & Lilly Funk

m_ac-funks

For some people, joining the vision of Advent Conspiracy has more to do with adding something to their family celebration than taking something away. The Funk family decided last year that they would continue to exchange gifts the way they usually do, but that they would introduce a deliberately relational aspect to Christmas Day.

After the morning bustle settled down, each family member was responsible for planning a one-hour activity in which they would all do something together. One of the hours was called "Snip, Snap, and Sip". Dave, Kristy and Lilly snipped leftover wrapping paper to make "Merry Christmas" signs, they snapped pictures of each other holding the signs on Mt. Tabor, and then returned home to sip hot cocoa.

Another hour of the day was spent putting together a puzzle, although the puzzle was 1,0000 pieces and nowhere near complete when the hour was up. It was the sort of project the family rarely slows down long enough to consider doing. Looking back, Dave believes the gift of time together was the most satisfying part of the day.

John Gendron

m_ac-jgcoupon Some people might look ahead to Advent Conspiracy with a bit of dread – as in, "Oh NO. I don't make crafts. I'm not creative. I can't even wrap presents that well, if you come right down to it. I have no idea how to participate."

The good news is that Advent Conspiracy isn't just for those who can make birdfeeders out of pinecones. Instead take a bit of inspiration from John Gendron who approached gift-giving last Christmas as a chance to spend intentional time with each of the people on his list. He deliberately chose activities he would do with each person related to that person's unique interests and presented them with certificates.

John gave one friend a day kayaking. He gave another friend, with whom he often does home improvement projects, a lunch together followed by a trip to the Northwest Fine Woodworking show. For some friends he offered to help around the house doing small projects and repairs, and for others he prepared homemade dinners and hosted movie nights. He took another friend, an animal lover, to the Oregon Zoo where they attended a summer concert and spent a couple of hours with the zoo photographer learning about wildlife photography. At the bottom of each certificate he handed out, John wrote a brief description of Advent Conspiracy in order to help explain his approach to the holidays that year.

People really responded to John's desire to give his time rather than just buy things. "My mom was so amazed that anyone would do something like this, let alone an entire church," he said. "Then it dawned on her that if this would come from a certain group, she supposed the church was the place it should come from."

* Click the button on the right to download a generic advent conspiracy coupon to give your friend's and family this year.

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