It's pretty obvious that I am a traditions kind of girl. I love seasons because they allow you to create beautiful, meaningful traditions that will live on in your family. Advent is one of those special times for me and I am so excited to get to create a beautiful Advent season for my own family. I find myself growing more and more discouraged at the fact that the commercial version of Christmas is engulfing the true meaning of the season. So, I see Advent as a time to enrich my heart with the true reason for the season and to understand the depths of what and who we are celebrating.
Holiday: Advent- December 1st though 24th
Celebration:
The liturgical season of Advent marks the time of spiritual preparation by the faithful before Christmas. Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (Nov. 30). It spans four Sundays and four weeks of preparation, although the last week of Advent is usually shortened because of when Christmas falls. The importance of this season is to focus on the coming of our Lord. (Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming.”) The Catechism stresses the two-fold meaning of this “coming” : “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming.”
Therefore, on one hand, the faithful reflect back and are encouraged to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord’s first coming into this world. We think about the great mystery of the incarnation when our Lord humbled Himself, taking on our humanity, and entered our time and space to free us from sin. On the other hand, we recall in the Creed that our Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead and that we must be ready to meet Him.
In all, during Advent we strive to fulfill the opening prayer for the Mass of the First Sunday of Advent: “Father in Heaven, ... increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth.”
This is a great video to teach the reason for celebrating!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02KOlw7dlA
Historical background:
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Advent began sometime after the 4th century as a time of preparation for Epiphany, and not in anticipation of Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Christ by remembering the visit of the wise men and, in some traditions, the Baptism of Jesus. At this time new Christians were baptized and received into the faith, and so the early church instituted a 40-day period of fasting and repentance.
Later, in the 6th century, St. Gregory the Great was the first to associate this season of Advent with the coming of Christ. Originally it was not the coming of the Christ-child that was anticipated, but rather, the Second Coming of Christ.
By the Middle Ages, the church had extended the celebration of Advent to include the coming of Christ through his birth in Bethlehem, his future coming at the end of time, and his presence among us through the promised Holy Spirit. Modern-day Advent services include symbolic customs related to all three of these "advents" of Christ.
This is a great video to teach the reason for celebrating!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02KOlw7dlA
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Advent began sometime after the 4th century as a time of preparation for Epiphany, and not in anticipation of Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Christ by remembering the visit of the wise men and, in some traditions, the Baptism of Jesus. At this time new Christians were baptized and received into the faith, and so the early church instituted a 40-day period of fasting and repentance.
Later, in the 6th century, St. Gregory the Great was the first to associate this season of Advent with the coming of Christ. Originally it was not the coming of the Christ-child that was anticipated, but rather, the Second Coming of Christ.
By the Middle Ages, the church had extended the celebration of Advent to include the coming of Christ through his birth in Bethlehem, his future coming at the end of time, and his presence among us through the promised Holy Spirit. Modern-day Advent services include symbolic customs related to all three of these "advents" of Christ.
Biblical basis:
In my search for the biblical basis of advent, I came across this incredible article. I love the author's perspective because it can apply to so many practices in our lives. Although some things are not specifically spelled out in the bible, they can still help us form a deeper connection with God rooted in the principles we hold fast to. I will put a few of the highlights below, as he is much more eloquent than I, but I think everyone should read this incredible article by Mark D. Roberts.
http://markdroberts.com/?p=649
"But I’m not concerned merely with whether Advent is not disallowed in Scripture. I want to know if observing Advent is consistent with biblical themes and priorities. Is Advent biblical in this grander sense?
I do believe it is. For a moment, forget about Advent itself, and answer the following questions:
• Is it a good thing for us Christians to set aside a special time in the year to focus more on God and grow in our relationship with him?
• Is it good for us to get in touch with just how much we need a Savior?
• Is it helpful for us to wait on the Lord and to learn to wait upon him more faithfully?
• Is it helpful to remember our hope in God and to be refreshed in that hope?
• Would it be a valuable thing in your life to be prepared to celebrate the true meaning of the Incarnation?
• Would you like to experience more of God’s peace and presence during the often hectic weeks prior to Christmas?
I think most biblically-oriented Christians would answer these questions in the affirmative. Does that mean we all should observe Advent? Of course not. We are free to do so or not to do so, according to our consciences and sense of God’s leading. But it’s not hard to see how Advent could be beneficial for most Christians."
Ways to Celebrate:
Nightly blessing when lighting candles:
Nightly prayer when extinguishing candles:
• Is it a good thing for us Christians to set aside a special time in the year to focus more on God and grow in our relationship with him?
• Is it good for us to get in touch with just how much we need a Savior?
• Is it helpful for us to wait on the Lord and to learn to wait upon him more faithfully?
• Is it helpful to remember our hope in God and to be refreshed in that hope?
• Would it be a valuable thing in your life to be prepared to celebrate the true meaning of the Incarnation?
• Would you like to experience more of God’s peace and presence during the often hectic weeks prior to Christmas?
I think most biblically-oriented Christians would answer these questions in the affirmative. Does that mean we all should observe Advent? Of course not. We are free to do so or not to do so, according to our consciences and sense of God’s leading. But it’s not hard to see how Advent could be beneficial for most Christians."
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**There are countless craft ideas for this season. All you have to do is go to pinterest and type in "Christmas crafts for kids" and you will be overwhelmed with ideas hahaha. I have a included a few of my favorite crafts.
-Fun family ideas:
**Make a family advent calendar! Aaron made one for me a few years ago and we have used it every year since. We decide on 12 things we want to do to celebrate the season and write them on tiny little homemade snowflakes. We then pin them on the calendar according to when we want to do each thing. This is fun because we can include religious practices like St. Nick's Day and fun Christmas things like a Christmas movie night. It makes the Holiday season very special and helps us focus on the joy of the entire season rather than rushing through the season to get to Christmas; it should be a slow reflective month full of hope, joy, and longing. Some of our snowflakes included...
-Religious traditions:
**There are countless craft ideas for this season. All you have to do is go to pinterest and type in "Christmas crafts for kids" and you will be overwhelmed with ideas hahaha. I have a included a few of my favorite crafts.
I think it would be super cute to make this part of an advent calendar and each day, add a piece of the story to the board so that by the end, your child can read the whole biblical story of Jesus!
**Make a family advent calendar! Aaron made one for me a few years ago and we have used it every year since. We decide on 12 things we want to do to celebrate the season and write them on tiny little homemade snowflakes. We then pin them on the calendar according to when we want to do each thing. This is fun because we can include religious practices like St. Nick's Day and fun Christmas things like a Christmas movie night. It makes the Holiday season very special and helps us focus on the joy of the entire season rather than rushing through the season to get to Christmas; it should be a slow reflective month full of hope, joy, and longing. Some of our snowflakes included...
-Angel Tree shopping
-Bluebell Christmas ice cream night
-Christmas tree decorating and the blessing of the advent wreath
-Christmas pj exchange
-Christmas carols around the fire pit
Here is an example of an online advent calendar that can bring lots of meaning to your season...
**Read meaningful Christmas stories! I found this great book that has a short story for each day of advent. It is geared towards children so they are stories and messages that they can connect with. Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury for Kids provides a story a day from December 1st through Christmas to give families twenty-five gifts of inspiration and Christmas spirit to share together. Each story within Christmas Treasury for Kids is sure to encourage kids as well as their families to spread the spirit of Christmas and create family memories that will remain with them forever.
-Religious traditions:
**Consider purchasing a little blue book (see link below). This helps you have a daily focus on the season and really gets your heart in the right spirit. http://littlebooks.us/
**Find a Las Posadas celebration to attend!! Below is what I found in our church bulletin...what a great way to put yourself in the shoes of our Lord and His family!
**Light the wreath each night and say the blessings that correspond...
The wreathe is a circle, which has no beginning or end: So we call to mind how our lives, here and now, participate in the eternity of God’s plan of salvation and how we hope to share eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. The wreathe is made of plant material, because Christ came to give us new life through His passion, death, and resurrection. Three candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice; the pink candle symbolizes the same but highlights the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, when we rejoice because our preparation is now half-way finished.
The light represents Christ, who entered this world to scatter the darkness of evil and show us the way of righteousness. The progression of lighting candles shows our increasing readiness to meet our Lord.
Click on the following link to find a modern prayer guide for advent. Below you will find the more traditional prayers that correspond with each candle as well as prayers for blessing the wreath and extinguishing the candles.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/advent-devotional-guide-preparing-for-the-coming-of-christ/
**Find a Las Posadas celebration to attend!! Below is what I found in our church bulletin...what a great way to put yourself in the shoes of our Lord and His family!
The wreathe is a circle, which has no beginning or end: So we call to mind how our lives, here and now, participate in the eternity of God’s plan of salvation and how we hope to share eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. The wreathe is made of plant material, because Christ came to give us new life through His passion, death, and resurrection. Three candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice; the pink candle symbolizes the same but highlights the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, when we rejoice because our preparation is now half-way finished.
The light represents Christ, who entered this world to scatter the darkness of evil and show us the way of righteousness. The progression of lighting candles shows our increasing readiness to meet our Lord.
Click on the following link to find a modern prayer guide for advent. Below you will find the more traditional prayers that correspond with each candle as well as prayers for blessing the wreath and extinguishing the candles.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/advent-devotional-guide-preparing-for-the-coming-of-christ/
Wreath blessing:
How We Celebrated:
Aaron and I put together our annual Christmas calendar at the beginning of the month and did a pretty good job of sticking with it throughout the season of advent. I think that in the future, we will work to add more things that bring about a sense of waiting and anticipation rather than jumping into all of the fun Christmas festivities right away. We lit the advent wreath each night we were home and recited the corresponding prayers. I also wore purple to church every Sunday just for fun!! It really was a beautiful season. Writing and reflecting on celebrations like this makes me all the more excited to celebrate them from year to year because I can learn every year and work to make the holidays more meaningful.
An idea I found for next year is to have a blessing day. You and your family can print out small slips of paper here http://bravegirlsclub.com/pdfs/RWOK-BGC-HOLIDAY.pdf?99f558 and go to a public place and pass them out to strangers. This idea is modeled after this post http://bushelandapeck.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/12/unexpected-gift.html. I loved the way this mom helped her children bless so many others!
Aaron and I put together our annual Christmas calendar at the beginning of the month and did a pretty good job of sticking with it throughout the season of advent. I think that in the future, we will work to add more things that bring about a sense of waiting and anticipation rather than jumping into all of the fun Christmas festivities right away. We lit the advent wreath each night we were home and recited the corresponding prayers. I also wore purple to church every Sunday just for fun!! It really was a beautiful season. Writing and reflecting on celebrations like this makes me all the more excited to celebrate them from year to year because I can learn every year and work to make the holidays more meaningful.
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| Our advent calendar |
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| My pj's from our pajama exchange |
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| Aaron's pj's from the exchange |
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| The baking supplies for our coworkers |
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| The dessert from our Christmas dinner |
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| Starbucks festive drinks |
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| The angels we adopted |
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| Our advent wreath |
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| Our stockings from St. Nicholas day |
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| Macy's window display |
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| The giant tree in Rockefeller Center |
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| We were caught in a New York snow storm |
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| The most delicious chocolate chip cookies |
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| Central Park ice skaters |
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| Central Park- so beautiful |
