TulipGirl

Advent has become a special part of our family’s tradition.  It looks a little different each year, grows, changes. . .   I’ve shared bits of it in the past, but wanted to gather in one place what Advent looks like in our home for a reference for the future and for those who are curious.   What we do changes each year, and so I’ll share what we’re doing this year.

Why does our family observe Advent?

Advent is a time of anticipation, preparation.  Advent is looking towards the coming of Christ, both His incarnation and His coming again.  It is a time of expectant waiting.   When I was about 8 years old, I remember making an advent wreath at the Base Chapel on Adak.  My mom has told me that as a child, it was important to me to have the rituals and traditions of faith.

Advent is a tradition, not a worship practice that is directed by the Bible.  Yet, the Bible is replete with both prophecies looking toward the future–to the Incarnation and our salvation–as well as enjoinders to remember what God has done for us in the past.

For me, traditions are a catalyst for remembering, for refocusing.  As an adult these are important to me because they direct my heart and thoughts to the Lord, as well as help me take special time with my boys.  The holidays can be stressful. . . observing Advent is a way for me to focus on the Lord and not be swept up by the commercialism, the frantic pace, and the distractions around me.

If you are new to the idea of the Advent season, this article is a good overview.  If observing Advent prompts your heart to worship, that is a good thing.  But please remember this is not something that all families do or need to do to celebrate the Incarnation.

Advent Wreath

We make an advent wreath each year.   Advent wreaths usually have four candles around a circle, one to light each week, with an additional candle in the middle to light on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Each Sunday in Advent is focused on a specific theme, and the corresponding candle lit that Sunday (and possibly each day of that week.)

Our wreaths tend to be rather non-traditional, as we started using an advent wreath and lighting the candles when we were in Ukraine and had to be creative with what we had at hand.  One year we used a small mirror as the base with four votive candles in the corners and a pillar candle in the middle.  The boys were quite small that year, and I wanted something I could easily put out of reach of little hands, and this one fit on our small shelf.   Another year, we made one which was more traditional, using live evergreen branches to make the wreath.  The past few years the boys have gone on a nature walk and gathered greens and other outdoorsy items, we’ve arranged them on a plate, and affixed the candles to the plate with a bit of modelling clay.

Badgermum has clear instructions on how she makes her Advent wreath.   The more crafty and creative among us can check out these instructions and inspiration.

Lighting the Candles

Each Sunday in Advent, we gather around the table, light the candle, sing Advent hymns, read Scriptures and pray together.  Some years we do that each evening, some year we do that just on Sundays.  Since we have four boys and there are four Sundays in Advent, each boy gets a turn lighting the candles.  I’ll be posting our hymns and readings each week.  You can also find Advent readings online:

Teaching Mom: Advent

Advent Readings (PCA)

Advent Readings (PCA)

CTK Advent Devotional (PCA)

Advent Readings

Advent in the Home (ECUSA)

Camille’s Kid-Friendly Advent Readings

Advent Calendar

In addition to lighting the candles on the Advent wreath on Sundays, we’ll be opening a door on our wooden advent calendar this year.  (This is the one my MIL has, ours is a little different.)  I have meshed our weekly candle lighting and readings with daily door-opening and reading Bible verses I printed out.  Each little compartment also had either four pieces of candy or an activity written on it.  Activities are things like drink hot cocoa together, make homemade playdough, watch a holiday movie, bake cookies.  These are activities I want to remember to do this holiday season, but tend to happen only if I plan ahead.  This little calendar helps me plan ahead as well as be a surprise to the boys.  I also have a few small gifts that go along with the calendar and activities — things like speciality instant cocoa, Christmas mugs for each of the boys (bought on clearance last year!), microwave popcorn to go with the movie.  Obviously those don’t fit in the little compartments, but I put a little note behind the calendar door and pull them out of the closet when they open the door.  Like I said, I have to plan ahead to do these fun holidayish things, and this helps me actually do fun things with the boys that otherwise fall to the wayside when I get busy.

Other families observe advent in ways that we aren’t this year.  When our boys were little, we had a Jesse Tree that was passed along to us by Auntie L.   Several friends use these ideas for Jesse Tree devotions.  Other families use books like Jotham’s Journey or Christ in Christmas.    Some of these ideas may work for you — or none of them might be right for your family this year.   Advent can be a catalyst for preparing our hearts for worship, but if it becomes another holiday stress than its purpose is defeated.

Blessings to you and yours this Advent season!