Everything Advent!

A beautiful Advent snowfall in front of our church last year.

Looking for ways to keep the Advent in the season this year, instead of just the holidays?  You've come to the right place!  This is where you'll find ideas, links, and suggestions to include our faith in this wonderful time of the year.

First a little background on what Advent actually is.  It means 'coming' and it is the time when we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas.  We are actually preparing for three arrivals of Jesus:  We remember how he came into the world as an infant, both human and divine, to save us from our sins by dying for us on the cross; we prepare a place for Him to dwell in our hearts now, and to receive Him in Holy Communion; and we prepare for His final coming at the end of days.  So, we actually have three Christmases to prepare for, Jesus's arrival 2,000 years ago, His arrival in our lives today, and His arrival in the future.  The only question is, when He arrives, will we be ready to let Him in?

Advent is the first season in the liturgical year (the church's yearly cycle) so it is completely appropriate to wish your family a, "Happy New Year!" on the first Sunday of Advent.  Although we say that it is four weeks long, it usually isn't.  The only time that Advent is four full weeks is if Christmas falls on a Sunday.  This is because there are four Sundays of Advent, but not necessarily four full weeks.  If December 25th happens to be on a Monday, Advent is really only three weeks and a day, because the fourth Sunday of Advent would actually be the morning of Christmas Eve!

An Advent wreath is a great tradition, and we had several last year!

So, how do we have a truly meaningful Advent when, especially with all of the holiday rushing, it is over in the blink of an eye?  To be honest, it takes a certain amount of commitment and discipline to intentionally slow down, pray, and really nurture our faith during this beautiful, but often hectic, time of year.  I find that the best ways to do so usually involve setting times that aren't negotiable and are very simple to pull off.  I also like to emphasize some of the saint day celebrations during Advent, such as St. Nicholas or Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Some years we are able to do many of these, and other years we simply pray special prayers together every night.  The ideas below are meant to serve as a list of ideas with the hope that some of them will connect with you and your family.  You do NOT need to do all of them, or even many of them, to have a meaningful Advent.  Pick a few that you know you can do, make it work for your family, and enjoy the season.  After all, we're preparing for a wonderful guest.  There should, before anything else, be joy in that!

Remember where we're headed!

Advent reading:  Go here for a list of my favorite Advent books.  I borrow many of these from the library every year, and sometimes our favorites will show up on St. Nicholas day or Christmas morning!  We usually read as a family several nights a week, so during this time of the year, it might as well be an Advent or Nativity themed book!

Coloring Pages:  

Here are some Advent themed wreaths and calendars from Activity Village.  The Advent wreath has four candles, three purple and one pink, that are lit every Sunday of Advent.  The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday, reminding us that the time of waiting is almost over.  The wreath, much like the calendar, helps us count down until Christmas.

Check out the links to many Advent themed coloring pages and activities over at The Catholic Toolbox.

These Jesse Tree ornaments from RCA can be colored and then cut out and hung on a branch.  The Jesse Tree traces Jesus's lineage.  It is named for King David's father, from whom Jesus was descended.

Domestic-Church has the Jesse Tree images and Bible readings to go along with them.

Advent Wreath:  Go here for an Advent Wreath craft for young children that will be safe for them to keep in their rooms.

Celebrating the Saints:  Go here for ways to celebrate the saints during Advent!

Have a Blessed and Happy Advent Season!

Carolyn

Celebrating the Advent Saints

It’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of the Holidays that we forget the importance of Advent.  Celebrating the feast days of the saints during Advent is an easy way to keep your focus on the importance of the season, the preparation of welcoming Jesus to come into our hearts and homes at Christmas.  Below are some ideas for feast days of various Advent saints, and a little information about each saint to share with your family.

Many of these ideas are probably things that you do to get ready for Christmas anyway, but by repurposing them around the saints you can keep your family focused on what’s important this time of the year with ttle to no extra effort on your part!  If you want to find new traditions, you can definitely try something here, but if the season already feels overwhelming, you can probably pull off one or two of these ideas by just incorporating them into what you are already doing.  I can guarantee that I won’t be doing every idea in this list this year, but I will take the ones that mean the most to me and that are the simplest for me to do.  Do what works for your family, and above all, ave a blessed Advent!

St. Andrew,  Nov. 30^th :  Pray the St. Andrew Novena today!  St. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist.  He left John and joined Jesus when John pointed Jesus out as the Messiah.  Andrew recognized Jesus as such very quickly and became Jesus’ first apostle. 

St. Francis Xavier, Dec. 3^rd :  Play Advent (or Christmas) music today!  St. Francis Xavier was a missionary who traveled the world teaching people about God and baptizing converts.  He always began by teaching children, and he would call them for lessons by ringing a bell in the middle of the town or city he was visiting. 

St. John Damascene, Dec. 4^th :  Put out nativity images, sets, and pictures today!  St. John Damascene argued against the iconoclasts, who thought that it was wrong to look at sacred images, fearing they would be confused with God and worshipped instead of Him .  St. John argued that images could be used, that the faithful would know and understand the difference, and that images could help us engage our senses and come to know the Lord more deeply.  Imagine how your Christmas would look without those wonderful Nativity scenes!  **If you put your set out today, you might want to leave baby Jesus out of the scene, and add Him on Christmas Eve. 

St. Nicholas, Dec. 6^th:  Put out shoes so that St. Nicholas can visit your house and bring small treats such as chocolate coins, candy canes and oranges!  St. Nicholas was a special protector of children and the poor.  Born wealthy, he would anonymously give money to those in need.  He became the bishop of Myra.

St. Ambrose, Dec. 7^th:  Decorate a Christ candle (the white one that goes in the middle of the Advent wreath on Christmas) today!  St. Ambrose was a gifted preacher who became the Bishop of Milan because the people so badly wanted him

to be their bishop.  He hadn’t even been baptized yet!  He is the patron saint of beekeepers and candle makers.

St. Juan Diego, Dec. 9^th:  Drink hot chocolate, an Aztec drink, today!  Juan Diego was an Aztec peasant who had a vision of the Blessed Mother.  She asked him to bring a message to the local bishop to have a church constructed in Mexico.  The bishop asked Juan Diego for a sign, and Mary sent Juan Diego back to the bishop with roses that grew in the cold winter.  These hid another miracle, however, when Juan Diego opened his tilma (cloak) to show the bishop the flowers, they spilled out, revealing an image of the Blessed Mother. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12^th:  Have Mexican for dinner tonight, and read the story of Mary’s appearance to St. Juan Diego in Mexico.  Our Lady of Guadalupe is the same story as above.  She appeared to St. Juan Diego as an Aztec Princess.  There are many stories written about Mary’s appearance in Mexico, look it up online or check out The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola from your library.

St. Lucy, Dec. 13^th:  Light your Christmas tree for the first time tonight!  St. Lucy was an early Christian who was martyred (killed) for her faith.  Her name means ‘light’ and is especially meaningful during Advent as we wait for the Light of the World, Jesus, to come at Christmas.  Girls in Sweden also get up early and serve their families sticky buns on St. Lucy’s feast day.