Advent - The Season of Waiting

I have fond memories of living out the Advent Season as a child. I was excited to share Advent with my children and continue to intentionally live out this beautiful season in my home today. The Advent Wreath takes center stage, time is spent on spiritual reading, Advent music is played, baking is done and the finished goods stored in the freezer. Christmas decorations are kept to a minimum and come out gradually and the Christmas tree is put up only a few days before Christmas. 

An important part of any event is the planning, preparing and of course the anticipation. What child does not anticipate her birthday weeks before it arrives?  

When I entertain, a lot of time and thought goes into the preparation—what will the menu be, what dishes and linens will be used, how will I decorate? I will need to clean the house, shop for ingredients and prepare the food. I enjoy the preparation time because I am doing it for people I care about. It is important to me that I am ready to receive my guests and that they feel welcome and at home. Even more so I want my home and heart to be ready to receive Jesus when Christmas arrives. This is why living out Advent is important to me.  

As children of God, the season of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare and anticipate the coming of Christ—to slow down, quiet our hearts and minds and find rest in Christ.  

With Christmas decorations now showing up in the stores before Halloween, Christmas music being played not long after, Christmas trees going up everywhere and consumerism being pushed on us around every corner, it is hard not to get caught up in the fray. If we slow down, we will realize that we all have a deep desire to experience the hoping, longing and waiting for Christmas. We all long for the love that only Jesus can give.  

It requires some effort to remain in the season, to remain waiting, but what a gift when Christmas arrives, and we are able to greet the long-expected Jesus with open and uncluttered hearts. 

So how do we remain waiting in the season of Advent? How do we prepare and keep our focus? The Church in her wisdom has given us a Treasure Chest of traditions.

 The Advent Treasure Chest 

1. 1. The Advent Wreath —a beautiful way to keep us from rushing into Christmas. As we light a candle each week, gradually the light gets brighter as Christmas grows closer and we anticipate the birth of Christ—the Light of the World. 
      
      
   2. An Advent Calendar—wonderful to use with small children. There are a variety of options. Our family’s starts on December 1 with a door that is opened each day to reveal part of the nativity story until the culmination when Jesus is born. Some begin on the first Sunday of Advent and may include seasonal activities, prayers, scriptures, or a daily treat. Family Rosary offers a Family Advent and Christmas Activity Calendar.
      
      
   3. Listen to Advent Music—search out Advent hymns and spend time listening to them. They help to foster that longing in us. 
      
      
   4. Prepare a Manger for the Baby Jesus—have members of your family place a piece of straw in the manger each time they do a good deed. As the manger gets prepared for Jesus it signifies preparing our hearts for Him.
      
      
   5. Advent Angels— randomly assign each family member as an Advent Angel to another member. Each person secretly does acts of kindness or service for the person they have been assigned. This helps instill the gift of giving.
      
      
   6. The Jesse Tree—symbols are hung on a “tree” telling the story of salvation history, the story of God’s love for us. These symbols can be fun for children to make or draw.
      
      
   7. Celebrate the Feasts of Saints—the month of December is filled with several special saint’s days. On December 6, the feast of St. Nicholas, children have traditionally placed their shoes outside their bedroom door. In the morning, they would find a small gift such as gold coins left while they were sleeping. Other saints to learn about and learn from during Advent are St. Juan Diego on December 9, Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, and St. Lucy on December 13.
      
      
   8. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation—a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for Jesus.  

If celebrating Advent has been lost to you or has not been part of your tradition, it is never too late to start. Pick one or two practices that you think will work for your family and commit to living them out. God’s love and mercy will never be out done. Through your effort and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, your hearts will indeed be prepared to greet the Christ Child on Christmas morning. 

Come Lord Jesus, Come!