December is here! Before the craziness of the season begins, this is a great time to incorporate a family tradition that will help keep your family focused on the meaning of the season; the glorious birth of our savior, Jesus Christ! Celebrating Advent is the perfect way to do that!
Above is a picture from last year of our family celebrating Advent. See below for pictures from the past when my kids were younger. ❤️ Time goes by so fast! I am so glad we started this tradition when my kids were young. However, there is never a bad time to start this family tradition!
I love Christmas, it is my favorite holiday, probably in part because of the warm memories I have of my childhood. My mom would decorate the house from head to toe. Some kind of Christmas tree would be in every room.
My mom would make dozens of Christmas cookies and desserts. The house always smelled so good, because something good was always cooking on the stove. There was laughter and fun in our house because people were always visiting. Traditions were important to my mom, and hence they are important to me.
But sometimes with all the decorating, cooking, and visiting, the reason for the season can get lost in all of the business. We wanted to be sure our family would focus on the true meaning of the season, the celebration of Christ's coming.
If you are looking for a way to focus on the real reason for the season, Advent is a great way to start.
What is Advent
So what is Advent? Advent is a call to followers of Christ to remember the birth of the savior.
Advent is the period beginning the four Sundays before Christmas and is observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and preparation to help them remain focused on the birth of Christ and Jesus' glorious return.
The advent season is divided into four weeks, and each week focuses on a different liturgical theme such as hope and expectation of the Jewish people of the coming of Christ, and our expectation that he will come again- for Jesus's second return, preparation over the centuries, Joyful celebration of the coming Messiah, and the final week celebrates God's peace and love.
*See below for a specific theme each week that corresponds to lighting the candles.
Although many people like to follow the specific themes outlined above and below, we usually follow a less formal schedule.
Our goal is to help our family focus on the Christmas story and the meaning of the coming of Christ to earth.
There are many options families can use to keep the focus on the Christmas story including daily scripture reading, devotional readings, along with simple activities that helps kids remained focused and engaged.
We like to use an Advent wreath, lighting candles each Sunday evening as we count down to Christmas.
The Advent Wreath
This tradition really helps our family focus on the meaning of Christmas. When the kids were young we started using a family Advent Wreath.
Typically the Advent Wreath is a circular candle holder, which can be purchased at many stores, that holds five candles.
During the season of Advent, one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday until all the candles are lit.
The fifth candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Each candle represents an aspect of the spiritual preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Most Advent Wreaths use three colors of candles- purple, pink, and white.
Some History
Advent and the Advent Wreath are a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent. The Advent wreath is a long-standing tradition in many churches.
The Advent Wreath has a long history and has been a part of the Christian tradition since the Middle Ages.
Carey was brought up in the Catholic Church, and he practiced this tradition in his home. He thought it would be a good idea to incorporate this tradition in our home when our children were pre-schoolers. My childhood church celebrated Advent incorporating the wreath as well, so I was familiar with the tradition.
Since researching Advent, I have discovered there is rich meaning surround the wreath and each one of the candles. For example, the wreath may be made up of various evergreens including holly. The prickly leaves of the holly bush may remind us of the crown of thorns, and one English legend tells of how the cross was made of holly wood.
For Younger Children
When our children were young, we purchased an Advent wreath with the traditional colors listed above. We could not, and did not, want to make it too complicated since they were so young. We decided that each Sunday before Christmas, we would take out the wreath and talk about one aspect of the Christmas story.
Sometimes we would get a children's book that talked about the meaning of Christmas. We read a section each Sunday night. We would first serve a simple dinner
and then engage them in conversation about the details of the Christmas story.
The first Sunday, you light one candle, the second Sunday two candles, and so on.
*See below for more specific instructions on how and when to light the candles.
What Does God Want For Christmas Resource From Family Life
One resource we used during Advent, and also for our Children's Christmas parties, was What God Want For Christmas from Family Life Publishing.
Also, there is another version available, What God Wants For Christmas.
This is a book that talks about some of the characters in the Christmas story in poetry form. The characters include Gabriel, the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and of course, Jesus.
There are seven gift boxes that the children open, and each box contains one of the characters in the book. This is a really fun and interactive activity for the kids, and they end up discovering, with the final box that has a mirror, that God actually wants "them" (their hearts) for Christmas. We highly recommend using this activity with young children.
Many years ago...
Reading "What Does God Want For Christmas"
*Notice our very untraditional Advent Wreath!
There is an additional kit you can buy that includes cookie cutters of the characters above. This is great for a Children's Christmas party or gathering.
Have the children decorate the cookies as you describe each character from the book. At the end, they each receive a mirror, which reminds them that Jesus wants "them" for Christmas.
We did this many times with neighbors and friends, and it was always a hit!
For Older Children
As the children got older, we would read the Christmas story from the Bible, usually, the accounts surrounding Jesus's birth in Matthew (Matthew 1:18-2:12) and Luke (Luke 1- 2:20), and have our children read some of the story themselves. After we spent some time discussing- around 20- 30 minutes depending on their age, we would pray and then light a candle/s. Our children loved this time together, and lighting the candles was always so special.
Also, we got more creative and less formal. For a while, we replaced the formal wreath with a more modern version that stayed on our kitchen table for years.
We had a round serving platter that held five large candles of varying sizes. The largest candle had three wicks which we would light on Christmas Day.
I did not plan this, but I like the idea of the last candle having three wicks because it reminds me of the trinity; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We would spruce up the wreath during the Christmas season by putting different kinds of evergreens around the candles.
Having the wreath on our table all year long helped us remember that the gift of Christ should be celebrated in our hearts all year long, not just during the month of December. ❤️
Here is a link from Family Life that has lots of ideas on how to celebrate Advent with your family. For the link, click here.
Here is a traditional guide to help you celebrate Advent:
1. Week One: (Light one candle)
Week one light the purple "Prophecy " or "Expectation" candle. Read Isaiah 9:6
2. Week Two: (Light two candles)
Light the "Bethlehem" or "Preparation" purple candle to signify Christ's royal birth. Read aloud Luke 2:3-7.
3. Week Three: (Light three candles)
Light the "Shepherd and Angels" or "Joy" pink candle to signify happiness and great joy. Read aloud: Luke 2:8-15
4. Week Four: (Light four candles)
Light the "Love" purple candle to signify the royalty of the Magi and of all who believe. Read Matthew 2:1-2 aloud, and then Matthew 2:11-12.
5. Week five: (Light all five candles)
On Christmas Eve or morning, light the "Christ" white candle to signify purity. Read John 3:16 loud. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Note: Some traditions interchange weeks three and four.
Excerpts are taken from Advent Guide: A Personal Guide For The Advent Season, from Mardel Christian and Education stores.
I hope you and your family start this tradition in your home this December. I think you will be blessed by it.
Wishing your family love, peace, and joy this Christmas Season! 💕
Much love,
Penny and Carey
*For more ideas for Christmas family traditions click on the highlighted title for Treasured Family Christmas Eve Traditions Including the German Tradition of Finding The Christmas Pickle.
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