The meaning and significance of Advent is often overlooked during the month of December these days. I actually find it to be the heart of Christmas. It technically begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, this year being December 2nd and the following 4 Sundays. For ease, we often talk about Advent being the days from December 1st to December 24, thus the Advent calendar which marks our expectant days as Christmas draws nearer. A lesser known but beautiful symbol is the Advent wreath which traditionally contains 3 purple and 1 pink candle with a center white candle to be lit during the 4 weeks of advent. This is a fresh modern take on the tradition.
Most families with children will likely count the days until Christmas with an Advent calendar. This can really be in any form you’d like. I’ve gotten away from putting “things” in our Advent calendar. Several years ago I started a new tradition my dear friend told me about. I wrap up 24 Holiday stories. Each night one of my kids gets to pick out the story that we all read together. It is the best tradition. Especially as my older two are reading so much on their own that we don’t have as much read-together time as we once did. Since I’m a sucker for a good book, we have lots to choose from. They change slightly from year to year and I always add one fresh new book to the mix too!
Top Ten Holiday Books.
They can each be found in My Amazon Store to the right.
1. Secret Santa
2. What Does Mrs. Claus Do??
3. The Night Before Christmas
4. Sugar Cookies
5. Magical Christmas
6. On Christmas Morning
7. The Spirit of Christmas
8. The Christmas Magic
9. Dream Snow
10. Oh, What a Christmas!
This year we are starting a new project for Advent. I genuinely want to instill the trueness of the holiday spirit – the art of helping and giving selflessly. There’s more to come on this idea, but let’s just say that random acts go a long way!
