Advent

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but my daughter's favorite color is purple. She'll wear it if it's purple, or sparkly, or is a tutu. She tells me often that she wants a "purple car, purple scooter, and a purple flower umbrella!" for Christmas or her birthday or whatever it is that we're talking about at the time. Purple, purple, purple. Well let's just say that we had the BEST time at Mass last Sunday when we walked in and what was the entire church dressed in? PURPLE! Yet another reason I love Advent as I do.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was our family's practice of evening prayer as we gathered around the Advent wreath. I have vivid memories of my brother and I arguing over who got to hold the smoke tarnished silver angel-shaped candle snuffer at the end of our prayer time and snuff out those four cascading candles. And singing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" was always a happy time for me as mom and dad belted it out in harmony. I thought we were so cool and liturgical and stuff (whatever that meant!). We were the cool protestant family incorporating old world Catholic traditions into our family prayer life. I loved it! I think I loved it most because every time we lit a new candle I knew Christmas was drawing nearer and nearer. 

I loved Christmas! I was the girl who had the lights up in her bedroom in October and Christmas music blaring as I hung them. I decorated my locker at school. I started Nutcracker rehearsals in September. I wore the red and green toe socks and reindeer antlers to school. I relished in the fact that Hobby Lobby always had Christmas decorations and craft supplies on shelves in July. I was the first person out of bed Christmas morning, and my family celebrated like no other. 

It was a morning long affair of morning prayer, stockings, breakfast of homemade sticky buns, and hours sitting around the tree enjoying watching each other open the beautifully wrapped gifts and getting that burst of delight when someone found another one with my name on it. And there was that time right after all the gifts were open when I felt a little disappointed it was all over, but still bursted with the remembrance of all there was still to discover in the packages that lay open at my feet. 

I'd think back in that moment to the same people, in the same room one, two, three, four weeks before and how I didn't know back then what I knew in that moment of what had been secretly waiting tied up under fancy wrapping paper or stashed in some still unknown hiding spot around the house. Or of how every year I had the same joy, the same feeling, the same sense of how everything was wonderful just the way it was in that room at that moment. That was the feeling of Christmas for me. And every Advent I waited  with much anticipation to light that next candle, knowing that the feeling would be there soon.

Now I'm not as eager to celebrate Christmas in the ways I did as a school kid. As John and I blended our family traditions and created our own, we chose to do Advent more simply and to wait to throw up those decorations until Christmas was here, or at least closer. And believe me it was hard. I love having a Christmas tree in the house early, with the lights telling me that these weeks were special and the stress of the ordinary days of school and activity weren't so bad. I longed for that distinction between the joyous and sacred times and the mundane time. And this for me was marked by the twinkling lights inside and outside in the dark, the garland on stair rail, and the train with its smoky plastic smell buzzing around the floor. I would sit and look at the tree and get lost in the Christmas wonder. 

I still do, just...later. And I still want the distinction of these four weeks before Christmas to be present and joyful in our home. I want the kids to have that same feeling that something is different, something exciting is happening, something wonderful is here in our home and family, but also that something even better is coming. So this is what we came up with, John and me, to help our family prepare for the coming of the Christ child, and to make our domestic church travel along in the season and song of the Church season:

I enjoy taking the kids to a local farm store to pick out our Advent wreath. As soon as you get out of the car you can smell the Christmas trees on the other side of the lot. Happiness. I loved the look of this wreath, and so did my daughter, but I do miss that evergreen smell...I guess I'll have to get a scented candle!

Our Advent sacrifices are silver and gold glitter foam stars that we're placing each night in a treasure chest to fill up and give to Jesus on his birthday. K's sacrifice yesterday was being a "good listening girl!", and today was to try not to push her brother. Our sacrifices are positive sacrifices for the most part, especially for the children. Obviously the concept is a little out of their reach and abilities right now, as it's hard for an almost three year old to remember to try to not push her brother all day, let alone for fifteen minutes. But the thought is that we are striving to live as Christ would want us to, and in this time of preparation for the big day, we should be more cognizant and direct with our striving. Having a tangible representation of this in filling the treasure chest with stars helps us remember why we do it, and, for the children, what it leads to. That box will be overflowing by Christmas, and I know K will be so excited to give it symbolically to Jesus as a gift.

The creche, another family tradition and staple in our home growing up. Since it isn't Jesus's birthday yet, he's not there. But each night we add another figure so that as we get closer to Christmas the people and animals that surround him during that time start to gather in and around the stable. This is day one. That sheep looks hungry. I'll post another picture soon of as the crowd starts to gather. Only trouble is, I think we're going to run out of figures in a week. And K doesn't forget a thing.

So that's what we do. What things do you do as a family or individual to get ready for Christmas and celebrate Advent? I'm always looking for more ideas!