Make Advent Wreaths Great Again

Although most children (and many adults) want to skip the season of Advent and go straight to the culminating event of Christmas, it is vital that Catholics embrace the monthlong period of Advent. It is to be both a time of joy-filled, anticipatory celebration of the arrival of Jesus and a preparatory period of repentance, meditation, and penance. 

Advent season serves a twofold purpose. One purpose of the next four weeks is to prepare for celebrating the anniversary of when Christ was made flesh on that first Christmas morning and dwelt among us. Secondly, Advent provides a month of us focusing our minds and preparing our hearts in anticipation of Christ’s second coming at the end of time.

The anticipation of Christmas that builds up during the Advent season is good for building up the virtue of patience and gives us an opportunity to imagine the long-awaited coming of the Messiah. Generations of saints had promises from God in Scripture about the arrival of Christ, and they yearned for the coming One. Advent reminds us that we must do the same waiting, and when we do this, God grows patience in our hearts.

Most Christians in the modern world spend the entire season of Advent celebrating Christmas rather than preparing for it. The lack of patience and desire to skip straight to Christmas is why so many people these days decorate their Christmas trees as early as the end of November. However, traditionally, Catholics and most other Christians did not put up their Christmas trees until the afternoon on Christmas Eve. The same was true of all Christmas decorations. The purpose of the tree and the decorations are to celebrate the feast of Christmas, which begins with the celebration of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. 

Even if circumstances with your family’s busy schedule make it necessary to put up the Christmas tree by the first Sunday of Advent, you can still maintain a better sense of the Advent season by not lighting the tree’s lights until Gaudette Sunday (the third Sunday). Furthermore, consider putting out your most precious decorations, including the star or angel for the top of the tree, only once Christmas Eve arrives. Such practices will instill patience in and increase the sense of expectation from your children, and make Christmas Day all the more joyful for the entire family

A family Advent wreath that is placed in a prominent place in the family home is a simple yet excellent way to make the first weeks of December centered on Advent and not so-much on Christmas. It is even more meaningful if mom and dad can get son and daughter to join in with creating or buying the wreath. (This resource explains how to make your own wreath.)

Each night around dinner time, a brief Advent wreath candle-lighting and prayer can take place, with your kids (age dependent) taking turns lighting the candle(s) and saying the prayer. Prayer can be spontaneous or formal, focusing on the many reasons for praising Christ and how much we are lovingly awaiting His coming. Here is an example of Advent prayers with children:

**********Advent Week 1**********

Light the first purple candle, and allow everyone to take a second in silence to stare at the glow of the flame. Then pray aloud:

“Christ, our Light, shine in our lives with hope and promise. Give us right vision so that we remain attentive to this holy season. Remind us to look for you in small acts of kindness and love. We await your coming with wonder. Amen.”

**********Advent Week 2**********

Light the first two purple candles, and allow everyone to take a second in silence to stare at the glow of the flame. Then pray aloud:

“Christ, our Hope, illuminate our hearts with your grace. Enlarge our vision so that we recognize our kinship with all the people of the world. Help us to give to others in ways that meet their deepest needs. We await your coming with gratitude. Amen.”

**********Advent Week 3**********

Light the first two purple candles and the one pink candle, and allow everyone to take a second in silence to stare at the glow of the flames. Then pray aloud:

“Christ, our Joy, brighten our homes with your presence. Clarify our vision so that we might see you in the people we cherish. Make every holiday activity an opportunity to spread your light and love. We await your coming with joyful delight. Amen.”

**********Advent Week 4**********

Light all four candles, and allow everyone to take a second in silence to stare at the glow of the flames. Then pray aloud:

“Christ, our Peace, glow brightly in each moment. Enlighten our vision so that we see beyond the trappings of the holidays. Relieve us, if just for a moment, of our worries and stress. We await your coming with serenity. Amen.”

Try as you might to make all of Advent and the first weeks of December focusing on the true reason for the season, it is realistic to assume your kids will spend much of this period creating their toy wish-lists, excitedly pointing out Santa sightings, and loudly singing Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells. But families should still make an effort to remove a little bit of the commercialized Christmas activities during the first few weeks of December and replace them with nightly lighting of the Advent wreath and other meaningful Advent activities. By taking this big step, parents will be helping their kids – and themselves as well – to focus on the meaning of Advent as the time we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ original and future coming into the world.

The Incarnation – the Word made Flesh – is the starting point of our Salvation. We prepare for the birth of Jesus during Advent because that was the moment that God entered humanity so that He might eventually be nailed to a cross for us.

This Advent season we also must prepare for his second coming. He will “come again to judge the living and the dead.” What an incredible, awe-inspiring season this is!  May we not overlook it or hurry it up, but immerse ourselves in Advent!