“Maybe
Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe
Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
The Grinch
that Stole Christmas or the “Grinchy old Grinch” as my kids call it, is one of
my favorite Christmas stories. It combines the hustle bustle of Christmas with
the heart of Christmas, “the little bit more”. Think of the 1st
Christmas the excitement and joy of the birth of a new baby, such a huge event,
in such a simple location.
As we approach the 1st Sunday of Advent like many
I am planning what the next 4 weeks will bring to our home. With thoughts of
decorating, shopping, and baking I am thinking of how to enjoy the excitement
while still keeping the Spirit of Christmas present.
The Advent wreath is one way we try to keep focus on the
true meaning of Christmas in our home. We started to observe this church
tradition about 4 or 5 years ago. You may have seen an Advent Wreath at your church.
Our wreath sits at the center of our dinner table and is lit each night as a
reminder of what we are preparing for, the birth of Jesus. We replace our
normal mealtime prayer with an advent prayer.
For those that are unfamiliar with an Advent wreath it is a
symbol of the spiritual preparation for the birth of Jesus. The wreath contains
4 candles (some add a 5th one on Christmas). Each of the 4 Sundays leading
up to Christmas (the 4 Sundays of Advent) an additional candle is lit to
correspond to current week. This Sunday, being the first Sunday of Advent, one
candle will be lit. Advent wreaths can be as simple as 4 candles in a circle or
more elaborate if you like. Our first wreath my oldest daughter brought home
form Religious Ed. It was made of green
foam with fake evergreen attached and candles pushed into it. Below is a
picture of the one we made last year for our house. The traditional way is to
have 3 purple candles and one pink. The first 2 weeks and the 4th
week being purple and the 3rd week pink (to represent the joy that
Christmas is close). Though any color will work, we’ve used all white at times,
it’s what you are focusing on that counts.
The kids are always excited about the wreath and wait for
their turn, sometimes not so patiently, to light or blow out the candle. So far
we haven’t caught anything on fire. You can find advent booklets with bible
readings or prayers that correspondence with the lighting of the candles or
make some prayers on your own. Remember
this is a simple reminder, you don’t have to be fancy with your prayers or your
wreath, just add that “little bit more” to your preparations.
I would also encourage you, if you don’t already, to take
time to attend Sunday mass or advent services at your church. They bring focus
and beauty to the season, and will make the Christmas service mean so much more
for you and your children.
Our Advent
Wreath
Advent Wreath |
This wreath
is made from an approximately 2 inch thick cut from of a log and wrapped in
fake evergreen garland. My husband drilled holes in it for tapered candles to
fit into. My sisters made a similar one last year but made holes big enough to
hold a votive holder instead. Our advent wreath is simple but the beauty is the
fire of the candle and each week that beauty grows with an additional candle
lit.
This Sunday
we are going to make an advent wreath in our religious education classroom. It
will be similar, with fake evergreen and votive holders in the middle. We are
going to use a mix of Elmer’s glue and water (to make a clear thin consistency)
and paste purple or pink tissue paper to a glass votive holder. The picture
below is what a finished votive holder looks like.
Good luck
with your preparations. If you want some more information on advent or advent
wreaths below are a couple of websites:
http://christianity.about.com/od/christmas/qt/adventwreath.htm
http://www.catholiccompany.com/advent-wreaths-c1508/
(you can buy wreaths and candles here)