I know tons of y'all are immersed in Christmas music and Christmas parties and Christmas decorations and even Christmas coffee cups, but it's not Christmas yet! As an alternative to celebrating Christmas before it's actually here: celebrate Advent.
Advent is a powerful gift when we don't rush through it. Savor the waiting. There are things we can learn only from sitting quietly, waiting, feeling the ache of longing and the joy of anticipation, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate our imaginations with the full impact of the Incarnation.
This doesn't mean we reject the holiday spirit and fun. In fact, celebrating Advent and then the full liturgical Christmas season will actually expand your holiday season. Here are some ideas from our own family Advent traditions that offer a good balance of entering the festive sparkle while preserving the beauty of anticipation and preparation.
Make an Advent tree.
On the first Sunday of Advent we put up our Christmas tree, but hang only purple and pink ornaments (the liturgical colors for Advent). We also set up our nativity set (we have this one), but with only the shepherds, wise men, and animals and an empty manger.
Listen to Advent (not Christmas!) music.
We listen to Advent music, especially The Vigil Project's Series 2 that was written specifically for Advent. Phil Wickham's gorgeous album, Christmas, also has several beautiful Advent/ anticipatory songs. (You can also stream it on YouTube here).
Light an Advent wreath at dinner.
At dinner we swap regular grace for lighting an Advent wreath and singing a special Advent song: "Come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, come and be born in our hearts."
Pray with an Advent companion.
One thing we've done as a family is read a short, prayerful reflection at dinner. Some good titles include Bonhoffer's God is in the Manger; Sr Miriam Heidland's Behold; or, if you have kiddos, Catherine Pawlak's God With Us.
Another option is Today in the City, a short prayer book for Advent that I wrote a few years ago. Writing it took me deep into the Scriptures, the body of historical knowledge and research, the Jewish law, the translations of ancient words. I was surprised how it became one of the most intimate pieces I’ve written.
Tomorrow I'll feature the first chapter here on the blog, and then subsequent chapters will be delivered via special editions of the weekly Thy Ship newsletter through Advent. Each chapter features creative reflections on the Nativity from various perspectives—Mary, Joseph, a shepherd, Simeon, even the city of Bethlehem and the stable—paired with suggested music links and questions for reflection, journaling, or prayer. (You can subscribe here so you get them all.)
Crank up the joy on Gaudete Sunday.
On Gaudete Sunday (pink candle Sunday!) we hang our stockings and add the rest of our Christmas ornaments to the tree to ramp up the excitement. We also add Mary and Joseph to the nativity set. (Here in Louisiana, it seems that the pink camellias always bloom right around Gaudete Sunday.)
Welcome Jesus and don't stop celebrating!
Finally, after Christmas Eve Mass, we exchange the Advent wreath for a white Christmas candle. We sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and complete the manger scene with the baby Jesus figurine. Then we rock the Christmas music until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 8 (see, I told you that your festive season would last longer this way).
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