Advent: How do you prepare for Christmas?

Advent is an odd season. We want it to be a time of quiet reflection, but I think at its best it is a hurried season of upheaval preparations. We are, after all, pregnant with Jesus, who when born among us, is miraculously both human and divine -- exactly what we were intended to be when God created us. Oh, how short of our potential we fall! I think we sense this, and know that Jesus' birth will help transform us more fully into who God created us to be -- which will rock and upheave our world.

If you've been an expectant mother or father, remember all that time you had for quiet reflection? Me neither! Any father or mother to be can tell you pregnancy is hardly a time of quiet reflection. If you've been blessed to go through it, you know. There are all sorts of core questions. Will I be a good mother (or father)? How can we possibly care for a baby? Can I really be that responsible? And of course these questions are going on while we daftly rush about trying to make things ready last minute because nine months is such a long time we didn't think to get started sooner. Grin.

Amidst the chaos lies the wonder. We long for a chance to sit down, but we know we won't get it for years to come, once the infant is born. We certainly can't sit down now, there's already too much to be done to get ready!

Advent is wonderful for us as Catholic families. It helps us experience the sacred holiness hidden in the hurry and rush of everyday life: caring for each other through the labors and preparations of meals, work, home and car maintenance, discipline, fun and games, laughter and tears, finances, dog training, soccer and ballet schedules... God reveals himself to us through the chaos of it all. Advent is a season to remember to see God in the activity of preparing -- and in family life we are always preparing!

Here is a brief version of what we do during Advent:

Decoration
We put up greenery without bows (they arrive Christmas Eve).

Baking and food prep
Cookie baking happens throughout but we wait to eat them until Christmas. We've been known to make a plum pudding too.

St. Nicholas Day, December 6
We put our boots out the night before and find a few tasty treats (turned green by stinky feet) and chocolate gold coins, and a breakfast fruit.

Christmas Tree Cutting
We cut our Christmas tree the second week of December, put it up singing "Oh Tannenbaum!". The tree receives lights, which we turn on in anticipation of Christ's light being born anew in our lives, but it waits for ornaments until Christmas Eve.

Creche
Our creche is put out to tell the story of what happened before Christmas. We put it so the lassies can play with it throughout Advent -- this leads to some amazing roll playing. One daughter is baby Jesus, the other Mary, which gives us an opportunity to talk about how baby Jesus really is in us and in the wise choices we make. The animals are in the stable, the manger (which is a food trough) is there empty. Mary and Joseph are placed away from the manger, traveling toward Bethlehem from a different room. Baby Jesus and the wise men are nowhere to be found.

Making the Manger soft for Baby Jesus
When we "catch" our daughters making wise choices, they get to add a piece of hay to the manger, helping make it soft for baby Jesus to arrive.

St. Lucy's Day, Dec. 13th
We have a candle light procession round the kitchen to a breakfast table of sticky buns.

Advent Calendars and Candles
The lassies each count down the 25 days to Christmas with German Chocolate Advent Calendars. We burn Advent candles, with the person lighting them saying "Come, Lord Jesus!" and everyone else responding "Come quickly!". One set of godparents sends crafts and chocolate for each week of Advent, along with an age appropriate scripture reflection.

Song and Stories
Our Advent song is "Come oh come Emmanuel," which we sing before our home religious education each Sunday as well as at many meal times. We read J.R.R. Tolkien's "Letters from Father Christmas" (and they get a letter from Fr. Christmas on Christmas morning). Jan Brett has several delightful books about Christmas that are grand Scandinavian fun.

How do you celebrate Advent? Add a comment and share what rituals and traditions you cherish, or with you did?

Want to also share your Christmas traditions?

Come, Lord Jesus!
(All) Come Quickly!

Patrick