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Many years ago we started the tradition of the "Advent Wreath" in our home. At the time, I was so frustrated with the focus of Santa at Christmas...it seemed remembering the Savior at Christmas time was growing dimmer and dimmer as each year went on. So one day as I was browsing through the book store for Christmas stories, I came across the book Celebrating Advent. I instantly feel in love with the idea. Sure, it is a Catholic thing, but I easily tweaked it but only a bit. All in all, it is almost the same...it focuses on celebrating the Savior, His birth, His life, His attributes and likening them to us. The traditional advent wreath has four blue candles. I changed ours to red...in remembrance of his blood shed for us. I added a fifth candle to be lit on Christmas Eve - it is white...in remembrance of his purity and goodness.So on each of the four Sundays before Christmas, we gather together in the evening as a family and light an advent candle...it's a countdown to our Savior's birth. We light one candle on the first Sunday, two on the second and so forth. After the candle is lit, the "lighter" recites a little poem:
One red candle burning
Three candles left to say
Three weeks to get ready
For Jesus' birthday!
Then we share a Christmas Story, sing Christmas carols and end the evening singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" enjoying peanut clusters instead of figgy pudding.
Since it is just Scott and I at home this year, I tweaked the tradition a bit. Instead of a Christmas story, I've selected four Christmas movies. But tonight was sweet! Jessica came home for a future missionary activity and celebrated advent with us!! It was so fun! Of course we let her light the candle, she said the rhyme and we all read a Christmas story together...and then we sat down at the piano and sang - she played the top hand, I played the bottom, and Scott sang beside us. It was sooo fun!! Then she went to her activity, and Scott and I watched A Christmas Memory. It was a wonderful evening!!
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