Years ago, those few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas represented weeks of disordered pressure in my life. Many a day was spent agonizing over the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone on my shopping list, stressing over whether the garland would look perfect, or questioning if the tree was tall enough.
Unlike the chaos of America’s commercial Christmases and the hurry-up, do-more, buy-more attitude, Advent calls on us to slow down. To wait. To prepare our hearts for the coming of the King. To offer penance or sacrifice. Such is my focus.
Tomorrow, the day before Advent 2024 begins, I’ll make a trip to the florist and pick out the greenery for the Advent wreath, which becomes the central focus of our family room and kitchen. It’s light reminds us of God’s light breaking into the world.
We’ll also begin the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena tomorrow. Said 15 times a day beginning on Nov. 30, it’s a great devotion to add as an Advent sacrifice, and the graces that flow from this short prayer never fail to fill our lives.
As the days progress, the Christmas tree doesn’t go up until at least the 10th—usually much later. In fact, I wouldn’t mind doing it on the 23rd or 24th as it used to be way back in the day, but my husband, kids, and grands insist otherwise. OK, so I’ll give them that. On the other hand, that tree doesn’t come down until the 12 Days of Christmas have come and gone.
Each day of Advent, music suitable for reflection and preparation fill our home. So while I do listen to Advent music, I don’t turn on secular Christmas music until a week or two before the big feast day. And then it’s usually under duress. I’ve found that the music of Advent fills our home with a calm, peaceful grace of sorts. It reminds us to wait as the Blessed Virgin did. To wait on the Lord. To rightly order our days in prayer, trusting that all is well.
I truly believe that in participating in this season, we can slow down the mad pace of the modern world. Re-order the focus of the holiday season, and prepare our hearts for the greatest Gift ever bestowed on the world. In turn, may we reflect Christ’s light. O come, O come, Immanuel.
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena (download) printable
O Antiphons (download) printable
This site has a good breakdown of the candles, what each color means, as well as five Advent wreath Ideas to spark your creativity: How to make an Advent Wreath
One of my Spotify Advent playlists:
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