Advent is a celebration of light, family and community

Christmas is on the way. We may or may not be ready yet, but songs on the radio let us know that the time is near. Department store windows are glazed with festive decor. The children are completing their wish lists. And plans are being made for Christmas dinners.

People prepare for this festive season of peace and joy in their own special way. One special way my family had celebrated Christmas was with the Advent season; the memory and celebration of the coming of our savior, the baby Jesus, on Christmas day. Mom had told us that Advent was a time of hope and light. It had been a time of prayer and spiritual preparation for the second coming of Christ.

It had also been a time when we children had behaved in the best way. Mama had often told us that the baby Jesus would come and she didn’t want us to be bad children. Because we had never wanted to disappoint the baby Jesus, we had always tried to behave in the best way. Advent is known as “little Lent” because it is a time of penance, although shorter than the current Lent. It’s also a little different in that instead of giving up something like Lent, it’s about being a better person on behavior; being a little kinder!

There were two main things that I remembered growing up as our family participated in the Advent ceremony. First it had been the idea of ​​darkness to light and second it had been unity in the home and in our church.

During Advent, each Sunday a candle would be added to the Advent wreath in our family home. By the fourth Sunday, the crown would be so bright … it had been bright!

With the candles, we would symbolically emerge from darkness into light; waiting for the coming of the baby Jesus, our Immanuel. Our Advent wreath had five candle points. During Advent, the first three candles were purple and represented a time of prayer and penance. The room was pink which meant joy.

The circular shape of the crown represented God’s unending love for us. Evergreens were added to remind us of our eternal life with Christ. Holly berries and leaves adorned the crown signifying the blood of Christ. And the pinecones represented the resurrection of Christ.

A fifth place was not required, although if used it was available for a white candle symbolizing the purity of Christ. It would be placed in the center of the wreath and illuminated on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Sometimes mom would add that white and sometimes not.

In the church, there had also been an Advent wreath; located in the front altar area. Having seen an Advent wreath at home and in our church, I felt more connected to my family and the community around me; that we had all been preparing for Christmas time together.

As a bonus, some years we would have an Advent calendar that ran through Christmas Day. These were calendars that had started on December 1 and offered sayings or sometimes directions for a chocolate! Some calendars had little doors to open; those had been my favorites.