by: Kate Hendrick (stumblingtowardsainthood.com)

A part of the Catholic tradition is marking time. On a daily level, hours are marked with prayer. On a larger scale, we have different seasons within the Liturgical year. Advent is one of these. Growing up in a Catholic Christian household, I remember several traditions from the Advent season: the Advent wreath, the Nativity set, and a chocolate Advent calendar. 

Last Christmas was the first one my husband and I celebrated as a married couple. Ben grew up in the Evangelical Covenant church. During college, he converted to Catholicism. I also had a reversion of sorts during college. Together, we got to determine what traditions we wanted to include in our new little family. 

Here are three traditions my husband and I grew up with and how we made them our own.

The Advent Wreath

What I Did

The churches I attended growing up had an Advent wreath, and we also kept one in our home. We would light the appropriate candles before lunch on Sunday after we attended Mass.

 

What Ben did

Ben’s family had an Advent  wreath. Every night at dinner, they would read a reflection. Like my family, they lit a new candle each Sunday.

Meaning

The Advent Wreath is rich in symbolism. The candles are meant to bring light to spiritual darkness. The purple candles acknowledge the penitential nature of this season while the pink (or rose as some people emphasize) reminds us of the joy we should be feeling in anticipation for Christ. The evergreen reminds us of the eternal life of Christ while the circle of the wreath reminds us of the infinite goodness of God. You can read more about Advent Wreaths here.

How we do it now

This was actually our first holiday “decoration” we bought as a couple. Since we didn’t have a Nativity yet, we found a candle holder that displayed the Holy Family. We lit the candles each Sunday. This year, we hope to be more intentional about using it as a prompt for prayer.

photo credit: tim mossholder (unsplash.com)

The Nativity

What I Did

Every year, our Nativity set would be displayed in a place where we as kids could access it. It was a daily reminder of the Nativity Story, but being able to play with the pieces (respectfully, of course) helped us feel more connected to the story.

 

What Ben did

Ben’s family displayed a large nativity set in their living room on the fireplace. Both he and his brother had their own Nativity scene that they kept in their rooms.

Meaning

Nativity Scenes have a long history, but even today they play a role in preparing for Christmas. Some people make it a point to add a piece of straw to the manger each day to represent a good deed they did each day while others use it as something to inspire prayer and meditation.

How we do it now

Last year, we were gifted Ben’s childhood Nativity. This year, we are going to have it prominently displayed in our apartment, and we will wait to put Baby Jesus in there until Christmas.

Chocolate Calendars to Jesse Tree

What I Did

Growing up, my siblings and I each got a chocolate Advent calendar. Every day, we’d excitedly open the tiny cardboard doors to enjoy a sweet treat. It was a way to feed our anticipation for the season.

 

What Ben did

Though Ben’s family didn’t do chocolate Advent calendars, they excitedly counted down the days until Christmas.

Meaning

A Jesse tree is a reflection on the Messianic promises. Most of the reflections care related to the genealogy  of Jesus. Each day, you hang an ornament and reflect on a passage from Scripture or the O Antiphons. It is a way to intentionally mark each day as you approach Christmas.

How we do it now

This is our first year doing a Jesse Tree. After looking at many options last year and never finding one that seemed quite right, I was thrilled to find a beautiful mosaic one created by another blogger I admire. My husband and I plan on praying through the meditations that came with the kits we ordered, and we will hang the ornament for that day on our tree along with our other ornaments. 

Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas and has been a part of Christian tradition since the 5th century. By incorporating different spiritual practices during Advent, we can grow closer to Christ in anticipation of His coming. Though every Christian may have different traditions for Advent, we can find common threads that tie us not only to our families but to all our Christian brothers and sisters throughout history.

###

Kate Hendrick lives in Wisconsin with her husband and works full-time as a process engineer.  She discusses the challenges she and other young adults face as they try to live authentically Christian lives on her blog Stumbling Toward Sainthood. You can also find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.