There's all this talk about Advent Calendars but do you know what Advent really signifies? When every company is promoting their products through a countdown box, what is it we are really supposed to be doing during the holiday season? Well, I'm here to help settle the question or in the very least explain the intention of the advent season.
It's simple really. Advent is the period of time in which Christians prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Advent begins not on December 1st as the calendars would have us believe, but rather on the 4th Sunday prior to Christmas Day or the Sunday which falls closest to November 30th. So that would mean the first Sunday in Advent for 2022 is November 27th. How do we celebrate Advent? Well, of course it varies wildly depending on your faith, church and religion. The lighting of an Advent wreath seems to be one of the most popular customs. The wreath consists of a candle for each Sunday in Advent and are different colours to represent different meanings. Three purple, one pink and one white. Purple represents repentance and royalty, pink means joy and rejoicing and the white means purity and light. Each Sunday in Advent a different candle is lit and scripture is read. If this custom interests you, read more about it here on Learn Religions.
Do you acknowledge Advent?
Our lives ebb and flow and sometimes we pay attention to these rituals and sometimes we don't. I do have some great memories from some Advent celebrations! Hubby and I were planning our wedding back in 1992. We picked a date a week before Christmas. The church we attended asked us as part of our marriage counselling to light an advent candle on a particular Sunday. Nearly 30 years later, I cannot recall which Sunday it was, but it seems like it might have been the first one.
I've also attended Christmas Eve services which of course is the culmination of Advent. One of my favourite memories is attending with my friend Olivia and her husband Ross. We had never been to their church before and upon entering were given a scrap of wrapping paper. During the service we were told to crunch is up and throw it on the floor. We weren't allowed to pick it up. By the end of the service, we'd found out the meaning behind this. It was about leaving our worries and giving them up to God and how He is there to help clean up our messes. That's not the only reason this service was memorable. At the end, everyone was given a candle and one by one they were all lit. The Congregation stood around the perimeter of the sanctuary with lit candles, and it was really quite beautiful. Then Ross leaned over and whispered, "I wonder what the fire regulations are in here!" It still makes me chuckle!
During the pandemic, we'd stopped attending church and like many churches the services went live on streaming platforms. Ours went on YouTube and still does. Christmas Eve 2020, Hubby and I had a nice meal and then sat in our living room with tree all aglow watching the service on our 55-inch tv. It seems so simple but that year it felt really special.
At the writing of this post, I cannot tell you what our plans are or how we will be involved with Advent or even the Christmas holidays this season. I do hope that I keep the meaning of Christmas alive in our home and even as we open the little doors on our calendars to see what gifts are in store. We do have so much to be thankful for this year and always.