The Season of Advent

Just recently I have begun to learn about "Advent". I knew that it always occurred around Christmas but that was about the extent of my knowledge. To start my quest at learning what Advent was and is, I looked up the meaning of Advent. According to the dictionary, Advent is "the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event." So being the Christmas season it seems appropriate that we, as Christians, would celebrate the coming of Christ as the baby Jesus.

I have also learned that the most common way to celebrate advent is through a wreath with four candles. Each candle represents a Sunday prior to Christmas or the birth of Christ. Depending on the day of the week when Christmas falls, the advent season can be 22-28 days long. At amazingmoms.com, you can learn how to make your own advent wreath and read more about the symbolism of the wreath and the four (sometimes five) candles.

Another common way to celebrate advent is through an advent calendar that begins on December 1st. Joanne Heim, The Simple Wife, has a extensive collection of posts on advent and how she and her family have incorporated this celebration into their family. Joanne also spoke at our MOPS group last year and shared some examples of books and other materials that she uses to  during the season of advent.

I am a little behind starting our advent celebration this year, as it will be our first with MaKenna. I have a couple of ideas of what I would like to do, but I am curious how you celebrate advent with your family. I have heard a lot of you mentioning that you have begun, so please share your family traditions or ideas with me and the rest of our MOPS group.