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Advent! It’s right around the corner, and I have to confess I got a little giddy when I realized there is less than a month until we put up our Christmas tree! Advent, meaning “Coming” is the season between Thanksgiving and the Day of Epiphany on January 6th when we celebrate Jesus’ birth and 2nd coming for more than a whole month! SO. EXCITING.

It’s probably pretty obvious that we are not Catholic, and you might be a little confused since many people associate Advent with Catholic holidays. But, Y’ALL…I REALLY get into this! Celebrating Advent, celebrating Christ’s coming and His return all month long, doing Advent related crafts and activities throughout the month… it really helps to keep perspective through the coming rush and bustle of Christmas cheer and good tidings. Oh, gosh, I think I just smelled a whiff of pine needles and peppermint just saying that…

Even before December gets here, throughout the Thanksgiving holiday and before, we begin planning our Advent season and so our hearts are thinking ahead, looking forward to it. So even during Thanksgiving, it’s easy to prepare our hearts with thankfulness and joy. (And on top of that, we have Thanksgiving traditions and activities, too, of course.)

Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas Day, this year on November 29, 2009. We use an Advent Wreath to mark each Sunday and Christmas morning, and we use it along with special bible readings. We use various crafts and activities through the week in between to further enjoy and looking forward to the coming holiday, and to remember why we are celebrating.

Last year, I did a big series about our various Advent traditions, with pictures, recipes and other links, and I’ll include links to those at the bottom of this post if you want some Advent ideas (I’ll also be doing another one this year in about a month!). I also have a section for Advent on my Holiday Celebrations page with links to informative websites, such as:

  • http://www.cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html
  • http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByOccasion/2/

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and now that we Celebrate it through/by celebrating Advent, I love it even more. It’s still hard not to get caught up in the moment when we open gifts on Christmas morning, but I think it’s okay to enjoy each other for a little while, as long as we can come together and remember not only why we are celebrating but how blessed we are to be able to celebrate it together with our family members. Celebrating Advent helps me keep perspective and focus in an otherwise busy time of the year. What works for you?

Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by Kristen @ We Are That Family! Hop over for more holiday related WFMW tips!

For more Advent information and ideas, check out these related posts:

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Amber

Hey, y’all! I’m Amber and I wear many hats. I drink a ton of coffee and I’m constantly sweeping crumbs off the floor. After 20+ years of homeschooling, we are starting over at preschool with our fourth, Lil Miss Mouse. She keeps us young and she’s the main reason for my excessive coffee consumption. Drink up!