Advent is the first season of the Liturgical Year; it begins on the first Sunday of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas, and ends on Christmas Eve. Advent is a season of anticipation and hope, symbolized by the liturgical color purple, a sign of royalty. During this time we remember the long years during which the Hebrew People waited and hoped for the arrival of the Messiah; while we prepare to celebrate the Messiah’s arrival 2,000 years ago in Palestine and we also prepare for his final arrival at the end of time.
All good things take time, and our appreciation for good things deepens through anticipation. Advent reminds us that God isn’t finished with us yet; it challenges us to continue learning, growing…and waiting.
What you can do as a family during Advent
--Attend Sunday Mass and pay special attention to the readings, especially those from the Old
Testament prophets.
(A good guide to the Sunday readings for families is at: loyolapress.com/our-catholic-
faith/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/)
--Pray and discuss the Advent readings using a form of Lectio Divina (“Holy Reading”).
(Find a guide here: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/lectio-
divina-for-advent.cfm)
--Talk about the ways in which the prophets’ message challenges us today.
(You might find Stephen Binz's Advent Light helpful.)
--Join an Advent faith-sharing group in your parish or participate in an online Advent retreat.
--Use an online Advent Calendar to guide your prayer and reflection each day.
(Find online Advent calendars at usccb.org, bustedhalo.org, xt3.com and loyolapress.com/our-
catholic-faith)
--Create a Jesse Tree which depicts the various titles and symbols attributed to the future
Messiah by the prophets.
(Find an online guide at http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-
year/advent/the-jesse-tree; Meeting Jesus Through the Jesse Tree by Anne Neuberger and
Let's Make a Jesse Tree by Darcy Hames are helpful books.)
--Make or buy an Advent Wreath and gather around it for daily prayer.
(Use Catherine Brandt's book We Light the Candles as a guide.)
--Make an Advent Chain with paper links for each day of Advent; at the end of the day, add
one link and pray for someone you hope will have a happy Christmas. Use the chain as part of
your Christmas decorations or hang it on the Christmas tree.
--Use the blessings for an Advent wreath, manger scene and Christmas tree available at: http://usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/
--Celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6) as a “sneak-preview” of Christmas.
--If there is a Latino community near you, join in the celebration for the feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe and the Las Posadas on the evenings of December 15-23. Learn more about Las Posadas
here: https://www.mamalatinatips.
--If you have young children or grandchildren, make time to read about the Old Testament and
the birth of Jesus from a children’s bible or storybook.
(A Child's Bible by Mary Kathleen Glavich, The Early Readers Bible by V. Gilbert Beers,
A Child's First Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor, Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories, the
Dover coloring book Stories From the Old Testament and the Arch Books Christmas series are good
resources.)
--For older children, share and discuss Marjorie Holmes' book, Two From Galilee
(https://www.amazon.com/Two-Galilee-Story-Mary-Joseph/dp/0553281003/ref=sr_1_1?) or the early
sections from the vidoes Jesus of Nazareth or the Reader's Digest Jesus and His Times.
--Pay special attention to teenagers in your family during Advent; no one understands the agony
of waiting better than teens who can’t wait to grow up.
(Find resources for talking with your teen about Advent here: https://lifeteen.com/blog/category/faith
/liturgical-seasons/advent/
--Conduct a “Family Examen” based on the Ignatian practice of a daily examination; review your
Family Mission and take time to talk about practical ways in which your family needs to
change or improve so that Jesus will be more at home there.
(Adapt the Family Examen found here: http://www.catholicfamilyfaith.com/2015/09/weekly-
examen.html or here: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/3999/the-examen-for-families)
--Use your Family Examen as a preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation; then attend an
Advent Communal Penance service in your parish.
--Time your decorating so that it unfolds gradually, and isn't completely finished until Christmas
Eve. For instance, install and decorate the Christmas tree in stages.
--If you have a manger scene, add just one statue at a time until Christmas eve when the baby
Jesus arrives.
(Find a description of various aspects of the manger scene here: http://www.umc.org/what-we-
believe/nativity-scenes-more-than-meets-the-eye and here:
https://glencairnmuseum.org/nativity-visualelements/ )
--If you have the time and resources, attend a Christmas program, concert or movie; or make
some time to listen to Christmas music and watch a favorite Christmas video as a family.
--Stop to remind one another that Jesus is really the reason for all of the time, effort and money
which your family in putting into its preparation for Christmas.
--Decide how much of your Christmas time, money and attention you will spend this year on those in
need.
--Consider Christmas gifts that that benefit others; make a donation to a socially responsible
organization that helps the poor, purchase fair-trade gifts created by native workers, or select
gifts created by monks and nuns to support their monastic communities.
(Find a guide here: https://waterloocatholics.org/fair-trade-socially-responsible-gifts )
--As you choose and wrap Christmas gifts, think about how the recipient might receive and use
this gift as a sign of God’s love and presence.
--Think ahead to how you could make Christmas itself a little more prayerful and reflective this
year.
--Make plans now to visit family and friends you don't see often during the Christmas season.
Whatever you do during Advent, take your time and try not to rush. This is a time of waiting and preparing, so make an effort to balance your busyness with quiet reflection and anticipation. As much as possible, try to postpone celebrations until the Christmas season. The great danger of Advent is that everyone is tired and bored by the time Christmas arrives!
Here are some good Advent books you can share with your children or grandchildren:
Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider and Maja Dusikova
Arch Books Christmas series (https://search.cph.org/search#w=arch%20books%20christmas)
The Baker's Dozen--A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard and Wendy Edelson
Bartholomew's Passage--A Family Story for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide
The Feast of the Annunciation by Lily Parascheva Rowe
Ishtar's Odyssey--A Family Story for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide
Jotham's Journey--A Storybook for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide
The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola
The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Anselm Grun
The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi
Mary, Mother of Jesus by Mary Joslin
The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola
Tabitha's Travels--A Family Story for Advent by Arnold Ytreeide
The True Story of St. Nicholas by Foster Eich
Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes
Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff
Learn More
Advent Devotions and Customs
Advent Resources for Adults and Young Adults
[Last Update: 12.02.19]