For many of us this year we have a unique opportunity to establish or try new things as we lead up to Christmas. With less commitments outside the home, and no big holiday gatherings to attend, it can be a time that we focus on preparations and celebrations in our own home.
Here are 3 steps to living Advent intentionally this year:
1. Begin with the end in mind
There are so many beautiful traditions that you can take on as a family. If you haven’t really lived Advent intentionally before it can be totally overwhelming to know where to start. There is no shortage of ways to live out the season and it can be so easy to get lost in doing all the things or preparing for Christmas day that we lose sight of the point of Advent. So what is the point?
Advent is a time that we relive the longing and waiting of the Messiah and renew our own hopeful expectation for Jesus to come again. In short, Jesus. Advent is about increasing in us a desire for Jesus, so whatever we decide to take up should be focused on that.
2. Choose one main tradition or devotion to do as a family
With the goal of Advent in mind now, it’s time to choose a tradition that will help accomplish that goal. At the end of this blog post, we list and describe a few common and not so common Advent traditions. Choose one to do or add to your family’s traditions. Then take a look at the natural rhythms of your family’s day, and pick a time of day that you naturally connect. For example, every Sunday you sit down and eat dinner all together with no other evening commitments, this would be a good time to light the advent wreath together on the Sundays leading up to Christmas.
3. Commit and do it
Now it’s time to do it. Write down what your family is committing to and when you’ll do it. Post it on the fridge or somewhere else that everyone will see. It could be weekly or daily depending on your family or the tradition you choose. Now you just have to do it. Don’t get bogged down if it doesn’t work out as you imagined, always remember that the goal is to increase our desire for Jesus!
Advent Ideas:
- Lighting the Advent wreath each night and singing an advent song. We included a few different links to advent songs.
- Making time to connect with people we love by either mailing cards or talking on the phone.
- Giving back as a family. Some examples of giving back could be donating to a local toy drive, helping at the local food bank or participating in the parish advent project.
- Celebrate one or two saints who feast days fall during Advent. For instance some of the feast days in December are St. Nicolas, St. Lucy, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Immaculate Conception. On these days we learn about the Saint, have a special dessert and the kids colour a picture of the Saint.
- Set up your nativity scene but leave out the baby Jesus. Every night at dinner reflect as a family on acts of love you saw done during the day. Add a piece of straw (you can also cut up felt or paper as the straw) to the empty manger for each loving deed. On Christmas morning before you open presents, place the baby Jesus figure in the soft bed made from all the loving actions made during advent.
Advent Songs
Additional Resources:
Fun Lego Video that explains Advent
Authors of this article:
Megan Turland
Megan Turland and her husband, Benjamin have three children and are new parishioners here at St. Maurice. They moved to Ottawa this past summer from Toronto. She has been a missionary with Catholic Christian Outreach for 9 years, seeking the renewal of the world through the evangelization and leadership development of university students. She recently started a blog called The Good Soil, where she explores what it means to cultivate rich environments for herself and others to flourish.
Laura Smith
Laura Smith and her husband, Jason have three children and have been parishioners of St. Maurice for the last 5 years. Laura loves being involved in parish life at St.Maurice. She leads the Children’s liturgy team for the 9 AM Mass (currently on hold due to covid). Last year she started the Women’s ministry at the parish, she believes that women in all different stages of life can learn from each other and share in the sisterhood of Christ.