I kind of love our Advent wreath. The boys and I made it. It's not perfect. In fact, it's even late. Advent began last Sunday. Of course, I'm a pro at being tardy; so, there's nothing new there.
We haven't ever done an advent wreath before. We have used Advent calendars, but I like the ones with scriptures and those have gotten hard to find. That's what my mom always got for us when I was a kid. But my husband is Catholic, my kids are Catholic and we attend a Catholic church. I figured it was time we had an Advent wreath.
No, it's not perfect. We used what we had. And I like that.
The candles should be 3 purple and 1 pink, but I had these candles. The boys made them at the Minnesota Honey Store this summer during a class on beeswax candles. These are special.
I had leftover evergreen tips after working on my window box. The shells came from our trip to Florida a few months ago. The pinecones are a variety I've had and used for years to decorate the house in the winter. The grapevine wreath is one I got at the dollar store a few years ago and decorated with a ribbon and gold berries and twigs. Even the cake stands were found items at Arc Value Village a while back.
If you look closely you could probably spot dust in the back corner of the hutch. No perfection here.
But we made it together with stuff from our house. Even though one boy was a bit grumbly yesterday and not really in a reverent mood, it was nice.
A little background: The Season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas Day. It's basically a countdown to the birth of Jesus. Advent comes from the Latin word meaning "coming." It's a time for Christians to prepare for the coming of Jesus through prayer, forgiveness and fasting. And yet it's also a time of celebration and joy. Hence the three purple candles – the first, second and fourth Sundays of Advent that represent penance - and the fourth rose colored or pink candle that is lit on the third Sunday of Advent which stands for joy. There are prayers and scriptures that go along with the lighting of the candles each day of Advent.
Do you have a special custom, new or old, to celebrate the Advent Season or count down the days to Christmas? Over and out…
Anna
Comments