Advent is such a rich tradition that I wish was more widely understood and practiced! Here are 5 easy ways to celebrate Advent and make the Christmas season spiritual, thoughtful, and so very hopeful.
1) Fast
Advent was originally a time of fasting, prayer, and meditation leading up to the Epiphany feast on January 6th, a celebration of God incarnate. Although it may not be “easy,” it is accessible, free, and such an earnest way to pursue communion with God during Advent. I would highly encourage you to do this one. Although there are some modern takes on fasting, I’ve always been an advocate for abstaining specifically from food for your fasting practice. If you’re pregnant or nursing, consider fasting from a food that you consider a treat, or sugar, something that you will feel physically for the whole day, and take this as an opportunity for contrition in your heart.
2) Read Through an Advent devotional
One thing I have loved doing these passed couple of years is aligning my quiet times with the seasons. There is something so immersive about really marinating in spiritual themes and celebrations throughout the year. In fact, I actually created an Advent devotional because this idea was so compelling to me. I may be biased, but I think it’s a beautiful and immersive Advent experience that makes Advent multi-faceted and dimensional with poetry, classical literature, meditations, paintings, and of course daily scripture. It’s available on Amazon along with many other Advent devotionals to choose from!
God With Us: A meditative & art-inspired guide to Advent
3) Follow along with an Advent Calendar
An Advent calendar is such an easy and quick way to keep in step with the Christmas season. It is usually something you visit everyday that may include a treat for each day, a story, or a small verse. All of these things are intended to help you celebrate or contemplate Christ’s birth and entrance into the world. This feeling of anticipation for Christmas is a core element to Advent . Advent is derived from the Latin word “adventus” which means coming. Going through an Advent calendar can help stir a feeling of excitement in you and an awareness of the season. You can whip one up by buying enough treats for 25 days and taping them on a calendar, or purchase one that you know you’ll look forward to visiting each day. Here are a few that caught my eye:
Fill Your Own Pockets, Reusable Advent Calendar
Beautiful Christmas Symbol with Daily Scripture (great for kids) Advent Calendar
Lindt Holiday Teddy Bear Chocolate Candy Advent Calendar
4) Learn About Advent
Go through an Advent study or read a book that reviews the birth of Christ in a historical context. The history will make this celebration sweet, contemporary, and meaningful. Here are a couple suggestions:
Hidden Christmas by Timothy Keller
The Birth of Christ by J.V. Fesko
5) Do the Candle Lighting Observance at Home
A lot of churches do Advent, which is great. Yay church! However, my husband initiated doing it in our home a couple years ago, and the intimate feel alongside my family felt truly special and made me fall in love with this tradition. There is something so powerfully metaphoric about the light illuminating your home, Christ’s light swallowing the darkness. It may sound like a lot of work, but it truly does not need to be complicated. You quite literally just need four candles and some fitting scripture- takes about 10 minutes. Fill out the email form below (the “Hop on the Bandwagon” one) and I’ll send you a PDF that includes all four Advent candle lighting observances for the Sundays leading up to Christmas, complete with scripture, liturgy, and a hymn to sing. Also, here’s a list of things you could assemble to make your Advent experience a whole thing, however, the only necessary items are the four candles. The rest is just extra!
- Four Candles (three purple and one rose if you would like them to be the traditional colors- additionally you may add one white candle if you would like to light “Christ’s Candle” on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day)
- Wreath (optional)
- Any symbolic decorations for your wreath that you’d like to add *hollies, berries, pinecones, etc.* (optional)
I hope your Christmas season is so meaningful and rich as you celebrate Advent!
