Preparations

Advent is almost here and all around us the hustle and bustle of the holiday season abounds.  In our favorite stores Christmas carols are playing,  snowmen, reindeer and Santa himself lurk among the turkey fixings and electronics.  All are displayed to get us in a "Holly Jolly" mood, that we may buy enough gifts to secure a "Merry Little Christmas".  For busy parents, the secular world's version of the holidays is enough to make your heart race and your head spin!

Fortunately, the Church offers us a different picture.  It begins with a season devoted to the quiet preparation of our hearts and minds for the arrival of Love, the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. It requires no rushing, no crowds, no searching for the last pink ipad and it definitely does not require credit cards.  All the season of Advent requires, is for us to turn our eyes back to what matters, the story of Emmanuel, who came to save the world.

One tradition that helps us slow down and focus is the Advent wreath. The wreath is an ancient Church tradition that many Catholic families use to mark the passage of time as we wait for our Lord.  Lighting the wreath at dinner each night is one way to bring sacredness to the season.  There are so many beautiful advent wreaths and lots of fun ways to make them.   A quick online search, especially on Pinterest, turns up tons of great ideas! As an alternative to Black Friday shopping, why not create an Advent wreath with your child so you are ready on December 1st?  (I have noticed that sometimes it is hard to find the purple and pink candles needed for the wreath, but I have seen them at JoAnn's and Bobbies Hallmark.)  Click here for a short history of the Advent wreath.

Perhaps the tradition that has become the dearest to me over the Advent season is the Jesse Tree.  I only heard of the Jesse Tree a few years ago, but it turns out it is a long standing Catholic tradition.  The Jesse Tree is decorated with ornaments that trace the lineage of Jesus back to the creation of the world and culminates with his birth on Christmas Day. Every day we read a Bible story and then my boys make an ornament to symbolize what they have learned.  Over the years we have used felt, clay and paper to make the ornaments.   Some years we only get around to reading the stories and not making ornaments, and it is just as meaningful.  I love the fifteen minutes it takes to stop and reflect on Jesus' ancestors and  really wrap my mind around this great story of salvation.  

If you are interested in the Jesse Tree there are a million devotions that you can find to assist you in your planning, but my favorite is the book, The Jesse Tree, by Geraldine McCaughrean.  The author's retelling of the Bible stories is a delight, along with the beautiful illustrations.  This is a stand-alone activity, even if you can't find time to craft ornaments, just take a few minutes before bed to read one story.  Your Advent will be so much richer for it!

Here is our family's little Jesse Tree from a few years back!

Another exceptional Jesse Tree Devotional is written by Ann Voskamp.  It is rich with beauty and poetry and you can download it for free here.

Whatever you choose, I hope you make the time to slow down and wait; there is much to be gained as we wait on our Savior.