I’m writing to invite you to an Advent practice that my family shares and that the Church globally practices as well. It’s the act of visually experiencing light come into the world of darkness through the use of an Advent Wreath.
Here’s how it works. During the four Sundays prior to Christmas (Advent – beginning November 27th), you light the appropriate candle each night and spend time as a family either reading Scripture, or reading a page from Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration. In my family we switch it up based on the needs of the evening. (Pro Tip: You might want to go ahead and order the book, or any book that speaks to the Season of Advent for families.)
The point is to spend time together focusing on the meaning of Jesus coming into the world. What’s really powerful in our house is helping the kiddos grasp, in a visible way, that the light came into the world in Jesus. This happens nightly when we turn out all the lights and light the first candle. It’s harder to read the book with only one candle, but it makes the point that as more light comes into the world, it’s a different world than the one of darkness we started in.
As my kiddos are 3 and 6, we aren’t able to read through the whole page from the book due to attention spans etc, but this year we’ll likely read more than we did last year. Do what you can, and at a minimum, give the kiddos a beautiful visual of the faith.
How to Participate
When you make your wreath, you’ll need five candles: three purple candles, one pink candle, and a white candle. The first candle is purple and represents hope. The second candle is purple and represents peace. The third candle is pink and represents joy. The fourth candle is purple and represents love. The final candle and last to be lit is white and is the Christ Candle. (You wait until Christmas day to light this Candle.)
Every Sunday in Advent you light another candle. As an example, during the first week of Advent, my family will light only one purple candle each night. When the next Sunday arrives, we will light two purple candles. During the third week, we will light three candles (two purple and one pink.) During the last week, we will light three purple and one pink candle. On Christmas Day, we will light the white candle.
If you choose to read Unwrapping the Greatest Gift with us, you’ll notice they start on December 1st. You can talk about Advent as a family for the years when Advent starts a few days before December 1st. In my family, we’ll likely just talk about Advent.
Make this tradition yours! It can be what you need it to be as a family. The point is to experience light coming into the world and to be reminded of hope, peace, joy and love.
We thank God for the first coming of Christ and his second coming as well, bringing light into a world of darkness. Amen.
