We’re well into the first week of Advent now, and the sights and sounds of this wonderful season have penetrated our house. Here are some of the ways we’re marking Advent this year:
- Memory work: “Love Came Down at Christmas“, Infant Holy Infant Lowly, Luke 2
- Advent wreath candle lighting at the beginning of dinner
- Jesse Tree during homeschool morning time
- Advent Readings for the Very Young in the evenings with Daddy
- Celebrating St. Nicholas and St. Lucia with help from figures by Armadillo Dreams
- Simple display of liturgical colors
- Advent playlist
- Lots of picture books, of course! (You can find our list of reviewed Advent and Christmas books near the end of this list, but we’ll be sharing some other ones soon…)
It’s tricky to figure out how to differentiate between Advent and Christmas because our culture generally skips directly to celebration without much preparation at all. This year, though, I’m trying to take a few new steps in that direction. We’re waiting to put up our tree until the third week of Advent (which is “joy” week) and the gingerbread house kit hiding in my closet will stay there until sometime during the 12 Days of Christmas. I’ve not yet taken up the discipline of a full Advent fast, but I am trying to postpone many of our favorite celebratory activities and treats until after December 25. My hope is that the 12 Days will seem more like a sustained celebration – and then we’ll get together with friends for a small Twelfth Night or Epiphany party to wrap it all up!
How are you entering into the preparatory season of Advent this year?
Aslan's Library 
I love those figures of Saint Nicholas and Saint Lucia! Our youngest was born first thing in the morning on St. Lucia’s Day last year, so that’s a day that has an extra dose of significance for our family. We’re planning our two-fold celebration and a little figure like that would be a lovely treat 🙂