How to Have a Contemplative Advent

The unseasonably warm temperatures this weekend fooled me into believing Advent was long off. My kitchen calendar tells me this is not so. The sun shines warmly over our apartment while the autumn leaves bake to a stale brown underneath the trees. The leaves, and the increasing darkness, remind me we’ll be lighting four special candles on the dinner table soon enough. Advent, which is the first season in the Christmas cycle, begins on December 1, 2024.

The Christmas cycle is one of two major seasonal cycles in the liturgical year. This cycle holds four weeks of Advent, the twelve days of Christmas, and Epiphanytide. (The Easter cycle holds the forty days of Lent, the fifty days of Eastertide, and Pentecost.) These three seasons build upon themes of preparation for and recognition of Christ’s manifestation in the world. During this time, at least in the Northern hemisphere, darkness grows and temperatures drop, which offer their own wisdom alongside the liturgical themes.

You may notice many robust traditions to engage in during the Christmas cycle. As alluring and as whimsical as they may seem, I know not all things are feasible (or desirable) for every home, including mine. Our family includes a preschooler and a small baby who thrive in the presence realistic expectations, and priest-to-be who is already involved in the seasonal festivities of our parish. We have a full plate. If this resonates with your circumstances, allow yourself to enter the holidays with gentleness and simplicity.

Building Seasonal Traditions

The church year rolls in quietly in the midst of big holiday advertisements and bursting calendars, and just after we’ve eaten the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers. Advent, the first season of the year, is a season dedicated to preparation. We’re invited to prepare for the birth of Christ with thoughtful attention to four weekly themes: hope, peace, love, and joy. It’s a season that can’t be rushed.

In order to keep this holy-day pace, we have two budding traditions. Perhaps the most noticeable one is taking our time to set up the Christmas decor, including a tree. We let the turkey settle in our stomachs (metaphorically) before we dive into the buzz of Christmas. Ornaments and wreaths go up slowly. The tree comes soon after. Secondly, we’ll set up an Advent wreath. In four weeks time we light four candles, one each week, to remind us of this special pace.

If Advent comes to you as a blank slate or if you need some fresh inspiration, I invite you to experiment with a few classic traditions:

• Pray with breath prayers. I’ve written a few here. I encourage you to place them throughout your home or in a jar where you can pull one out every so often. Pray one with others before a meal or bedtime. Tuck one in your pocket or visor to remember as you’re out running errands. Use them in an Advent calendar.
• Decorate with liturgical colors. If you pine for Christmas decorations all year long, but want to wait, Advent can be a lovely opportunity to deck your halls with the liturgical colors, blue or purple. This can be done very simply. Taper candles, scraps of fabric, colored chalk, ribbon, sprinkles, or other small household items can go a long way in setting the scene.
• Assemble an Advent wreath. There are multiple, beautiful wreath styles that may used as a base for candles. Last year I used a small wreath from Trader Joe’s with four beeswax candles from Etsy. Your local Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, or Methodist communities may sell or give out wreaths, too. You may also assemble a traditional Nicholas tree, or find ceramic or metallic wreaths at thrift shops or Etsy.
• Follow an Advent calendar. Just like wreaths, there are so many types of Advent calendars. Chocolate, wine, toys — you name it, you can find it on the internet. But they don’t have to be about the prize, they can also be constructed as a countdown: a garland of paper rings, a salt dough spiral, or a trail of (paper) stars.
• Explore your senses. Just as you prepare your home for a guest, Advent is a time to prepare yourself for the arrival of Christ. What sensory experiences ground you in the present moment? You might stir a simmer pot of spices and citrus on the stove or listen to a curated playlist of Advent music. Try rearranging furniture, snuggling in a soft blanket with a loved one, watching the sunrise, or drinking something festive.
• Journal through the season. Try writing down the weekly theme for each Advent Sunday (hope, peace, love, and joy) on your calendar or somewhere else you’ll notice them often. As Friday or Saturday ends, light a candle and reflect on where that theme came up during the week.

Other Advent Celebrations

In the four weeks leading up to Christmas there are other special days in the liturgical calendar. We enjoyed celebrating St. Nicholas and St. Lucia in past years and might add in a couple more this year. Some of my favorite books on seasonal festivals include specific activities for certain feast days, but I find food is an excellent (and cost effective) way to remember the day if those activities don’t happen.

• St. Andrews’ Day (November 30): St. Andrew gives us the opportunity to feast on fish and celebrate elements of Scottish culture. If you have a kilt, this is the day to wear it.
• St. Nicholas Day (December 6): I much prefer the stories of St. Nicholas over the cultural interpretations of Santa Claus, so we’ll mark his feast day with a special breakfast, a batch of Speculatius cookies, and a couple picture books.
• Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8): Traditionally, this special day is marked with a special dessert.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Feast Day (December 12): A delicious Mexican dinner with colorful flowers is a simple way to remember this miraculous story.
• St. Lucia’s Day (December 13): While my little one is not yet old enough to wake us up with breakfast, she is quite good about waking everyone up early. Breakfast traditions include baking a crown cake or St. Lucia buns, which are saffron sweet buns. I’ll likely opt for a batch of cinnamon rolls and picture books, if I can find them at our local library.
• St. Thomas’ Day (December 21): This feast day falls on the winter solstice, which I’m sure is ripe with insight on the beauty of doubt, darkness, and the journey to Bethlehem. Traditions include charity work and finishing Christmas preparations. (Some churches celebrate St. Thomas on July 3.)

As you observe the beginning of a new church year, reflect on the particular ways you are being invited to prepare for Christ’s birth. What traditions, meals, activities (or lack thereof) will help you savor these four weeks?

(Updated Fall 2024)