Celebrating Advent with Children - Tips and Traditions

I love Christmas. My parents and grandparents instilled so many wonderful traditions that I would still recreate even if I did not have a little one. It is “the most
wonderful time of the year”. The Christmas season just brings so much joy and happiness, expectation and longing. For children, waiting and waiting for Christmas morning, the excitement of seeing the gifts Santa Claus has left behind, takes absolutely forever. I remember those 24 days before Christmas being the longest days of the year!

As I grew I came to understand the true meaning of the Christmas season – the birth of Jesus Christ on that long ago night. I try to picture it: the dark sky filled with a multitude of stars, a peaceful field of shepherds listening to the bleating of sheep, of a lone baby’s cry in a manger, in a stable, because there was no room for him in the inn. I can see Jesus’s mother, Mary, staring down into the face of her newborn son, soaking up every second with awe and wonder. That little face started everything.

I want to teach my son the Christmas story. I want him to take in the magnitude of the first Christmas. My husband and I do this my celebrating Advent. Rather than focusing on gifts or Santa and the reindeer, Advent keeps our hearts and minds on the birth of Christ.

ADVENT

Advent is the Latin word for “coming”. It is a time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. It begins the Church’s liturgical calendar. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas, quite often the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The most common symbol of Advent is an Advent wreath. These can be either bought or made consisting of four candles (usually tapers) representing the four weeks of advent, 3 purple and one pink, and some greenery. Many Advent wreaths also contain a larger white candle, called the Christ candle, in the center.

THE ADVENT WREATH

The use of the wreath and candles is a longstanding Catholic tradition that Protestants later adopted as part of a spiritual preparation for Christmas. The wreath and candles are symbolic of the Christmas season. The circle of a wreath symbolizes the eternity of God and immortality of the soul. Even the type of greens used in the wreath may have meaning: laurel represents victory over suffering, pine and holly symbolize immortality, and cedar represents strength for healing. Each candle also has special significance: three candles are purple because it is the liturgical color signifying a time of prayer, repentance, and sacrifice. The pink candle signifies the liturgical color of joy. Families can follow a reading to go along with the lighting of the candle or talk about the theme each candle represents. (I will share what my family uses below.*)

THE FIRST CANDLE, purple, is lit on the first Sunday of Advent. It is often called the “Prophecy Candle” symbolizing hope. With it we remember the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the Savior’s birth. We use this candle to represent the expectation of the coming Messiah.
THE SECOND CANDLE, purple, is lit on the second Sunday of Advent. It is to represent faith. Often called the “Bethlehem Candle”, it is to remind us of Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem.
THE THIRD CANDLE, pink, lit on the third Sunday of advent symbolizes joy. The third Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday. Often called the “Shepherd’s Candle”, this candle is to remind us of the joy we experience by the birth of Jesus.
THE FOURTH CANDLE, purple, is lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent. It marks the final week of prayer as we wait on Messiah’s birth. This “Angel’s Candle” symbolizes peace based on their herald “Peace on Earth, good will toward men,” (Luke 2:14).

*THE WHITE CANDLE in the middle of the wreath is lit on Christmas Eve. Called the “Christ Candle”, it represents the life of Christ. White is for purity because our Savior is sinless.

ADVENT CALENDARS

We also enjoy using Advent calendars which can be made or purchased. Some have small gifts or candies tucked away in 24 boxes, a gift for children to unwrap each day until we unwrap the greatest Gift.

JESSE TREE

Another fun way for children to celebrate Advent is by the use of a Jesse Tree. Jesse Trees (named for King David’s father) are small, often tabletop Christmas trees, covered with small ornaments representing people and stories in the Bible. Examples may include a rainbow, a staff, an animal, or a harp. Anything a child can realize from a Bible story. (This is also a fantastic way to remind them of all the Bible stories they have learned throughout the year!)

Celebrating Advent allows my family the opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for Jesus. I am so thankful for the Greatest Gift, and I want my home to focus on Him, the meaning of the season.

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For more resources my family uses, please explore each link below. I pray that you will find something to bless you and your family this Christmas season and more to come!