But the good part that comes from it is that now it time for Christmas! I feel this holiday is slightly overrated. Yes, some people still spend this holiday as a time to get family together and enjoy the company of one another. Yes, there are some people that use this holiday time to spread cheer to others who are not as fortunate. I am talking about the people who use the Christmas holiday as a time to be greedy and selfish (hence the black Friday madness). These people will go out of there way to get a good deal on electronics and other things that they want. Don't get me wrong there are some really great Black Friday deals out there, but I wish the stores didn't advertise it after Thanksgiving. This year stores were even opening up and starting the deals on Thursday! I call it ridiculous because now employees have to go to work on a holiday where there should be spending the day with their family and being THANKFUL! We as America should still be celebrating Thanksgiving day to be thankful of what our founding fathers established here in America. On the news there are stories of people being shot or trampled to death over black Friday. Why do this? OK, so enough of this ranting.
My intention for this post is to tell you about my new tradition. This came to me while I reflecting on myself during the Christmas holiday. I used to be a greedy child and would be upset if I didn't get an iPad, computer, new TV, or something big under the tree. My family brought me up very well and I would even consider myself spoiled but the problem is that Christmas just wasn't the same in my family. With my parents income they could afford to buy things my siblings and I wanted frequently. We didn't have to wait till Christmas or our birthday. But Christmas means so much more than getting presents, drinking at holiday parties, or listening/watching carols and movies. Christmas was established to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Mike and I are members of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Williamsburg,Virginia. We have been bad church-goers since we got married. We have just been trying to catch up on the weekend from our busy lives. But we are starting back up again. If you have ever been to church then you know that Advent season is coming up! Advent starts normally on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, however some people start it the 1st of December. I wanted to celebrate the Advent season not only in church but daily in our home for the holiday season.
Advent means "coming". It is season of the "coming of Jesus Christ". There are many ways to celebrate Advent. Mike and I will be attending church on Sundays as well as possible Wednesday for special services then on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We will also be conducting our own scripture readings, devotions and prayers for each day of Advent starting on December 1st. We will use an Advent wreath as well as a Jesse Tree.
An Advent wreath is a circular garland wreath with 4/5 candles. One candle is lit each Sunday and each candle represents a aspect of the "coming of Jesus". There are colors associated with church advent wreaths however since Mike and I will practice this at home we decided to stick to colors we have decorated with Christmas. We have a total of 3 red candles, 1 gold candle, and 1 while large pillar candle. One the first Sunday of Advent one of the red candles, also known as the prophecy candle will be lit. The second Sunday another red candle will be lit known as the Bethlehem candle. The last red candle, Sheperd's candle, will be lit on the third Sunday of Advent. On the fourth Sunday, the gold candle will be lit and is known as the Angel candle. On Christmas day, the center white candle representing the birth of Christ will be lit.
The Jesse Tree is a way to teach the story of God's plan for the world. Each day of Advent is represented by a symbol from the Old or New Testament. Each symbol has an associated scripture reading, devotion and a prayer. I bought a book to help me with my Jesse tree from Amazon for $6. It is called The Advent Jesse Tree: Devotions for Children and Adults to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas, written by Dean Meador Lambert. It provides the symbols, scripture readings, devotions, hymns, and prayers needed for each of the days. It is a great book for christian families to involve the story of the birth of Christ during Christmas. Mike and I will be hanging handmade ornaments on our Christmas tree with the symbols to remind us of the story. Pictures will be posted eventually!
Mike and I can't wait to start this new tradition within our household. In the future when we have children (not ANYTIME soon) we can teach them about the birth of Christ so they can fully enjoy what the Christmas holiday has to offer.
Are there any holiday traditions you do with your family? Are they any you would like to try?
Love it! I found an Advent / Nativity candle holder at Hobby Lobby and Advent candles. So excited to put them up this weekend!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely excited :)
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