Advent is a season for traditions

My memories of the season of Advent growing up meant waiting. Waiting for those magical days of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It seemed like those four weeks of lighting candles took forever, and I never really gave the reasons for observing Advent a second thought (I was a kid dreaming of Santa and toys). 

Now that I am grown and have a family of my own, I have a much greater sense of what the season of Advent really means, and what my parents were trying to instill in us as children about our faith. For the Catholic faithful, Advent is a four-week season of joyful preparation and spiritual anticipation for the coming of the birth of Jesus, usually marked by prayer, reflection, and family traditions.  

One of the most popular traditions Catholic families observe, and one my parents handed down to me and my siblings, is the use of an Advent wreath and lighting the three purple and one rose candles during the four Sundays of Advent. My mother would lead us in singing a chorus of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” as the candle was lit. For my family currently, we also include a reading from the Mass we attended earlier that day. 

Another fun Advent tradition that my mother brought to our family was the observance of the feast of St. Nicholas. On the morning of Dec. 6, we kids would find paper plates on the kitchen table filled with peppermint candy, peanut brittle, and a big, juicy orange. Our tradition held that St. Nicholas visited us in the night as a pre-visit to Christmas to make sure we were being good and getting ready for Jesus’s birthday. I did something that I don’t think my other siblings did. I would leave a note for St. Nicholas before going to bed the night before with a list of what I wanted for Christmas. Not really an Advent tradition, but I was a kid. I wasn’t taking any chances of a miscommunication!  

A popular tradition most families honor is the use of an Advent calendar. These calendars list the 24 days in December leading up to Christmas Eve and are mostly for young children. When the door pertaining to the day is opened, a small toy or a piece of candy is revealed. Many so-called “Advent” calendars you find in stores are secular-themed. You can find religious-themed calendars online or at the religious goods stores in the area. 

When our son and the youngest of his cousins were very young or pre-teens, we would purchase religious-themed calendars for each to help them to understand the “reason for the coming season.” Our son delighted in opening his daily square at breakfast. Behind each door, besides the piece of chocolate, was a short bible text, usually from the Book of Isaiah, pronouncing the coming of the Christ child. When he was old enough, he would read the text aloud before he ate his chocolate treat. 

Other families have their own traditions, like the Burrell family from St. Patrick’s parish in Crystal. They have passed on one tradition in particular from their parents to their current family. 

“When my husband and I got married, my mother-in-law gave us a large felt Jesse Tree,” said Christina Burrell. “All of the ‘ornaments’ are felt and it comes with the Bible readings to go with each day. Since we have 14 children from ages 2 to 26 years old, we continue to use a children’s Bible, but it has brought such great conversations with the older kids. I have even been blessed to make the same Jesse tree for our two married children.”  

One of my favorite Advent observances that a few parishes in the diocese use is displaying a statue of the Blessed Virgin, pregnant with the Christ Child. My parish of Holy Cross in West Fargo places this beautiful statue in the center of the parish Advent wreath. At home, we place a large, white candle in the center of our wreath, and we light it on Christmas Eve, bringing to a close that wonderful, joyous season of anticipation of our coming salvation we call Advent.