Advent is a wonderful time of anticipation

I think that Advent is my favorite season of the Liturgical Year.  There are lots of subconscious, emotive reasons.  I like the cooler weather.  I like it getting dark a little earlier.  I love the anticipation of light returning, and especially celebrating the coming of the True Light into the world.  I love the Advent Wreath.  I love preparing our home for Christmas.  I love trying to prepare my heart to welcome Him.  I love Advent.
Don’t miss out on this wonderful time of anticipation.  There will be plenty of time to celebrate Christmas.  Let this be a time of joyful anticipation.  Advent is like the anticipation you feel when a loved one is flying home.  You work to prepare their favorite meals, and you clean the house, especially the room they will stay in.  All of this preparation is joyful, but it is also touched with a tinge of sadness or longing because the person is not here yet.  This longing makes the moment of reunion all the more sweet.
I would like to offer a few suggestions to help you prepare during Advent:
1. Get an Advent Wreath.  You can do an internet search to discover the literally hundreds of ways to do that and also find the candles for it (three purple and one pink).  Each Sunday of Advent you light one more candle than last week.  On the third Sunday of Advent you light two purple candles and the pink.  This tradition has many options to enrich it for your family, but at minimal you have a candle or candles burning in a darkened room and your kids of all ages will love it.
2. Get an Advent Calendar.  They don’t fit perfectly, because they tend to start counting down toward Christmas on December 1 (so it can be reused every year).  They are a fun way to help you and your children be reminded daily that we are in a season of preparation.
3. Set up your manger set, but do not include the Holy Family.  Let them journey toward the manger a bit more each day or week.
I would love to hear from some of our families about some of your traditions during Advent that I can use next year during this season.
 — Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] 
For more information concerning the events of this office, visit us at mobilefaithformation.org