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A Family Guide to Advent What is Advent? Advent simply put is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ into the world, which we celebrate on Christmas Day. It is a time of waiting marked by the four Sundays before Christmas. What is the Purpose of Advent? The time leading up to Christmas is often a blur of shopping, making travel plans, etc. Advent is a time to prepare to receive Christ on Christmas Day. It is a time of four weeks where the Liturgical year allows us to quiet our hearts. This year especially has been challenging in so many ways. It is a time to pause, reflect, and wait for the Light of the world to enter into the world. How to Use this Guide: This guide is NOT a checklist, nor should it be treated as such. It is a myriad of suggestions of ways in which you can incorporate the Liturgical Season into your family’s lives. Look over the calendar to see if anything stands out to you. You can find further explanations or suggestions in the pages that follow. I simply encourage you to flip through this guide to see if there are maybe one or two ways you can incorporate the season of Advent into your homes this year. Below you will find merely suggestions for how to celebrate this time together. You can adapt any of the following ideas to meet your family’s needs. Advent Family Activities: Create an Advent WreathWhat is it:The Advent Wreath is made up of a circle of Evergreen and four candles. The candles each represent a different week of Advent. The purple candles symbolize prayer and penance. The pink candle represents joy as we approach the birth of Christ. As we approach Christmas, we light more candles symbolizing an increase of light as we move closer to the coming of Christ who is our light. A simple way to incorporate this tradition into your homes this year is to use the coloring sheet provided. Print off copies to have each child color the wreath in according to the color key. How to Build a Traditional Wreath Obtain four candles Many kits can be found online simply google advent candles. They are on Amazon and small businesses alike. There are even homemade beeswax candles you can roll yourself for a family fun activity)Four white candles with purple and pink ribbon tied around the candle holder would do! Get Creative! Find or build a base for the candles and greens. Many candle kits come with them already! If using other candles, put them on candle holders.Again, get creative with what the base for your wreath could be! Find Greens for your wreath. Take a family trip around the backyard in search of greenery for your wreath. Pick up some real or fake greenery at the store to complete your wreath with.How to Use it: Say a prayer of blessing each time before lighting the candle (see below for a suggested prayer). Light the candles one by one each week as we move closer towards Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. You can light the candles each night before dinner as a special reminder of the Liturgical Season every day. You can end with a song if you would like one suggestion is below.Color Key1 = Purple2 = Pink = Yellow3 = Red4 = Green55511244444444433331? 2007 - 2020 Find worksheets, games, lessons & more at resourcesColor Key1 = Purple2 = Pink = Yellow3 = Red4 = Green55511244444444433331? 2007 - 2020 Find worksheets, games, lessons & more at resourcesCreate a Jesse Tree The tradition of creating a Jesse tree originates from Isaiah 11:1. This Bible Verse reads, “A shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The tradition serves as a tangible reminder of the preparation throughout the ages for the coming of Christ. As a family place a new Ornament on the tree each day from December 1st until December 25th. Each ornament represents a different person or event from the Old Testament that leads to the coming of Christ.What you will need: A BibleA Tree (Could be real, synthetic, or made up of paper, felt etc.) Jesse Tree Ornaments Follow this link for a printable set: You can craft your ownPurchase a set onlineEach day is outlined on the schedule provided. You can read the Bible passage for each day and put an ornament with the symbol for the day on your family tree. Further Suggestions for Preparation: Serve Others: Serve others even if its within your own home. Help cook one night, do a chore that isn’t normally yours. Write a note of affirmation to someone. Find little ways to radiate the light of Christ to others. Read Advent Books:For Children: 24 Christmas Stories for Little Ones by Ophie de Mullenheim For Adults: Joy to the World: How Christ's Coming Changed Everything (and Still Does) by Scott HahnThe Blessing of Christmas by Joseph Ratzinger Advent Prayers: Advent Wreath BlessingPray this Prayer to bless your family’s Advent wreath. Leader: Let us pray. O God, pour forth your blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we may use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and receive from you many blessings. (Sprinkle the wreath with holy water in the form of the cross or simply make the Sign of the Cross over the wreath.) Through Christ our Lord. All: Amen. Saint Andrew Christmas Novena This prayer is repeated fifteen times a day from the Feast of Saint Andrew on November 30th until Christmas Eve in petition for a certain prayer request. Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother.AmenChristmas Novena The Christmas Novena begins on December 16th. You can pray the prayers each day leading up to Christmas for a particular intention. Find the daily prayers here: O Come O Come Emmanuel VENI EMMANUEL, 15th century John Mason Neale (1818-1866) Arrangement ? Version 1.0 November 2016 You may copy and adapt this document for non-commercial use provided this notice is not removed. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, US ................
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