Advent

Tomorrow is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, and this year for the first time I decided to do an Advent wreath with the kids. I had hoped to have this post published weeks ago, but with two December birthdays things have been a bit crazy.

At the end of November I started looking for a ready made wreath with candles to buy, but I couldn't find one I liked that much and they seemed over priced. So after emailing my dear friend Analisa (who is super creative) to find out what she was doing for her Advent wreath I decided to take her advice and make my own. The kids and I headed to Hobby Lobby (one of our favorite stores), and 20 minutes later we were headed home with Advent wreath materials for the bargain price of  $15. A little arranging at home, a place mat I already had, and voila! - a cute and functional homemade Advent wreath (not too bad for this craft and creativity challenged momma if I do say so myself):

After I had the wreath I set about looking for a devotional or list of Bible passages and found several online and as books. I settled on this one from Amazon because the price was right and, well, I love Amazon:) - We Light the Candles: Devotions Related to Family Use of the Advent Candle.

We have all really enjoyed lighting the candles, reading the devotions, celebrating and remembering the true reason for the season - Christ's birth, and of course the kids favorite part - blowing out the candles. This is definitely a tradition we will continue in years to come.

For those not familiar with the Advent wreath (like me) here is a quick overview:
The four violet candles represent hope, joy, love, and peace, and the large white candle is the Christ candle. The circle and greenery represent God's eternal love for us and the gift of eternal life through Jesus. The four small candles symbolize the passage of the four weeks leading up to Christmas (or the four Sundays before Christmas). Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading, prayer, and/or devotion. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until the last Sunday before Christmas when all four candles are lit. The white candle represents purity and is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day as a symbol of the birth of Jesus Christ, our sinless and pure Savior. HE is the greatest gift of all!