There are many ways to celebrate Advent! Here are some of the traditions that my family has either done in the past or is currently doing.

• Advent Wreath—this is probably one of the most common and easiest of Advent traditions. Most of you already have an Advent wreath in your home, but if you don’t, we have some here that you are welcome to have. Candles can be found at craft stores and Hallmark. Or you can buy single tapers at any number of stores. 3 purple and one rose (pink) candle represent the 4 weeks of Advent. For more information about the wreath and blessings and prayers to compliment it can be found on our website here.
• Jesse Tree—this is more involved. Ornaments are either made or printed for each day of Advent that symbolize some story in our Salvation History beginning with Creation, Adam and Eve, and following through to the Birth of Christ. Scripture readings accompany each ornament that is read each day/night of Advent. By Christmas you have covered the entire lineage of Christ and Salvation History. There are versions for families with young children. One is here: Loyola Press Jesse Tree for Families. There’s also even a DVD available with each story acted out by children, which can be found here: Holy Heroes Advent Adventure Jesse Tree DVD.
• Advent Calendar—the ones I grew up with were flat paper ones with the doors that open with a Scripture verse inside. Some of the ones now are much more elaborate and have absolutely nothing to do with Advent (LEGO, Fisher-Price, etc.), so if you choose to do one of these or are gifted with one, then you can add Scripture verses to each day yourself. Caroling—going to sing carols around the neighborhood or at a nursing home or just in your own home is a great way to share the love of Christ this season. Christmas hymns and carols are teaching tools, too. Make sure that you have more than Frosty and Rudolph on your Christmas playlist!
• Nativity Scene—place a stable or shed structure on a table and populate it with figures of the Holy Family, shepherds, animals, 3 wise men, and angels. Read the story of the First Christmas from Matthew or Luke and talk about it as you set it up.
• Advent Penance Services—around the Deanery we have several opportunities to take our families to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. See the website and bulletin for the dates, places and times. And if you can’t make any of them, then the regular Confession times at each of the churches are still in place. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and souls for the coming of Christ, what better way to do this than through the Sacrament of Confession?
• O Antiphons—these are beautiful names for Christ that are meditated upon leading up to Christmas Dec. 17-23. The banners hanging on the walls upstairs illustrate them. More information is available on the website here.
• Posadas—now my family has never done this, but I’ve learned more about it over the years. St. Mary’s in Caldwell has a tradition of the Posadas each year. This is when a group of people go to several houses begging for entry (as Mary and Joseph did), and finally at the predetermined final home, they are let in for food and celebration.
• Give—some of your time, talent or treasure to those less fortunate. You can help by purchasing and wrapping gifts for the Angel tree, giving a little more to the Charity collection at Mass, helping a neighbor put up their Christmas lights or decorations, buying a few more cans/boxes of food when you shop and donate it to the Brazos Food Bank (they get a little depleted during this time of year), or any number of other ways. Beware of giving to organizations that do not hold the same values as we do, though, so before dropping that change in a red bucket or writing that end-of-year contribution check, please make sure your money is going where you think it is.