5 Things To Do This Advent Season

Advent is just around the corner! Kick off the season on December 1st by doing one or more of these five things  with your family or friends to prepare the way of the Lord!

1. Set up a Nativity Scene - Growing up, my family always had two nativity scenes; the fancy one and the one my siblings and I were allowed to play with. One of our traditions was to wait to put baby Jesus out until  Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

2. Making and sharing treats - Baking and making food brings people together and allows moments of conversation and growth. I recently started baking pastries and desserts with my god daughter. I love how this activity gives us an opportunity to spend quality time together and I love being able to send whatever we make home with my sister to share with the rest of her family.

3. Advent Wreaths: The tradition of the Advent Wreath is one of my favorites. Each Sunday, my family and I light one of the four candles leading up to Christmas Day and we take time to reflect on our relationship with Christ and preparing our hearts to receive Him on Christmas Day.

4. Celebrating Feast Days - There are so many feast days in the Church during the Advent season, including  St. Nicholas.  One of the traditions centered around St. Nicholas involves leaving the children’s shoes out on the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day, and the next morning, the shoes would be filled with small gifts and candy from St Nicholas.

5. Attending Daily Mass or Adoration - This is always a good habit to participate in, however the Church invites us to especially draw closer to Christ during this season of Advent. God’s desire to draw near to us is so strong that he allowed Himself to become a vulnerable and defenseless baby. For our sake, He came to this world to light our darkness and save us from the Evil One. As Christ draws near to us, let us draw closer to Him by going to daily mass or adoring Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

I hope these 5 traditional ideas help you come up with your own ways of celebrating Advent or help bring about new ones in your family.