So how DO you "decorate for Advent?"

I mentioned in this post that we had decorated for Advent at the Circus, and since then, I've gotten a couple of questions as to what that looks like for us.  So, here it is - 

"The Circus at Advent"

A few years ago, Mike and I made the decision to try and change the way we "did" holidays.  We were both getting disillusioned with the way it seemed like we were sliding into secular traditions, and wanted to find a way to bring our Catholic faith into our own little family.  One of the first changes we made was to actually pause and celebrate Advent, and not skip straight to Christmas like we had been doing.    

This is actually kind of hard.  Christmas is everywhere, starting at Thanksgiving!  (this year, it seemed like it started with Halloween!).  Christmas music is playing.   Decorations are everywhere.  Santa is at the mall.   Taking the time to celebrate Advent and not Christmas is an intentional decision, and it takes a lot of commitment.

For us, it takes the shape of four major changes:

- School 

- Decorations 

- Music

- Actions/Tradions

Let's go through each one together, 'mkay?

School

The biggest change in our Advent routine really comes in the form of our schooling schedule.  I have grand plans of adding in Advent lesson plans, but it hasn't happened yet.   I just can't seem to get my hands on everything and get it set up in time.  Whoops.   However, we still change the way we "do" school.  Instead of doing a week's worth of lessons in one week's worth of time, I stretch one week of lessons over two weeks of time.   We take "off" 2 to 3 days a week, and leave them unstructured.  This gives me time to add in extra feast day celebrations, family time, and give the kids time to get their Christmas gifts ready for each other.  We school throughout the summer anyway (the kids do better with that consistency), so I have plenty of wiggle room with our schedule to stretch out the weeks like this (I do the same during Lent).   

Changing our school schedule has one major result:  we relax.   Things quiet down, because our stress level goes waaaayyyyy down.  Instead of trying to cram everything into one day (school, meal prep, cleaning/chores, family time, extracurriculars, etc), I have multiple days per week that I can use to either get caught up or ahead on some of those non-time sensitive duties.   The result is a calmer, quieter, more peaceful household.

Decorations

Our mantle:  you can kind of see our Advent "wreath", and some mini Christmas trees that come out this time of year.  Right now, they're bare and tied with purple ribbon for Advent, but they will get decorated with shiny Christmas goodness on Christmas Eve.  I like the simple look of winter berries, and try to use them everywhere.  The "wreath" is actually just a plate with four candle holders and more berries - the lower profile seems to make it less likely to get knocked over by little hands when we bring it down during meals.

Felt Advent wreath - I made this a few years ago to hang up for little ones.  It's just a simple piece of felt with leaves, a wreath base, berries, and candles with separate felt flames.  I put it all out and let the kids play with it whenever they want, building an Advent wreath over and over again.  I love to watch them carefully construct the wreath, and get so excited about "lighting" the right number of candles to match our family Advent wreath.

This is our Jesse Tree.  Last year, we just used a branch from outside, but we had a horrible time trying to get the dogs to stop 1) eating it and 2) knocking it over, so this year we went out and got a simple, thin, pre-lit Christmas tree.  We add an ornament every night (see picture below), and have it decorated with purple and pink bulb ornaments.  Just like with the mantle trees, I have bright, shiny Christmas ornaments that will replace the pink and purple ones on Christmas Eve.

I should have saved this one for last, because it's so picture heavy, but maybe it's more of an intermission?   Yeah, we'll call it intermission.

I love changing what our house LOOKS  like.  It seems to refresh all of us and really help us focus on what's happening in life at that moment.  Advent is no different.   Our decorations are more subtle than what we do for Christmas, but it adds a bit of visual focus to our daily lives.   It's a great prelude to Christmas decorations, too, which tend to be shiny and bright and elaborate.   

Personally, I love the way these few decorations point toward something special happening.  I think that the tiny bit of light and "specialness" that they add to our daily lives really help foster a sense of excitement and anticipation for what is to come, which is kind the role Advent plays in our lives.  We focus on being ready for the day of Christ's coming, while reflecting on the events that led up to His birth.  The sense of joyful anticipation is almost palpable.   For us, these few but special decorations help bring that sense of excitement from the Church sanctuary into our home.

Music

This is a new one for us this year.  I tried to avoid Christmas music in years past, but we struggled without having something to replace it with.   Things are going much better this year, after a friend shared this post at Carrots for Michaelmas with us.   I've downloaded the Advent at Ephesus album and switch back and forth between that and the Spotify playlist suggested.   I've noticed that this music has a similar result in our attitudes at home as the decorations:  we all feel this sense of peaceful anticipation.   We're waiting, and the music is the perfect "backdrop".  

Actions/Traditions

We *do* things differently at the Circus during Advent, too.  I didn't want to call this just "traditions" because it's more than that.  It's certain actions that we take in order to make Advent the season that it is here at the Circus.   

First and foremost, I do everything I can to have ALL of our Christmas and birthday (there are 3 of them between 12/13 and 1/4) shopping completed before Advent starts.  Some years are better than others, just depending on how the paychecks and free time fall that year, but I do my best to make it happen.   If I can have everything planned and purchased before Advent, that helps take away some of the stress that tends to invade December and distract me from focusing on what Christmas is really about:  the birth of Christ.   If I can't stop thinking about what to buy the rascals, it severely impacts my ability to make Advent a meaningful season for the Circus.  

Once Advent starts, we really have two main traditions:  the Jesse Tree and the wreath lighting.

Lighting the Advent wreath during dinner.   We do this every night, with Mike being the one to lead the prayer and lighting.  Some years we use Advent reflections, but others we just incorporate it into our dinner blessing/grace.  The kids love having a real, live flame in the center of the table, and they act accordingly.  It brings a sense of reverence into what is usually NOT a very peaceful time (toddler meltdowns, sudden onset food aversions, missed naps and sleepy kids, you know the drill!)

Reading our Jesse Tree reflection and Scripture passage.  Each ornament represents a certain event or period from the Bible.  The Jesse Tree is a way to reflect upon salvation history, from Creation until the birth of Christ.   We read a Scripture passage, and then a short (couple sentences, no more) reflection and prayer that corresponds to the Scripture.

.....and then we hang the ornament.  Each night, a different child gets a chance to hang the ornament.   It's an exciting moment when you realize that it's YOUR turn to hang the ornament, and you'd better listen well to know when it's time.  ;)

I had made our own Jesse Tree ornaments in years past, but with the dogs and their attraction to the branch (sigh), some of them didn't make it from last year.   Instead of making new ones this year (since the Circus has gone from slightly chaotic to absolutely crazy in the past 6 months, with two more kids joining our troupe), I gave in and ordered ones from this Etsy shop.    I'm very impressed with the quality and beauty of these ornaments, and plan on ordering these in future years as gifts.   I was also thoroughly impressed with the speed at which they got here - I had the ornaments in my hands within days of placing the order.   I highly recommend them!

***

So, that's what Advent looks like at our house.   We tend to get our Christmas tree up as close to Gaudete Sunday (the pink candle on your wreath) as possible, and just base that on Mike's schedule/availability.   Sometimes we decorate it then, sometimes we wait until just before Christmas - it really just depends on what Mike's schedule is like that year.   Until then, though, the house is all Advent, all the time.  ;)

Do you do anything differently for Advent in your house?  Share in the comments below!