Religion

By Danielle Bartholet ('23)

During the Christmas season, amidst all the other fun things that this time of year brings, it can be hard to keep our focus on the true meaning of the season. If you’re looking for a way to keep yourself and your family more centered around God, here are five Advent traditions to try this December:

1. Nativity Story Tree

To keep you focused on the story of Jesus’ birth throughout Advent, take a small Christmas tree and create four ornaments for it one for each week of Advent. Each should have a drawing or picture of a different event in the Nativity story, ending with Jesus’ birth. Then, every Sunday, add a new ornament to the tree, showing the progression of the story as Advent goes on. This is a great way to keep the true meaning of the season fresh in your mind as you start your week. 

2. Assigning Advent Angels

To encourage random acts of kindness this Christmas, put all the names of your family in a bowl and have each person pick one out randomly. You will be that person’s ‘Advent Angel’ until December 25. This involves doing acts of kindness for them, leaving them encouraging notes throughout the month, and just being there for them without telling them you’re their Advent Angel. This is a great way to keep an attitude of giving through the Advent season in your family, and keep unity and generosity this Christmas season. 

3. Observing the Feastday of St. Lucy

The feast of St. Lucy on December 13 celebrates Lucy of Syracuse, who was martyred for her faith. It is a traditional Swedish celebration, but there are many fun practices to do nonetheless. Since her name is derived from the Latin word for light, girls wear wreaths with candles as crowns on their head. The eldest daughter usually dresses up as the saint herself, in a white dress with a red sash and the wreath. Saffron buns are a very popular food to make on this feast day, and are carried on a tray by the girl dressed at St. Lucy. This is a super fun and interesting holiday tradition to start during Advent to engage your family with new ways that people across the world use to celebrate this liturgical season. 

4. Baby Jesus Hunt

This tradition occurs on Christmas Day rather than during Advent, but I think it’s still a fun tradition to do. To do this, one of the adults will take the baby Jesus figure from the Nativity scene and hide it somewhere in the house. Then, they will make clues that lead to the baby Jesus, usually riddles, that the kids will follow around the house as they solve each clue. The person who figures out the last clue and gets baby Jesus first will then be the one to place him in the manger in the nativity set. This is a really cute activity to do on Christmas day, that can take the focus off of the presents and back onto the Nativity story and baby Jesus’ birth. 

5. Praying a Christmas Novena 

This a very widespread tradition throughout the world that people do to give special focus to Advent and its meaning. There are many to choose from, but one of the most popular is the Novena of St. Andrew. This novena begins on November 30, St. Andrew’s feast day, and ends on December 24. Though this is a bit longer than traditional nine day novenas, it spans all of Advent, so this prayer can be prayed every day of this season. The prayer is: 

St. Andrew Christmas Prayer

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. Amen.

It is said if this is prayed 15 times throughout the day each day, it will do what we ask within the prayer. Since it can be prayed that many times, it can become a part of morning, night, and meal time prayer within your family. It can become a way for your family to come together each day and spend time praying this Christmas novena to focus on the Lord and anticipate his birth.