I’m taking my family on a trip this year: not across the country or even across town, but through the season of Advent. Advent, a season focused on both the joyful anticipation of Jesus’ birth and on his return, begins 4 Sundays prior to Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve. Celebrating Advent with my parents and church family is a cherished childhood memory. Each Sunday, we lit the candles on our Advent wreath, read scripture, and sang favorite carols. It kept me focused on the real meaning of Christmas, an antidote to the toy commercials and sugar-charged lures of Xmas.

I’ve begun my own family’s journey with an excellent booklet entitled Family Nights for Advent and Christmas (Abbey Press, 1995). Authors Terry and Mimi Reilly wrote this 32-page guide as a way for families to anticipate the coming of Christmas in a meaningful way. Each Family Night plan includes opening prayer, activities, snack ideas, entertainment, questions for sharing, and closing prayer.

Last Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent, we prepared our hearts for waiting. Advent means “coming” or “arrival” and is a season of waiting, reminding us to slow down and wait for the Messiah, to pause in our daily activities and look for Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who will return.

On Sunday we gathered around our kitchen table and assembled our Advent wreath. Our circular wreath reminds us that God is eternal. Three purple candles, symbolizing royalty, remind us that Jesus is our King. A single pink candle symbolizes the joy with which we celebrate Jesus’ birth and anticipate his return. We will light the white center candle on Christmas Eve when we remember that Jesus is the Light of the World.

One of the “sharing time” questions asked when each family member felt especially joyful during the past week. My 5-year-old answered that he felt joyful “right now, with my family”.

December is a busy month with much to do to get ready for Christmas. How lovely it was to pause around our table, in the glow of one purple candle, talking about the true meaning of Christmas. Our journey is not to the tree, ringed with brightly wrapped gifts, but to the manger, which holds the greatest gift of all.