Advent Calendars

One of my most beloved childhood Christmas memories is of the Advent calendar my mother created out of burlap, felt, and leftover greeting cards. It hung on a door in the kitchen and each morning my sister and I would race to be the one to turn over the picture that would mark one day closer to Christmas, when the door to the stable at the top of the calendar would be opened to show the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Admittedly, as the mere listing of construction “ingredients” --- burlap, felt, and scavenged drawings --- the calendar sounds rather hokey, but it really was (and is) a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. As far as I know, my mother still hangs it in her kitchen every December.

The observation of Advent is, for me, the only way to combat the rampant commercialism that so many people complain has overtaken the Christmas holiday. For all the knick-knacks and signs that sport the quote “Jesus is the reason for the season,” it really is a pretty hollow sentiment unless I can make that change of focus personal. My solution is to run back to that holiday ritual my mother gave me so long ago: the Advent calendar.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Advent and the Advent calendar, may I offer this explanation from the website of The Lutheran Hour Ministries:

WHAT IS ADVENT?

The Church divides the year into different seasons that emphasize the life of Christ and the life of the Church. Beginning on Sunday, December 3rd, we will enter the season of the Church year called Advent. Advent is a four-week season of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas, on December 25th.

The focus of Advent is two-fold. On the one hand, we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world as both God and man so that our sins might be forgiven. On the other hand, we anticipate the day when Jesus will return to Earth and bring an end to this world. Those will be scary days, but we can look forward to the end of the world with hope because through faith in Jesus, the end of this world will mean the beginning of a new life with Christ for eternity.

Advent, then, is a time for us to repent and believe. Knowing that Jesus was born to forgive our sins, we repent (admit our failures to God) and believe that we are forgiven because of the death and resurrection of Jesus on our behalf. Also, knowing that Jesus is coming back, we repent and believe that when He returns, He will give us eternal life.

If you would like to utilize an Advent calendar to refocus your Christmas season on the Christ child and His saving work, The Lutheran Hour Ministries offers access to an online Advent calendar and associated daily devotionals. If you would prefer a different Advent calendar, try one of these:

Advent Calendar at TeachingMom.com
St. Margaret Mary Parish

Have a blessed Advent as you prepare for the birth of Christ --- the reason for the season.