Sunday, December 2, begins Advent, the weeks of preparation for Christmas celebrated by some Christian churches.  The focus of this season, beginning four Sundays before Christmas, is preparation and waiting for the great celebration of Christmas.

One lovely Advent tradition that still retains its religious character is the Advent wreath.  The wreath is made up of a circle of evergreen branches (symbolizing the never-ending nature of God’s love for humanity), accented by four candles, three violet and one rose.  (Some wreaths have a fifth candle — a white one — in the center.)  On each Sunday of Advent, one more candle is lit (often during the grace before the main meal), so that as Christmas draws nearer, the light grows stronger.  The candles may be lit at other times of the week as well, such as during family dinners.  The candles are lit in the following order:

• First Sunday (December 2) — one violet candle
• Second Sunday (December 9) — two violet candles
• Third Sunday (December 16) — two violet candles and the rose candle
• Fourth Sunday (December 23) — three violet candles and the rose candle
• Christmas Eve (December 24) — You may light all four candles plus the white candle if you have one.  Alternatively, you can replace the colored candles with white candles adorned with red ribbon.

You can purchase Advent wreaths in many religious bookstores and in some craft stores.  You can also make your own without too much difficulty.  You can lay evergreens in a circle on a table and use clear votive holders for the candles.  If you can’t find candles in the right colors, use white candles with ribbon bows in violet or rose.

In most places, the Advent calendar has lost its religious connections.  Most of the calendars I’ve seen go from December 1-25, regardless of the proper dates for Advent.  These calendars have little doors with the dates printed on them.  Each day, you open a door to find a reward.  Some calendars print Bible verses behind the doors, but it’s far more common to find a chocolate.  You can find the calendars in craft stores, department stores, grocery stores, etc.  If you look hard enough, you can probably find one in a gas station.

Both the calendar and the wreath should help us keep our focus on what we are preparing to celebrate.  Too often we do all our celebrating before Christmas instead of enjoying the season as long as possible.