Prepare for Christmas 2010!
A friend I know from church, Christine Hansen, gave a lesson in Relief Society one Sunday at the beginning of December, and she mentioned how Christmas was celebrated when she served an LDS mission in Germany. One tradition she loved, and has celebrated with her family since her mission, is the Advent.
I wanted to know more, and searched and found this:
From the web site- http://www.german-way.com/christmasAdv.html
The Advent tradition is a religious celebration in preparation for the arrival (or “advent”) of the Christ Child (das Christkind) on his “official” birthday, the 25th day of December. The Advent season and its celebration have changed over the years from a more serious, somber character (including giving up things, as for Lent) to one of a more joyous nature — including such treats as chocolate-filled Advent calendars. The four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve are a happy time—at least for those not too caught up in the increasingly hectic and commercial aspects of this time of the year.
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A typical German Adventkranz, or Advent wreath. |
Today in German-speaking Europe many families set up an Advent wreath, or Adventskranz on the first Advent Sunday (the fourth before Christmas) to start off the Advent season. The picture on the left shows a typical evergreen Advent wreath with its four candles, one for each week of Advent. Traditional families gather around the wreath on each Advent Sunday to light the next candle and sing Christmas carols. This was even more important in the past, when the Christmas tree was usually reserved for a special unveiling only on Christmas Eve. Until then, the Advent wreath provided the evergreen look and aroma in the house.
Der Adventskranz, the Advent wreath, is one of the most widespread Christmas customs in German-speaking Europe. Advent is the four-week period leading up to Christmas. For Catholics and Protestants the Advent season begins on the first Sunday after November 26. On each of the four Advent Sundays leading up to Christmas, a new candle (die Kerze) is added to the Advent wreath. Advent wreaths come in many versions (pine, wood, plastic, metal, etc.), but they are always round and feature four (sometimes five) Advent candles. In some families each Advent Sunday is devoted to lighting a new candle, singing some carols, and reading verses from the Bible. Although the Advent wreath is a very Christian tradition, its origins go back to pagan, pre-Christian times.
Here is the little poem:
Advent, advent ein Lichtlein brennt,
erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier.
Dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür.
Advent, advent a light shines bright,
first one, then two, the three, then four.
Then stands the Christchild in front of the door.
Fröhliche Weihnachten!
The Hansen's invited us and several others over to their house on the 2nd Sunday in December to celebrate the Advent with them. We had a lot of fun singing carols, and afterward eating yummy treats. Christine's home was so beautifully and warmly decorated-it was so cozy and felt so inviting on a snowy, cold December evening! Here are pictures of her home:
The Hansen's inviting front door....
Ken Hansen explaining the advent before lighting the candle for that week(as each week passes, you light a candle for the current week, and relight the candles for the previous week/s). Each week adds more light-symbolic of the time nearing the Savior's birth-which brought all light, truth and knowledge to the earth.
A thought of one Christian from another church, about taking time for the Advent in preparation for Christmas from http://www.appleseeds.org/Christmas-quotes.htm
Old-fashioned, Spiritual Christmas?. . . . . . . . . . John R. Brokhoff, Preaching the Parables—Cycle C. p. 28.
"What has happened to the old-fashioned, spiritual Christmas? The cause is our disregard of Advent. The church set aside this four-week pre-Christmas season as a time of spiritual preparation for Christ’s coming. It is a time of quiet anticipation. If Christ is going to come again into our hearts, there must be repentance. Without repentance, our hearts will be so full of worldly things that there will be ‘no room in the inn’ for Christ to be born again.…We have the joy not of celebration, which is the joy of Christmas, but the joy of anticipation."
Picture of Christmas past...Christine serving up yummy treats for all!
Made by Christine-so cute!!!
I love these little carolers-
Lots of great Christmas books...
I love all the small details!
This is the Advent candle holder I have-
it doesn't show the wreath I had around
the bottom of it.
I have 3 larger Christmas trees-these two-my Canadian tree(top) and my Texas tree(bottom)
I leave up year round.
Basement-Canadian themed...
Our living room...
The main tree...
Melissa, Amy and Hillary on Christmas Eve-2009I love the Christmas season, and I want to prepare early this year
to celebrate the light our Savior, Jesus Christ, brought and brings to the earth.
Prepare early, so you can relax, and don't forget to celebrate the
Advent this year-starting on November 27th-4 Sundays before Christmas Eve!
