Psst… Advent is Coming Soon 🕯️
(apologies for the jump scare here)
Advent always sneaks up on us, doesn’t it? …It does for me, anyway, and I wrote a whole dang book on it.
Consider this your friendly neighborhood reminder that a new round of our liturgical calendar, always beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, starts this year on Sunday, November 30—that’s not this upcoming Sunday, but the one after (the Sunday right after American Thanksgiving). If you’re like me, these days you’re mostly thinking about what you’re bringing to your aunt’s house for Thanksgiving, not whether you’ve got all you need to begin Advent in your home.
Last year I wrote a short refresher on the 101s of Advent, and there’s no need to rehash those details again, so here it is, if you need that pep talk -slash- reminder that you don’t need to feel stressed about “doing” Advent right:
Shadow & Light 📖
Several years ago I wrote the Advent devotional I was looking for but couldn’t find: a family-friendly but not dumbed down, open-and-go (meaning, I was never “behind” if we missed a day), mercifully short daily reading. It includes Scripture reading, a few thoughts from me, a reflection question, a work of art, and a song each day. …Do what works for you from all that and leave the rest.
Playlist & Art 📻
The accompanying playlist and daily art is arguably the thing I hear most from long-time readers as their favorite part of Shadow & Light. I get it (and may or may not be already listening to the music; I’ll never tell).
Candles 🕯️
And finally, we like rolling our own beeswax candles1 around here, but there’s also these, these, and these. As for a “wreath,” we just take a log from our backyard and drill five one-inch holes for the candles, but there’s also this, this, and this.
In short: no need to complicate the matter.
It really is hard to believe it’s almost time for a new year, liturgically-speaking, yet here we are… If you’ve never recognized Advent in your personal or family devotions, perhaps give it a try this year, gently putting a toe in the water with just a few practices—say, music and candles, or reading a devotional and journaling your answers to reflection questions. The last thing you should be during this season is overwhelmed. Remember, Advent, like all the seasons of the liturgical calendar, is a gift, not a burden.
If you want that reminder throughout this season, I got you: it’s why I wrote my book in the first place.
Blessings,
Tsh