Advent Calendars and Candles – traditions leading up to Christmas
Most families have their own customs, whether it be putting up a tree on a certain date, listening to traditional music, or getting involved in the general busyness of gathering gifts, food, family and friends in preparation for the big day.
Advent calendars
Traditionally, opening successive doors would tell the Christmas story through words, bible verses and/or pictures. Now, we’re bound only by our imagination. Big brands prepare bigger and fancier calendars year after year, but if you would like to join in on the advent calendar window opening fun, you don’t have to spend fortunes. You can even prepare advent calendar activities that you will enjoy doing with the family, and this can even help you teach your children how advent season is, preparing for the holidays and the Christmas winter fun. It can also work as a little Christmas bucket list for the family to tick off together, so we’ve listed a few options below for your inspiration:
- Build a small fire outdoors
- Make hot chocolate
- Make a fort
- Put a puzzle together
- Make a soup dinner
- Make kits for the homeless
- Shovel a neighbour’s driveway
- Write in your journal (or start a journal)
- Clean out your closet
- Bake a pie
- Cut out snowflakes
- Karaoke night
- Bake cookies
- Make a fort
- Go to a virtual concert – Youtube’s great to re-watch some good old ones
- Make a snow globe
- Christmas movie night
- Host a waffle party – decorate your own, of course!
- Draw a hot bath and light some candles, read a good book, sip on some wine 😉
- Card game night
- Go for a walk and observe everything around you
- Write a thank you card
- Set some new goals
- Write a letter to Santa
- Make a homemade ornament
Advent wreath
An advent wreath is something that’s been around for decades, a rather traditional thing to have in mostly Christian countries. It is another great tradition, however, so you should consider adding this to this year’s festive celebrations. You will love to light the Advent candles each Sunday, as you guessed it: all you need is 4 candles, some sort of a base, and you’ve got yourself an advent wreath. It’s so nice to see on a cold, gloomy Sunday afternoon, that more and more candles are lit on your wreath and Christmas Day is closer and closer. It’s also a great thing to do if you have to stay inside, watching the candle flickering away will ignite the Christmas spirit instantly.26
There are some really beautiful ones around, and for the traditional version, you’ll need a wreath base – can be styrofoam, peeled light willow, grapewine or rattan – some ribbons, baubles, anything you’d like to glue on, really, and your handy glue gun.
Our favourite one – for which you could use our Soup Mugs even, or and old, chipped bowl – is with long and lean candles, some pinecones and moss. Make sure you secure the candle to the bottom of the cup, cover the candles with the moss and pinecones and you’re done. Next year, all you have to do is refresh the candles and moss and you’ve got yourself a sustainable advent wreath. Non-traditional wreath, of course, but definitely one-of-a-kind.
Do you keep any advent traditions? Have you planned anything special for this upcoming festive season?