Each family has their own traditions for the holidays. Think back a few weeks ago to the Thanksgiving holiday. You probably ate the same food and did the same things you do every year. Maybe after dinner you played games together, shared family stories or just stood around in the kitchen visiting with each other as everyone helped to clean the dishes. There is nothing wrong with tradition especially if it brings us together in love and comfort. Our hectic lives could be causing us to slowly lose some of our traditions, especially during the Advent season. Our schedules have become so busy and diverse it is hard to find the time for family traditions. Traditions can build up the family through love and sharing so they are worth keeping despite the effort they require.
My wife and I both had the same tradition when growing up. Each of our families would gather around the television to watch some of the Christmas shows such as The Charlie Brown Christmas Special, Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was a time before DVDs, video recorders and multiple playing of the same show. If you did not plan to watch a Christmas show, you could miss it and would have to wait another year for the chance to see it again. There was comfort in the knowledge that you, your mom, dad, brothers and sisters took the time to come together to enjoy the same show and share laughter, comments and jokes. Though it was not spoken at the time there was a love felt by all by just being together.
Today we should be lighting the second candle of our Advent wreath. I know that not everyone has or uses a wreath during the Advent season but it is a tradition my wife and I have always liked. When our children were young, it was very easy to bring them together for the lighting of the advent wreath. There is something about the lighting of the candles, praying together and anticipating the birth of Christ that they all seemed to enjoy. The Advent wreath was also a countdown clock to Christmas for our children so I will admit that the anticipation of a visit by St. Nick probably played a role in my children’s enjoyment of this daily advent tradition.
One thing my wife and I would do each night when we gathered to light the Advent wreath was to make sure not as many lights were on around the kitchen table. Our children would notice this darkness around the kitchen table. It was their visual reminder of not just how close Christmas was but also of the darkness the world was in before the birth of Christ. The lighting of an additional candle each week would make the room brighter. Each week we knew it was a little closer to the light of Christ coming into our earthly world.
There are many other Advent traditions that can be done; the blessing of your Christmas tree and nativity scene, Advent countdown calendars, the Jesse tree, fasting, attending daily Masses and meditating on the great "O Antiphons" of Advent are just a few. Advent offers us many traditions for preparing for the birth of Christ. Find that special Advent tradition for your family or for yourself and start it today.
