As a new Catholic revert, I am so excited to be celebrating Advent this year! I know it can feel overwhelming to dive into an ancient tradition that is brand new to you. Celebrating Advent as a new Catholic revert, I am keeping it simple yet still super exciting for my kids and I’d love to show you how!
First, there’s a few things you should know. Advent literally means “coming.” We are preparing for the coming of Jesus! The Advent season is meant to be a time of prayer, reflection, and penance. It is sometimes referred to as a mini Lent. Today’s society spends most of November and all of December celebrating Christmas and then they FULL STOP the day after Christmas! Crazy pants. Christmas STARTS on Christmas, and goes for around 12 days (depending on the liturgical year)!
So let’s pave the way together back to tradition, and really enjoy this Advent season in preparation for the birth of our Lord and Savior!
Celebrating the Advent wreath tradition
As a new Catholic revert, having an Advent wreath was my top priority.
I picked up this beautiful candle stand at Goodwill for just a couple dollars! (I see them there so often actually, definitely check your thrift stores!) Then I gathered some pine branches from our property and used them to make a wreath around the candle stand. I didn’t connect the branches or anything, just laid them in a circle! I have also seen people use pillar candles and just set them right on the table, no stand required. Pillar candles are great because they last a long time. This year we are using taper candles and I love how beautiful they look! I ordered my taper candles here, but you can usually find them sold at your local parish around the first week of advent, or at a perpetual adoration chapel if you have one of those!
You could also use a fake wreath and/or fake greens, I just love and prefer the beauty of the real thing. Each night our kids take turns lighting the candle(s) and I read a short Advent devotional. I found this one and we have really enjoyed it, and it’s free! We leave the candle burning throughout our meal and there may or may not be fighting about who gets to blow it out.
Advent calendar ideas for a new Catholic revert
There are so many different options for Advent calendars! As a new Catholic revert and not wanting to burn myself out on anything as we dove into the Advent tradition, I opted for a simple countdown chain style. I cut construction paper into strips, then looped them together and taped. Wa-lah. So easy! I also wrote the dates on each chain link but you don’t have to do that. Each night, the same kid that got to light the Advent wreath gets to tear off one chain link.
Other types of Advent calendars include a fun treat for each day, a craft to put together, a sticker to add to a themed poster, all of these are awesome! We will probably try those someday, but this year my kids are stoked just to rip a piece of paper at the end of every day. I’m good with that!
Slowly decorating throughout Advent for the Christmas season
In years past before I reverted to my Catholic faith, I would get all of my Christmas decorations out right after Thanksgiving (or even slightly before) and deck the halls. Not this year! I thought I would be sad about it as I planned how I wanted our Advent to look and feel, but I’m not, at all. In fact, it’s been wonderful. We are decorating slooooowwwwllyyy and I really love it. Right away we got our Advent wreath and nativity scenes set up, but everything else has been in waiting.
Each day I bring out one decoration for the kids and me to put up. One day it was garland on the mantle, another day it was the wreath for the front door, today it’s Christmas lights for the porch! The kids have enjoyed this so much. I love this approach and how it has forced me to slow down. It also leads me to be very intentional about what we put up. I’m not just checking a box this year for decorating, I’m savoring the season!
Celebrating Advent by fasting
Since Advent is meant to be a season of penance, my intent is to help my family and I prepare our hearts for fully enjoying the Christmas season when it comes! We have been fasting from listening to music while driving anywhere. For us, driving is usually the only time we do listen to music, so this is pretty easy to manage. (Remember, I’m trying to keep this super simple haha!) Also, our local christian radio station plays Christmas music 100% of the time (no commercials) which would be GREAT if it didn’t stop literally the day after Christmas! So, we avoid that station and instead listen to audiobooks or nothing at all. At home, I will sometimes put on a Advent playlist like this one that the kids can listen to while they craft or do whatever.
Celebrating St Nick’s Day during Advent as a new Catholic revert
Another way I am celebrating Advent as a new Catholic revert, is in celebrating the tradition of St Nick’s Day! I am really excited about this one! St Nick’s feast day is December 6th. Traditionally children put their shoes by the front door or on the fireplace hearth before bed on December 5th and await special treats from St Nick! Legend tells us that St Nick anonymously blessed a poor man with money to support his three daughters, and did so by tossing the coins in through the poor man’s window. Chocolate gold coins, Advent/Christmas movies, Christmas pajamas, Advent/Christmas books, Catholic games/toys are all great ideas for St Nick treats!
Advent family read alouds for new Catholic reverts
We are a homeschool family and enjoy doing read alouds all year, but you can do this too even just for the Advent season! We utilized the library to get our books this year. I recommend putting the books on hold the week before Thanksgiving to make sure you are able to get them in time! My plan is to keep track of our favorites and order them online after Christmas. You can find my full list and special details about our favorites in an upcoming post!
I hope the Advent season brings you so much joy and peace. There really is something so beautiful about the Catholic liturgical year! My prayer is that participating in these liturgical seasons only brings us all closer to the heart of Jesus.
God bless you!