Many people have decorated their homes for the Christmas season. Once the turkey leftovers are long gone, our family forms an assembly line from the 3rd floor attic, down two full flights of stairs. We haul out tote after tote of holiday bling… fire brigade style. We are pulling everything out, but we are really looking for the box that holds our Advent items.
Are you thinking, “Hey girl! Just label that box!”? I would say, “Oh smart friend, my family does not yet know that language known as “box label-ese”!
Sigh.
That is a Faith Friday for another day.
So, we pull out all the boxes. Inside are cherished ornaments for the tree, all the Christmas books and caroling music, holiday platters and mugs, hand-made elementary school crafts, cinnamon scented candles, framed cards, outdoor lights and more. But one box (well, it’s supposed to be one box) holds our Advent wreath, a miniature Christmas tree, and an Advent calendar that is truly special. It was gifted to us way back in 1995 by a sister-in-law who could not have anticipated the family tradition that would come from her kindness. It is called “The Story of Christmas”.
This calendar is actually a story book set made up of 24 little board books of various shapes and sizes. Each tiny book recounts part of the Christmas story, beginning with the Holy Land and prophecies, and of course culminating with the birth of Jesus. At dinner time, we take turns reading that day’s story before we pray. It only takes minutes, but we often end up discussing and pondering the events we read about. Where is Judea? Is that the same as Bethlehem? What is a prophecy? How long was the journey for Mary and Joseph? Why are there Romans around? Was King Herod afraid? Were the 3 Wise Men Jewish? As the story progresses, we get closer and closer to Christmas.
Our tradition also includes another step. Every little book is threaded with a gold cord, so we hang each one up on a small table-top Christmas tree. (Over the years, our non-readers had first dibs for that coveted job.) As the calendar empties, the tree fills up. Even visitors who have joined us for dinner have participated; we love having guest readers!
Advent preparation is frequently and easily lost to Holiday busy-ness. We lose ourselves too, in numerous social gatherings or late night shopping, baking marathons or endless To Do lists. But at the kids’ insistence, when we pause to think about what we are preparing for, read a part of the story and then hang the reminder on a small tree, we are just a little less lost, even if we miss a day and have to catch up. It amazes me that we still have the whole calendar intact after all these years. Maybe, it’s traditions like this that help keep US intact.
Happy Advent!
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