It seems strange to write about Advent in January, but since
those four weeks flew by before I could set my fingers to the keys, I’ll take
the opportunity now.
This year, I wanted to live the tradition of Advent with intention. I love
tradition – the way it nurtures family identity and fosters mindfulness. Traditional ritual is very different from repetition. We do many repetitive things in this fast-paced
world, but without the purposefulness of tradition. Days and weeks pass us by
without the yield of rich memories that traditions afford. Admittedly, I didn’t
have the kind of Advent I was hoping for (evidence: I’m writing this post now,
which means I didn’t make time during Advent to ponder the season or put my
thoughts into words), but I still think I made a step in the right direction,
for myself and for my little family.
I decided this year to mark each Sunday of
Advent with a special activity in preparation for Christmas. The first Sunday,
we put out the Advent wreath and nativity scene. So many times, my wreath and
nativity have not come out until mid-December, so this was a big deal for me! Brendan
also decorated the outside of the house with lights, mini Christmas trees, and
a wreath. After dark, we went for a drive around Aylmer to see other houses lit
up. Liam was impressed, and said, “Oh, yights!” about a thousand times. This
thrilled us to bits!
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| Liam likes to line things up. Shortly after I put out the nativity, I found all the animals in a queue... |
The second week, we decorated our tree. On Saturday the 8th, Brendan and I packed up the boys and went to Canadian Tire to pick up all the tree accessories we didn’t yet have (this being our very first family Christmas tree): stand, tree skirt, lights, tinsel, star, and some generic ornaments to use as fillers between the treasured decorations we had both accumulated over the years (and which our mothers thoughtfully packed up for us when we started our own home). We found the perfect tree from a seller stationed just across the street from Canadian Tire, and proudly brought our purchases home. That evening, in the company of Jess, Joel and Anna, we had our first tree decorating party. The tree turned out beautifully. On many subsequent evenings, Brendan would dim the lights in the living room and put on a pot of tea, and we would sit and enjoy the tree together. Admiring the tree was a favourite Christmas pastime for both of us growing up, so it was nice to share this tradition in our joint home. My parents and brothers had other plans on that Saturday, so they came out the next day. It was fun to be able to share our Christmas house with my family for the first time.
The third week of Advent, we celebrated our mini-Christmas
with the Baker’s and Gernon’s. This is a tradition that began last year, and I
hope will continue as long as our families live close to one another (which,
ideally, would be forever – but these things are hard to predict!). We enjoyed
a delicious meal, took our family Christmas photos, and exchanged gifts. The
eve of Gaudete Sunday seemed a fitting time for this celebration with close
friends, and I’m hopeful that the third weekend of Advent will always be
reserved for this purpose. After leaving the Baker’s we stopped by the
VanDusen’s Christmas tree decorating party (another longstanding tradition),
where my family also was. We stayed too late, but it was worth it!
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| Photo taken by Jenna |
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| Our seven kiddies. I wonder how many more will be added to this group?! |
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| A glimpse of the Baker's beautiful Christmasy home |
December 19th my dad’s office had a bring-your-kids-to-work
morning, followed by a Christmas potluck lunch and visit from Santa. Since Mike
and Dan are a little too old for that sort of thing and Dad thought Pat could
use some company, he invited Anna and Liam along. So Tapa Tim (as Liam calls
him) had an office-turned-playroom for the morning, and was very proud to show
off his grandkids to admiring colleagues. I dropped Liam off in the morning,
did a bit of shopping, and then came back in time for Santa’s visit. My mom had
wrapped some gifts for Santa to give to Pat, Liam and Anna, and I was hoping to
get a cute picture of Liam on Santa’s knee, receiving his present.
Unfortunately, as soon as Santa entered the room, Liam started his siren wail
and bolted. Poor little guy was terrified! Anna kept it together a little
better, but was still traumatized by her first experience on Santa’s knee.
Hopefully we’ll have a better photo op next year!
On the fourth Sunday of Advent, my mom and sisters and I
went out for lunch and did some shopping together. This is another tradition we
like to keep around Christmas time. We don’t often have girl time all together,
so it’s nice to be able to count on this special date. That same day, we invited
my family for a spontaneous evening of finger food and drinks. Brendan wanted
to be able to share in the Christmas hosting, so he took this opportunity. I
tell him this often, but it bears repeating: I am blessed by my husband’s gift
for hospitality. He likes bringing people together, he’s eager to share his
home, and he loves a good time – all qualities that make for a great host, and
lots of good times!
These activities made our first Advent in our new home a
memorable one. Next year, I hope to incorporate more spiritual practices into
our observance of Advent. As our children grow, I want to instill in them an
understanding of the profound meaning of this season of waiting. I want them to
know who we are waiting for, and teach them to wait with anticipation. I want
to be able to do that myself. To wait for the coming of Jesus with anticipation
takes mindfulness. In order to feel anticipation, there must be time that’s not
filled up with rushing around buying things or baking things or lighting things
up. Time spent in quiet reflection, preparing a place for the awaited guest. I
didn’t do very well at that part of Advent this year. I wasn’t in a frenzy, but
I wasn’t very purposeful either. My lack of spiritual mindfulness was
definitely influenced by having pneumonia for the first two weeks of December, which
was a real drag. Liam, James, and I watched a lot of Bob the Builder during
that period. But blaming my lack of a prayer life on pneumonia isn’t really
addressing the root of the issue. I know I need to get back to the discipline
of prayer. I kept expecting that some beautiful powerful moment of
transcendence would just hit me and I would feel as though I were truly delving
into the profound meaning of Advent. But I should have known better. Sometimes
these moments strike us out of the blue, but more often, they are the fruit of
devotion. When day in and day out, I would turn my thoughts to God in
contemplation, he would often reward me with profound insight. I know I can’t pray
for several hours a day, as I once did, but it is still possible to dedicate some time to prayer (that amounts to
more than a few scattered minutes here and there). I’m not going to wait until
next Advent to set aside this time for God. I want to do it now.
Another thing I’d like to do next year is give more. I want
my kids to grow up with an attitude of generosity that is not limited to
Christmas, but Christmas is a good place to start. I’ve come across a few ideas
of how to incorporate some sort of tangible giving into our Christmas
traditions, and I hope to follow through next year.
That was a bit of a ramble, and it’s getting late, so I’ll
have to save the recounting of our Christmas for another post.
P.S. Some shots of the Schnicks at 3 months:
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