Christmas can be an especially busy time of the year. Between presents, decorating, and parties, our time is spread thin. Balancing your life, while keeping Jesus at the center, is not always easy. Many Christian churches celebrate a season of Advent. For Catholics, it’s the four weeks before Christmas and when observed, it keeps the focus on Christ.
Advent is a time to prepare and wait for Christ. It’s not just a time to schedule parties and make a Christmas shopping list. It’s a time to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ now, at Christmas, and always. Special Advent prayers, the lighting of the Advent wreath, giving to the poor, and reflecting on our lives, are all part of the preparation.
Growing up in Catholic schools we had a rich tradition of spiritual events, as well as those more on the festive side. The church looked and sounded a bit more somber. The flowers surrounding the altar where at a minimum, and it was a stark contrast to how elaborate it would be decorated during the Christmas season. On the altar, I could see the Advent wreath with the 4 candles surrounded by greenery. Each week a new candle was lit, signaling a step closer to Christmas.
At school, we were always busy practicing songs for the Advent Play or Christmas Concert. We started each day with a special Advent Prayer and religious classes emphasized the meaning of the season. Classrooms all had Advent wreaths and were decorated with manger scenes, Jesse trees, and colorful paper chains. At school, there was no doubt that we were all preparing for Christmas.
At the all-girl high school I attended, we had a “Secret Advent Angel”. Each person was given the name of a girl, her grade, and locker number. As “Angels”, we were charged with surprising our secret person during Advent with notes and small unique gifts taped to their locker. We did our best to surprise our person and at the same time discover the true identity of our “Angels”.
The small unique Christian gifts consisted of Holy cards, poems, prayer cards, or candy taped securely to our locker door. As the days went by our lockers were slowly decorated for Christmas. My Advent angel seemed to be a real angel because notes taped to my locker consisted of messages of praise when I did a good job or notes of encouragement when things didn’t go as well. It was like getting a note from my real Guardian angel.
It was exciting to see what small token was left by my angel. Walking the halls of the school and seeing the locker decorations clearly indicated that this was a special season. And, watching the decorations slowly take shape until the last day of school before the Christmas break was like watching an invisible artist at work. Some days it just seemed like a hodgepodge of colors until finally the art project was finished and the creative work sparkled in the halls.
On the last day of school all will be revealed and we would discover the identity of our Advent angel. There was already excitement in the air. Finals were over, the Advent plays and Christmas concerts were a success, and all 4 candles on the Advent wreath were burning brightly. There were just a few things to do before we stepped onto the bus that would take us home for the break.
It was always a surprise to discover our angel and receive our final Christmas gifts. I never did find out how my angles knew things about me to write the notes they left. It was a small school, only about 200 girls, but we couldn’t possibly know everyone.
During the rest of the year, I always felt that even though my high school angel was not watching over me, I knew my Guardian angel was guiding me. As we see in Matthew 18:10, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven”. God has given us a special angel to guide us throughout the year.
I still have the home-made scarf knitted by my freshman year angel. Each season when I bring it out of the cedar closet I’m reminded of my school days and how special Advent was back then. I think of the girl that gave me the scarf and the care she took to make the gift. The tradition of Advent angels reminds me to keep the season of Advent each year.
I feel so fortunate to have these little reminders that help us keep Christ in Christmas and Advent is rich with them. As an adult, I find ways to keep Christ in Christmas by finding wonderful Advent activities. I’ll do extra things for people without them knowing during Advent. I’ll give up going out for lunch so I can put the money in the Salvation Army kettle. I’ll make a list of things to do and write them on slips of paper. Each day I would pick tasks out of a jar and when the task is completed, I’ll put the slip of paper in a small stocking for Jesus by the fireplace. On Christmas day, all the papers in the stocking will be burned in the fireplace as a symbol of my gifts to Christ.
Doing “things” is great, but prayer is just as important. Next to my night stand, I have a book of Advent prayers that I say before my usual evening prayers. In the morning, I’ll try to say the prayer again and reflect on the Bible passage of the day. Plus, there are prayers when the Advent wreath is lit.
I may not have a secret person to care for during Advent as in my school days, but the possibilities are endless with ways to show Christ to others.
