It's NOT Christmas... yet

Put down the Christmas tree! Advent comes first. 

Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday. I love gingerbread houses, ice skating, presents, penguins, snow, and the magical feeling that comes with this time of year. How can you not? I mean, it is the most wonderful time of the year! 

And although I have Christmas decorations up in my apartment (against my will), I am a firm believer in NOT celebrating Christmas until at least after Thanksgiving. I believe that each holiday deserves their own special celebration (except for maybe Sweetest Day--who invented that?). However, Christmas is even more important. Why, you ask? Because Christmas has a four-week holiday preparation leading up to it. Go ahead, name another holiday that has that! Yeah, didn't think so. This four-week preparation is known as Advent, and has so much meaning behind it that is normally swept under the rug.

What's the deal with Advent? 

Growing up, I didn't really think Advent was of any importance. Yeah, yeah. So we light a couple candles and read a couple prayers. No big deal. Boy, was I wrong. But, like most things in life, I didn't realize it until now. Advent is so much more. 

If there's anything you know about Advent, it's probably that there's a wreath with candles. No judgement -- I learned the order of the candles like mid-post. As each Advent comes and goes in my life, I learn so much more about myself and my faith, not to mention our Lord. I did some research for this post and came across the meaning of each candle and why it's important to our faith journeys, and I just had to share it with all of you, because it is so unbelievably awesome (No worries; I'll keep it short). 

-First candle (purple). The candle of hope. This candle symbolizes that our hope comes from God. During this first week of Advent, focus on hope and how God instills it in your life. 

What it means. There's a reason this candle comes first. Hope is the most important. With hope at the beginning of our Advent journey, we are inspired the rest of the weeks. Hold onto hope. 

-Second candle (purple). The candle of preparation. Preparation means "to be ready." So although all of Advent is preparation for Jesus, this week is especially emphasizing preparing your lives for the coming of our Savior.
What it means. "Let every heart prepare Him room." This is one of my favorite lines from one of, I think, the best Christmas carols. It has so much meaning. Are you preparing Him room? Are you ready for Him? Our Savior is coming; are you ready? 

-Third week (pink). The candle of joy. This candle reminds us of the joy that Jesus brings into our lives. The angels sang a message of joy when Jesus was born; and Jesus continues to bring joy into our lives, daily.
What it means. We are reminded of this joy every time we go to Mass. "Glory to God in the highest; and on Earth, peace to people of good will." The angels were filled with such joy on that day, and we should be overjoyed for the birth of Jesus, and every day after that.  

-Fourth week (purple). The candle of love. In case you forgot, God sent his only son to save us from our sins. This candle reminds us of this great sacrifice.
What it means. Christmas is Jesus's birth, obviously. This is a reminder that Jesus was born unto us because God sent him, His only son, to Earth to save us. How awesome is that? Can you imagine the love that God has for us? 

-Fifth candle (white). This last candle is the Christ candle. It's in the middle of the wreath and is lit on Christmas. This candle reminds us that Jesus, our Savior, is a spotless Lamb and washes away our sins. "His birth was for his death; his death was for our birth." 

I know that was kind of a lot of information, and if you want more, I got the info from this website. But just read through those on your own time. Each candle and each week has its own meaning to prepare us for our Lord. They are more than candles and a wreath, and I can go on forever about their meaning. But, next time you're at Mass and they are lighting the candle, think about what it means. It's so much more than wax and a flame. 

And if you want some more advice on advent, check out lifeteen.com's blog about Advent.

Yes, Christmas is exciting and I love everything about it. But remember that Advent comes first. We have to be ready for Jesus. Slow down; embrace Advent. Take each week as it comes and remember what it represents.

It's not Christmas yet, bloggers. It's still Advent. 

All my love,

Melanie