The Advent calendar – Countdown to Christmas. Maybelle Crabtree here. I’ve done an enormous amount of research on Advent and Christmas over the years. I’ve always been a curious person; wanting to know the “why” and ‘how” of things. My parents often called me a precocious child with my endless questions about things. I believe I was just inquisitive. I still am. And I read whenever I get a chance. In fact, when the kids participated in their various activities during childhood, I sat and read.
While the other mothers chit chatted among themselves, I entered a different world full of wonderment and excitement. As you can guess, I was not a very popular person. And once, someone actually complained to the coach and he reprimanded me for not being part of the team! How rude! But one thing I always did during my reading “me time”; I watch my kids in whatever they were doing and cheered them on.
Germany Began the Traditions
But I digress again. This is not about me but about Advent and a little about Christmas. As I stated earlier, I have a vast amount of information about this Holy Day season. For instance, the Holy Day season as we know it today actually began in Germany about 200 years ago. It was a time family and friends to gather and share food and fellowship and acknowledge and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and was the second most sacred day after Easter.
And the Germans made this day especially important to children. Which makes sense since we are celebrating the birth of a child, the Holy Child. Everything about it – the music, decorations, homemade treats and evergreen trees – were centered on children. After all, have you ever not seen a child’s face light up with just the mention of Christmas?
I have to admit, now that my kids are grown and out of the house, Christmas does have a different feel to it. Oh, but the memories I have of those days play in my mind every year. Tom and I kept the season as simple as possible. No photos with Santa. No special clothing or matching pajamas. And especially no Elf on the Shelf. Who thought that one up anyway? We tried to keep the chaos to a minimum and emphasized the true meaning of the season. And that all begins with Advent.
Advent is Preparation
Advent: the period of spiritual preparation for the coming of Christmas. The word originates in Latin as “adventus” and calls for us Christians to reflect not only on Jesus’ birth but also His Second Coming.
Originally, Advent was meant to be a time when Christians reflected on the meaning of Christmas and when new believers prepared themselves for baptism. It was four weeks set aside to contemplate what the coming of Jesus meant not only to the world but to every individual’s soul. As such, it was a time for personal retrospection and growth. Today, most families use the symbols of Advent to bring the spiritual meaning of Christmas alive in a way that teaches minds, touches hearts, and reflects the original purpose of the tradition.
The Advent Calendar in the Crabtree Home
In the Crabtree household, the events of Advent started the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day. That’s the day we would drive the kids to the nearby dollar store and each child picked out their very own Advent calendar. Those double-layered paperboards decorated with different themes were a fun, and let’s face it cheap, way for them to count the days until Christmas arrived. Matthew always picked out a superhero calendar while Laurel went for anything with pink on it and Holly tended to choose animals, most of the time puppies.
Tom stuck the calendars on the kitchen wall at each child’s eye level when we arrived home with them. Every morning they would run downstairs and open the appropriate numbered square to see the drawing of a piece of candy, toy, or Christmas decoration hidden behind the little door. Over breakfast, each chimed in why their prize was the best of the day. Those days were filed with excitement and fun and involved the whole family.
As the kids grew up, we continued the tradition but the quality of the calendar was better and we merged the three kids’ calendars into one for the whole family. And the theme was attuned more towards the Nativity. And each one of us took turns opening the squares and explaining how and why the “surprise” related to the birth of Jesus. It was a tradition that lasted into their college years and beyond until…Tom died.
New Traditions…
That first Christmas after he died, there was no calendar, no candles, no decorations, and even no tree. The four of us gathered together but not to celebrate the Light of the world but to mourn and grieve the light of our family. However, the next year I called a family meeting. We were going to celebrate Christmas even if it meant faking it. We agreed to new traditions and duties. Matthew took charge of putting up the tree and decorating it. Laurel and Holly helped me with the rest of the decorations. We bought an inflatable outdoor angel for the front yard and baked cookies for Santa; setting them out with egg nog by the chimney. Each stocking had a designated stuffer. We even wore matching pajamas and watched the classic Christmas TV shows – Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, et al – from long ago.
But No Advent Calendar
But the one old tradition I miss is the Advent calendar. It never made an appearance again. Maybe I’ll go buy one this year, hang it where it always was, text the kids about the prize behind the square each day, and see what happens. After all, it’s the season of anticipation. And what better symbol of that is there than an Advent calendar.
So what are your Advent traditions? Do you have any? Maybe it’s time to start one. It’s never too late. Leave me a comment down below and let’s discuss.
Oh, and if you would like to read another Advent blog of mine just click here. Maybelle Crabtree signing off.