Eggnog. I wasn’t ready for it. But there it was, front and
centre in the end display of the cold section of the grocery store.
The worst part was the two kids who were with me saw it before I did and in a weak moment I acquiesced to their pleas for the sweet holiday drink. I used to have a policy of no eggnog before Christmas. In recent years it has become no nog before American Thanksgiving (my kids are half-American after all), and subsequently only on feast days in Advent. But the mid-October nog launch caught me off guard this year. My eggnog plan was not in place.
The whole eggnog experience started me thinking about Advent. It may seem a little early, but consider this your friendly, but firm, notice that it’s time to make an Advent plan. Since the whole purpose of Advent, and of life, is to prepare for Christ’s coming, we can’t go into it blind, aka without a plan.
I’m probably not the only one who fumbled through past Advents with a vague desire to get more out of the season spiritually, only to find myself on Christmas Eve wondering where the time went. Sigh. There is no doubt that we are shortchanging ourselves when we don’t participate fully in the seasons the Church offers us. In the case of Advent, we need those dedicated four weeks to prepare our homes, hearts, and souls for Christ.
But this year can be different. The reason this year will be different is because the plan will be in place early. Start off by picking one aspect of preparation and make a real effort to stick to that one thing. Maybe this is the year to sign up for daily Advent reflections from dynamiccatholic.org, and actually take the time to read one every day. How about picking a short, not-so-intimidating piece of spiritual reading – could be a book, encyclical, or one of many booklets with Advent reflections?
Why not make an Advent playlist now and have it ready to go when the non-stop Christmas music starts on Dec. 1? Check out Matt Fradd’s “10 Advent Songs to Remind You It’s Not Yet Christmas” at focusoncampus.org to get your list started.
Consider making an Advent wreath as a family and have daily prayers to go with it, allowing each family member to take a turn reading. You might consider doing a Jesse Tree with your family, detailing the story of salvation that leads to the birth of Christ. Google the short YouTube video by Ann Voskamp on this Advent tradition to get an idea of what it’s all about.
Personally, I will consider Advent a spiritual success if I just stick to reading my Magnificat prayer book every single day. If you haven’t availed yourself of the resource of a daily prayer book, especially one that follows the liturgy closely, Advent is the perfect time to start. Along with its regular monthly booklet, Magnificat provides an extra book of daily reflections for Advent and Lent. I like to sit down with my Magnificat right after breakfast cleanup – coffee and toddler in tow.
Another admirable feat that one might choose as part of the Advent plan is to complete as many Christmas preparations as possible now, including shopping. Yes, that’s right Super Mom and Super Dad, that means getting most of Santa’s list taken care of before Dec. 2.
I’ve actually done this in the past and whenever I have set out to do it my husband shakes his head a bit, knowing that I will inevitably amend the list as Advent progresses. So now I always add the caveat that I have the right to change my mind on some purchases as Christmas approaches. As any parent out there knows, the Lego set that little Sam wanted in November may not be the same one he sees in the flyer in December and now “must have.” Not to mention that the December Lego set is a better price. The point being that flexibility is key with any pre-Advent shopping plan. If you set yourself up for perfection, you are usually setting yourself up for frustration, which would totally take away the peace of your Advent journey.
If you want to know how to map out a pre-Advent Christmas prep plan, right down to the shopping and shipping, check out the website catholicsistas.com and look for the “Christmas Shopping Challenge” by Catholic mom of seven Martina Kreitzer. It may seem like a daunting (impossible?) endeavor but it’s quite liberating to be done with the bulk of the details that usually bog us down as we get closer to Christmas. Kreitzer’s plan actually starts six Sundays before Advent starts, so there’s already a little catching up to do, but don’t fret. Adapt the plan to your needs and if you like it, aim to start earlier next year.
Above all, no Advent plan would be complete without the sacrament of reconciliation. I know when I was growing up, we were taken to, or as we got older, expected to get ourselves to, confession in the last week of Advent. Most parishes will offer extra hours for this sacrament as Christmas approaches. We are giving our children the greatest gift possible when we set the example of attending confession regularly, and especially before we celebrate the birth of the One who came to save us from sin.
We all know there will be Christmas parties, music, decorations, and lots of eggnog all around us during Advent. It’s up to us as parents to teach our children that Advent is not Christmas, nor is it a simple countdown to the big day. It’s up to us to make the Advent plan. We need to deliberately live out Advent in our homes and hearts so we can deliberately live out Christmas in the same manner.
Lazzuri lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and six children.
