Advent 2024

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while you will know that I love Christmas! I love the season, the preparations, the day itself… and I like to post about projects I’ve made, decorations, baking, etc, etc, etc… I even like to sneak in an extra month of celebrations in July! It really is, to quote the cliche, the most wonderful time of the year! 

What I don’t usually post about is Advent, which for many marks the start of the holiday season.

Most years I have been going to Susan’s blog, DesertSky Quilting, to follow along with her Advent series… but earlier this year she went to be with her Lord and Saviour and is having the best Advent of us all!

Susan was a lovely blogging friend. We chatted in emails a lot, not just in blog comments, and we got to know each other really well. We shared our ups and downs, and I miss her.

This year I want to honor her and do a type of Advent series in her memory while also preparing for Christmas.

What is Advent?

Advent is a season leading up to Christmas in which Christians prepare their hearts for celebrating the birth of Jesus.

The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.”

When does Advent Start?

Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas Day…. so for 2024, the first Sunday of Advent is on December 1st – tomorrow!

That’s also when I will start doing a weekly post.

How can we celebrate Advent?

Advent is a time of anticipation, hope, and spiritual reflection. It is a season of preparation for many, in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

We all celebrate Advent differently. For some of us, it is focused on faith, for others on enjoying advent calendars and the countdown to Christmas day! 
Either way, it is a great way to start the Christmas season.

When we were children we always had a traditional chocolate advent calendar leading up to Christmas… we got to open a new window every day and find a sweet treat.  It was exciting to see how many windows we had opened, and a fun way to see how soon Christmas was coming!

When different types of advent calendars came out in the market we switched from the traditional advent calendars to Lego ones… and, ahem, as adults still have them sometimes!

The daily surprises of little sets of lego that can later join my Lego Christmas Village collection are the best part. Of course, I know that they have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, but they are still a fun way to start a four-week season of celebrations. These days all of us take turns opening the small doors, as we enjoy the Christmas countdown. I’m looking forward to having grandchildren one day who can join in on the fun!

What this Advent Blog Series will look like

Tomorrow I will be posting the first blog post in our Advent 2024 series. I have made a beautiful Advent devotional journal for you and a list of Bible Verses to read each day.

We’ll also be making a pretty embroidery, with Advent candles! 

I wanted to make it mystery stitchalong, but the embroidery just doesn’t lend itself to being divided into parts. So on Monday, I will be posting the complete pattern and then sharing my progress each week.

Advent Candles

Lighting a candle each Advent Sunday is a common tradition, and as children we also did this. 

Each of the Advent candles have a different meaning. 

The first Sunday of Advent will be the candle of Hope. The second Sunday is the candle of Peace. The third Sunday of Advent is Joy, and the final candle on the fourth Sunday is Love.

We always had white candles growing up, and a fifth one that was lit on Christmas Day signifying Christ. On doing some more research I found that traditionally three of the candles are the color purple, and the fourth, Joy, is pink. 

So that is how I will be stitching them this year. I’m planning on stitching half the first week, and the other half the second week. And then turn it into a mini quilt the third week. I think it will be a perfect way to celebrate the season of advent. Once finished we can also make this stitchery into a little wall hanging, cushion cover for ourselves, or incorporate it into a unique gift.

We will also be doing some practical preparation for Christmas day… with lots of free printables of course!

Well, I hope you will join me this December in the celebration of Advent, no matter what your advent traditions are. I hope it will be a great way to celebrate the magic of Christmas!

Till tomorrow!