Advent: Worship & Activities for Families

Ready or not, Christmas is coming

Where better to prepare the heart for this special season than around the family Advent wreath. Here, for the four Sundays of Advent and Christmas Day, we will discover what it means to be so loved that we received the gift of God's son.

Advent: Worship & Activities for Families is a 16-page booklet that includes...

Two complete sets of family Advent worship services (one especially for families with young children) Easy to follow scripts including the words to songs Instruction to the custom of the Advent Wreath including the color of the candles and their meaning Activities and recipes to bring families together throughout the Seasons of Advent

Check other items that can help enrich your family's Advent experience. See the Related Products Section below.

Did you know. . .
Christmas is centered in the new hope brought by the Christ child; Advent is the season of preparation leading up to the Event. It is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Messiah. The word 'advent' is Latin for 'a coming or arrival'.

The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, suggestive of continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ.

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The purple candles especially symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord's first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.

Some adaptations include a white candle or Christ Candle placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve.