Tag: advent

‘Twas the Night Before Advent…

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And I was counting down the minutes until I could begin to put up Christmas decorations and start listening to Hallow’s Advent Praylist! The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year, which means tonight is our New Year’s Eve!

It is now well past midnight, which came and went a few minutes after I started writing, but I thought I would take a few moments, just to drop some ideas to help you to develop spiritually in the coming year!

Last January, at the beginning of the new year, I chose a saint of the year, and a word of the year! Sadly, with mom brain in full force, I can’t remember whose wonderful idea this was… if I ever do, I will definitely update (if mom brain permits!). Anyway, I was thinking since it’s the new liturgical year, why not move that tradition to the first Sunday of Advent instead of the first day of January?

Here is a Saint Name Generator. It says 2025 but probably is still mostly current, save for our newly canonised saints this year (St Carlo Acutis, St Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Ignatios Shukrallah Maloyan, St. Petro ToRot, St. Vincenza Maria Poloni, St. María Carmen Rendiles Martínez, St. Maria Troncatti, St. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, and St. Bartolo Longo, pray for us!). Of course if you don’t like the randomly generated saint, you could pick your own (and it could be one of the newer saints!). Use this saint as inspiration to grow in holiness, as an extra friend to pray for you, or any other way that might help you get closer to God!

Here’s a Random Word Generator. You can choose to generate just one or a short list to choose from! Use this word to inspire spiritual growth this liturgical year.

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

I thought I’d also add a Bible Verse of the Year Generator. I’m not gonna try to tell you how to apply God speaking to you through scripture. Just keep the verse handy, know He is, and apply it as you feel led

You could do all or none of these, or some number between those! I would love to hear your favourite way to celebrate Advent in the comments. And! Please share your randomly generated things, if you do them! I would love to know!

Advent: Not Yet Christmas!

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When I was growing up, December 1st (or the weekend after) was the day we would exhume all our Christmas decorations and arrange them joyfully around the home. I loved those days! They were days where I could be creative and make things look pretty, all while listening to Christmas music and spending time with my family!

Today, in the early hours of the second of December, I look around my home. There are some decorations up, some partly done (the tree is up but bare), and some still lying in wait. I know I have much more to do before Christmas comes, but that is okay. I will go to sleep without feeling like today’s job is finished.

In our priest’s homily, he spoke about how expectant parents begin to prepare for the arrival of their child once the arrival date is calculated. Those of you who have had children (and many of you who haven’t) understand that this preparation does not all happen in one day. There is a reason God gives us nine-ish months before the baby is born!

Parents, especially first time parents, take some time to prepare for the arrival of their child. They must figure out what the new sleeping arrangements will be, they must find out the guidelines for infant care, first-timers even need to learn important procedural tips for labour and delivery! And the list goes on.

Advent is a time of preparation. It is okay, and perfectly normal, to take some time to prepare. There must be planning and effort. And that takes time.

Our priest also spoke about Advent as a time to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ arrival at Christmas. I am reminded of that hymn, My Heart is a Stable. Yet instead of the animals, hay, and swaddling bands, perhaps our hearts should be lined with the spiritual virtues we need to grow in. How can we build these virtues and make our hearts fit for Christ’s arrival? Well, just like Lent, Advent is a time of repentance. And just like at Lent, we can use the pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to ready our hearts to receive Jesus. And just like decorating, we don’t have to do it all in one day! We can take a little time each day to say an extra prayer. We can sacrifice something small here and there just as St Therese of Lisieux invites us to, offering it up to the Lord. We can put aside a little to give away, from time to time, over the course of December, all the way up to Christmas.

Anyway, every time you do a little more decorating, you can use the time to think of Jesus!

What are your decorating traditions? What memories do you have from decorating as a child? What are your tips for preparing your heart Let me know in the comments

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!