Unwrapping the Story of Advent

I know it seems a little early to see a blog post about Advent, but believe it or not, the first Sunday of Advent is just over a month away. I know, it caught me off guard to.

I’ve been looking forward to Advent all year long. The main reason for this anticipation is excitement about a liturgical season that’s centered around hope, something that we need in 2020 more than ever. After a few scares with COVID, canceled plans and the general unknowns we’ve been wrestling with this year, let me tell you what, I’m hoping to liturgically live it up like nobody’s business.

Bring. on. the. hope.

A simple Advent with the Langr littles

Last year, when Maeve was still rolling around as a little six month old, I hosted an episode of The Catholic Podcast about keeping Advent simple. It was a conversation that I loved, and it was a beautiful reminder that simple Advents are best. As a liturgical living newbie, this was a relief. I didn’t have to find recipes for every dinner in Advent that honored the saints we celebrate in the months of November and January, or print of crafts for each day of the Advent season. Instead, we could simply exist in the season and quietly prepare our hearts and home for the coming of Christ.

Now that Maeve is almost 18 months old (how?!) I’m excited for her second Christmas - one where she’s a bit more aware of what’s going on, and also sure to be messing with the Christmas tree a lot more than last year. For the upcoming Advent season, I’m keeping it simple. Joseph and I have always celebrated Saint Nicholas’ day on December 6th, so we’ll keep that tradition going. But I’m going to add in something new this year that honors our love of reading books around the fireplace and the joy of discovering new stories.

Encountering the stories of Advent

In the episode of The Catholic Podcast that I recorded last year, I loved a suggestion made by Kate Essenberg, my guest. She curated a book list that her family read through each Advent. The stories celebrated the liturgical season, the lives of the saints, and the preparation for Christmas. She also mentioned how she wrapped the books so that each night, her family unwraps them and reads them together.

I love this idea, so I’m borrowing it from Kate with a few modifications. Maeve’s a reader, but long books are not her favorites yet. So I’ll be swapping in some board books and shorter books here or there for the longer ones that Kate suggested for her littles who are a little bit older. There are some that are on Kate’s list that I’ll be getting anyway and reading in the evenings with Joseph (like The Gift of the Magi for example).

You can access the full book list that Kate mentions during our conversation on The Catholic Podcast here.

God willing and the COVID don’t rise, I plan to wrap each book up in some fun Christmas wrapping paper and put them in a basket by the fireplace. We’ll unwrap a book each night and read together as a family. Now, that’s the best case scenario. Knowing Maeve, she’ll get a taste of opening one book and jump at the first opportunity to unwrap them ALL when my back is turned for two seconds. So TBD on what the practicals of this are going to look like.

Although I love buying books, I have a feeling Joseph (and our budget) wouldn’t be so pleased with me purchasing 30+ books, no matter how cute they are. So I have quite a few of these on my to-order list from our local library, and we have some around the house that I’ve been holding back for Advent too. I have a few bookmarked to buy for our own collection as well. Some that will be included on the Langr reading list that aren’t on Kate’s list are:

I’m excited for the season of Advent to start. After one heck of a year in 2020, I’m looking forward to a liturgical season that’s anchored in hope and joyful anticipation.

How about you - what are you most looking forward to with the upcoming Advent season?

What are some of your favorite Advent books or traditions? Are there any books that I should make sure to include for Maeve?

Chloe Langr1 Comment