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If I am being honest, it has been a hard week in many ways here. Yet amidst the challenges, there have been blessings, and I am grateful for all the ways that light shines in the darkness.
The light of Christ has been seen working in and through others, the hope and strength of the Eucharist has been found at daily Mass, and literal light has shined when my children and I have made time to sit around our Advent wreath to pray and read.
I have yet to snap a photo of those times this year, but I did take some snapshots of the making of our wreath, which I thought I would share here in case you'd like ideas for an easy way to put together an Advent wreath.
Gather Supplies
Typically, I have our Advent wreath ready to go before Advent or on the first day of Advent, but this year, I was definitely behind, only had our Advent Chain and Christmas Novena card ready as Advent began, and so spent time on the second day of Advent getting our wreath ready.
First, I stopped at a local Dollar Tree for a gold charger plate, some ribbon, and some florist foam.
After that, I stopped into our church offices to purchase some Advent candles. (If they were out of these, I would have just picked up white candles at Dollar Tree and put purple ribbons on three and a pink on on another.)
Then, later in the day - okay, maybe as darkness began to fall - the kids and I went for a walk to gather greenery.
After that, I stopped into our church offices to purchase some Advent candles. (If they were out of these, I would have just picked up white candles at Dollar Tree and put purple ribbons on three and a pink on on another.)
Then, later in the day - okay, maybe as darkness began to fall - the kids and I went for a walk to gather greenery.
Make a Walk in the Woods an Advent Wreath Tradition
Some years ago, we started a tradition of walking in the woods on or before the first day of Advent to find a branch to hang our Jesse tree ornaments on. Last year, that walk morphed into one for finding Advent wreath greens, too.
We are blessed to have holly trees along many local trails. We also collect any sort of evergreen we think might last throughout Advent in our wreath.
Assemble the Wreath
Because I was not been able to find a circular floral foam when I stopped by Dollar Tree, I went with two blocks of foam, one of which my kids and I opted to cut to make a cross shape, which we thought was apropos as it reminded us of the cross Jesus died for us on, linking the Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter seasons for us.
Then, we put the candles into the cross and surrounded them with greenery, popped a few ribbons in, and, as a result, ended up with a more circular Advent wreath.
Pre-Made Advent Wreaths Can Work, Too
Of course, if you're not up for a walk in the woods and making your own Advent wreath, you can always purchase a pre-made, reusable one.For years, our family went that route.
Some years we used a reusable wreath with regular Advent candles...
... and some years we popped in roll-your-own beeswax ones.
In fact, it was only a few years ago that we decided to start pairing a family walk at the start of Advent with making an annual fresh-cut greenery wreath.
No matter how your Advent has been going, I encourage you to put together a wreath of some kind to help you and yours wait in joyful anticipation while giving thanks for and recognizing the light of Christ in this world.
I'd love to see a photo of your Advent wreath this year. Feel free to post one on our Facebook page.
May your Advent continue with hope and peace as you embrace moments that shine!
May your Advent continue with hope and peace as you embrace moments that shine!
on the first day of Advent, but, this morning, I could not find our copy of the book. So, we substituted When Jesus Was Born from the 
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