Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It is a period of quiet waiting for the birth of Christ; however, the weeks leading up to Christmas can be life-changing. Those who choose to forego much of life’s hectic distractions for peaceful Advent reflections often venture into a Christmas season of not only true joy and happiness, but deeper meaning and understanding.

“It is four weeks long, or slightly less, the first two focusing on Jesus’ final coming as Lord and judge. The final eight days anticipate his coming in history (Christ-mas),” Rev. Peter Klein explains in The Catholic Source Book. The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year.


“Advent, however, is far more than preparing to commemorate the first coming of Christ. Advent also focuses on the second coming of Christ,” Sandra DeGidio, O.S.M says in the Catholic Update, “The Liturgical Year: How Christians Celebrate Time.”

Advent Wreath

In “The Definitive Guide to Advent and Christmas,” Our Sunday Visitor explains, “The purple is a symbol of royalty that anticipates the coming birth of Jesus. It also reflects a spirit of penitence and the need to prepare our hearts. Pink symbolizes the joy of the season. The evergreens in the Advent wreath signify eternal life that comes to us through Jesus.”

Three purple, or dark blue, candles are used for the first, second, and fourth Sundays. The pink candle is used for the third Sunday, or Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice,” which is the first word in the antiphon that opens the Mass for this day: Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in the Lord always). Each candle represents a different theme, in order: hope, peace, joy, and love. A white candle may be placed in the middle of the Advent wreath and lit on Christmas.

Advent Calendar

An Advent calendar is used to count the days of Advent. It may be something as simple as pasting a picture to a calendar. Some Advent calendars contain chocolate that is removed each day.

The Advent Chain

The Advent chain is a fun activity for children that can be used in one of two ways. Both are created using construction paper, scissors, tape or glue, and crayons or pencils.

Children may create a new link for every good deed. As Christmas nears, the Advent chain grows longer and longer. On Christmas Eve, the chain can be used to decorate the tree or doorways. The chain is a sign of a child reaching out to others—a true sign of Christian love.

An alternative is to create an Advent chain using purple strips for each day of Advent, a pink strip for Gaudete Sunday, and a white strip for Christmas. Some families write a message on each strip, such as, “Donate a toy.” Each day, remove a strip from the chain, read it, and carry out its message.

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