Reclaim the season of Advent

Advent is my favorite season of the Liturgical Year. I love this quiet time before Christmas.

It isn’t a penitential time like Lent. It is a time of quiet anticipation.

Anticipation is naturally in the air. Children certainly anticipate Santa Claus and time off from school. Adults anticipate a break from work, getting together with family and friends, the chance to kick back and relax from the frenzied pace of life.

Advent is the season of waiting and longing. Our society makes it almost impossible to wait.

I noticed that Christmas TV programming began in early November. Certainly, Christmas advertising and shopping crept in even earlier — before Halloween!

The greatest challenge in Advent is to refrain from celebrating Christmas. Christmas is coming and it will be more than a day. In fact, there are 12 days for celebration, as the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” suggests (Christmas Eve on Dec. 24 through Epiphany on Jan. 6).

Reclaim the season of Advent. Create an Advent wreath and mark the days and weeks leading up to Christmas. As you gather around the table for a meal, begin with an Advent prayer.

Another recommendation is to go to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website. An interactive “Family Advent Calendar” on their website has many suggestions for keeping the Advent season and provides an embedded link for each day of the season.

Happy Advent!