Preparing for Advent

I walked into the post office and heard... Christmas music. This wasn't the first offence. I walked into a plant nursery at the end of October and it was completely decked out with Christmas decor. What gives? No wonder everyone pitches their Christmas tree out the door on December 26th. When you've been "celebrating" Christmas for 2 months straight you bound to get sick of it. The commercialization of Christmas gets me really wound up. But just when I'm about to get myself tied into one of those crazy twister knots, a time of stillness, reflection and peace flows into our home and into my heart...

Advent.

Advent is a time of stillness and anticipation. It a time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. It's a wonderful time.

This year Advent begins on November 28th and goes until December 24th. There are many different things that can be done during Advent to help prepare your heart for the celebration of Christmas. Last year we began the tradition of the Jesse Tree and really enjoyed it. We hope to continue with this tradition and add new ones as well. In the next two weeks I will share some other Advent ideas. Feel free to share your traditions as well.

Our felt Jesse Tree at the end of Advent.

For those of your interested in starting your own Jesse Tree traditions you may want to look at Jessica's blog page The Jesse Tree for inspiration. I found it really helpful when I made our Jesse Tree last year. And if you have any questions about how I put mine together, please ask  :)