The Advent wreath is used to help us with our daily devotionals in the weeks before Christmas. Lighting these candles is one way for us to pause, and to focus our hearts and minds on the most important gift of Christmas, the gift of Jesus.
Advent wreaths come in many forms, but most Advent wreaths are round, with no beginning and no end, to remind us of God’s unending love for us.
Often they are made of evergreens symbolic of God’s constant presence in our lives.
The wreath displays four candles around the circle representing the four Sundays before Christmas, and a larger, single candle, “the Christ candle” in the center, which we light on Christmas Day.
The colors of the candles may vary. We’ve made ours to match the colors of the Advent wreath at our church, with three purple candles and one pink candle. (Last year, I wrote about the pink candle, which represents "joy".) On Christmas Day, we add the tall white, Christ candle in the center, and replace the four colorful candles with fresh white ones.
There are so many ways to make an Advent wreath.
Ours is very simple: I covered a 12 inch foam wreath base with moss (the dried variety that stays green and pretty) using a hot-glue gun, and added four taper candleholders (the kind on a spike available at craft shops), pushing them down into the moss-covered foam. This simple base has lasted for 13 years, and aside from a few wax drippings, it looks the same as the day I made it. I keep expecting the moss to turn brown, but it hasn't.
An Advent wreath can be embellished in any number of ways. I like to use natural greenery and berries gathered from the woods, freshening them as they become spent. I also use colorful, purple ribbons and four glass bobeche to catch any wax dribbles. This year, I’m planning to add a little nest of four pretty bird’s eggs (artificial, of course!) to the center of the wreath. On Christmas Day, we’ll replace these with the Christ candle and add a small bird to the base of each of the four outer candles (four calling birds!) to represent the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I’ll try to post a picture of that idea after I make it.
Here, you'll find another easy and inexpensive way to make an Advent wreath.
And you’ll want to see what Alice is making with a birch tree branch-- so very pretty.
And so, there's nothing very difficult about creating this long-cherished tradition. There's no *one* way to do it. Feel free to be creative and to make something that will be meaningful for you and for your family this season.
Coming next: Advent devotions and lighting the wreath | 