Reading Catholic and catholic
(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise “worth a listen”). Explanation (of a kind) here.
We are well into the first week of Advent, and I hope to share some good Advent (not Christmas yet!) songs to help keep us in the Advent frame of mind.
I’ve enjoyed Sixpence None the Richer since my husband introduced the band to me in the 90s, and other than Leigh Nash’s voice, I like best the way they got their name.
What are you doing to mark Advent this year?
I’m excited to share that I’ve been invited to be part of the Advent series hosted by Bonnie at A Knotted Life. Kicking off the series this Sunday will be Lisa Hendey. I truly look forward to following along with it, and of course I’m delighted to be included among the bloggers writing guest posts. I will be writing for the feast of St. Nicholas.
As a little sneak preview, I am writing about–surprise, surprise–books for Advent and Christmastime.
But I wanted to share here in a more general way how I have used books during Advent, as well as offer some resources and suggestions. After I wrote in part of my November column for The Catholic Post about some newer books to help keep Advent well, I realize that literature (and for kids in particular, picture books) can be just as good as devotional works, to get in the spirit of the Advent and Christmas seasons.
Here are some of the nuts & bolts of how we use literature during Advent at our house.
I keep a basket of Advent- and Christmas-themed books tucked away in a closet. I’ve kept this basket for years, and added to it over time via book sales, library cast-offs and Barnes & Noble “after Christmas” (though during Christmas season) sales. There are perhaps a dozen books that we truly treasure, but the rest are seasonal enough to hold interest and keep us reading. There are about 50 books in our Advent/Christmas book basket, and I usually also order a lot of other books from the library, either new ones, or old classics we don’t own. So there is plenty to read this time of year.
I began the Advent/Christmas basket of books when my oldest (now 15!) was a toddler. I learned about the tradition from Catholic moms on various e-groups (in the Wild West, before we got all our great ideas from blogs, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest).
At that time, some moms shared on the e-groups about how they wrapped (sometimes in liturgically correct purple or pink) each one of the books well ahead of Advent, and then unwrapped one each day of Advent and Christmastime.
That idea makes me tired just thinking about it, so needless to say that has never happened here. I used to have some guilt, like I wasn’t quite “mom” enough to pick out and wrap dozens of books. Now that I’m a little wiser, I leave that behind.
In reality, I feel accomplished simply that I am able to keep those books tucked away all year and bring out the basket at the beginning of Advent.
I won’t list all the books in our family’s basket (though I will share one special book on Bonnie’s blog next week, and a few others later in Advent here). For one, I think there are fewer than a dozen that we cherish. Mostly, though, it’s because so many moms over the years have made some great lists that I don’t need to re-invent the wheel.
Here are just a few sources if you are interested in starting this tradition at your house:
*Elizabeth Foss, whose endless energy and generosity has enriched her own family and shared freely with other families great book suggestions and themes, takes special care with Advent.
*Mary Ellen Barrett has a blog devoted to keeping Advent at O Night Divine. Here are some of her many, many book suggestions.
*Jessica at Shower of Roses has a nicely curated list of Advent books (and trust me, I hold nothing but admiration for her for actually wrapping the books, God bless her).
*for those who would like a book rather than a web resource, Cay Gibson’s amazing Christmas Mosaic has a list of dozens of books, crafts, recipes and other ideas for making Advent and Christmastime special for families.
Picture books and Christmas-themed literature are unique and wonderful to move and inspire us during this season of preparation, and then as we celebrate Christmas.
Do you have an Advent and Christmastime book tradition?
Truth be told, I’m not. I usually dig out the Advent wreath well after Thanksgiving and the start of Advent, and we don’t light it every day. I confess we’ve been uneven in our use of a Jesse tree.
Does it count that for the last few years, I have gotten the kids a Trader Joe’s chocolate calendar and they open a door every day of December?
I thought not.
I know Advent is a great time of preparation, so I’m hoping for better success this year.
Here are some new books in case you, too, might need some fresh ideas to make Advent a time of joyful preparation:
*Father Gary Caster, a priest of the diocese of Peoria, has a new St. Therese-inspired book out: The Little Way of Advent: Meditations in the Spirit of St. Therese of Lisieux.
Father Caster’s latest book, like his previous title The Little Way of Lent, provides for each day (in this case, of Advent) a Scripture passage, a reflection and a little quote from St. Therese. For those who love Father Caster’s preaching style and his prolific writing, The Little Way of Advent does not disappoint.
(Go here to read my Q&A with Father around the time that I reviewed The Little Way of Lent).
*A Catholic Family Advent: Prayers and Activities by Susan Hines-Brigger offers family-centric activities, reflections and Scripture for each day of Advent. I especially liked the “talk together” portion to spark conversation, perhaps around the dinner table, before lighting the aforementioned Advent wreath.
*Lisa Hendey has a slim new volume O Radiant Dawn: 5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath, with short, very do-able reflections for most, and also some for younger children, for each day of the Advent season.
*Advent and Christmas Wisdom from St. Vincent de Paul by John E. Rybolt, provides short reflections and quotes from the writings of St. Vincent de Paul, particularly focusing on the saint’s reputation as “the Apostle of Charity.”
The above appeared in this weekend’s edition of The Catholic Post on the book page. Even as I wrote it, I began to realize that our family does “do” Advent a wee bit better than just the Trader Joe’s chocolate calendar. And does it not surprise you that the way we excel at keeping Advent and Christmastime is through books?
So in addition to trying to make some of these new books part of my Advent tradition, I also plan to take a look (as we get closer to Advent) at some of our favorite classic Advent/Christmas books–including many picture books–that might help you keep Advent well, too. Watch for a special series of posts as Advent draws closer.