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Often lost in the hustle and bustle between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the Christian season of Advent. "Advent" refers to the coming of the nativity of the Christ at Christmas and serves to remind believers of the second coming of the Messiah.

Celebrating Advent is the perfect opportunity for a family to spend time together each Sunday. Advent helps family members focus on one another and prepare for Christmas, not in the commercial materialistic sense that Christmas has become, but in the true Christian, family oriented tradition that sometimes is lost from many American homes.

An Advent wreath serves as the center symbol of Advent. Evergreen boughs woven around a metal circular frame form the wreath. The circle symbolizes symbolizes eternal life and has places for four candles. On each of the four Sundays of Advent a candle is lit and a small prayer and reading is perform. Traditionally the outer candles are purple though some families celebrate the third Sunday of Advent with a pink candle for Rose Sunday. Some Christians place a white candle in the middle of the wreath to symbolize the Christ. The white candle is lit for the first time on Christmas day.

On the first Sunday of Advent one of the purple candles is lit followed by a family service with a scripture reading and prayer. On the second Sunday the first candle is relit, then the second followed by another prayer and reading. On the third Sunday the pink candle is lit followed by the last purple candle on the last day of Advent. Many churches provide Advent material and readings often gathering in the church social hall on the last Sunday before Advent so church members can make their own Advent wreaths. If not there are many sources for the candles on the Internet as well as a wide variety of devotional material.

Also common to the Advent season is the Advent calendar. A telling of the nativity story with twenty-four compartments. Every day of Advent one of the doors to a compartment is opened and something of the nativity story is revealed often with a picture or Bible verse. Some calendars are more secular and include pictures of more secular objects such as holly, bells, and Christmas gifts.

Just as Lent is a Christian season that prepares people for Easter, Advent prepares people for the true meaning of Christmas. It is a tradition that has been lost in some churches and families but offers great promise to modern Christians.

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