Nativity scene with figurines and stable, festive Christmas display.

Advent is coming…Get your Candles and 5 other tips to get ready!

As I proudly hit the “Place Your Order” button on Amazon promising to send me my Advent candles tomorrow, I think, This is the year! This is the year I am going to prepare to prepare. To get ready to get ready. To make a plan to wait.

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, it’s always too late. I know this about myself. There is Thanksgiving, then there is after Thanksgiving, then there is shopping and activities and family. And the next thing I know, it’s the first Sunday of Advent. And every year, I realize I don’t have fresh candles therefore I shamefacedly pull out last year’s stumps just to have something there.

This year, I am starting it now! Here is my list of 6 tips to prepare for Advent and some ideas to go with them.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my website!

1. Purchase your Advent wreath supplies now.

  • Advent Candles are always my last-minute purchase, get them now!
  • Get your wreath or display out soon and pick up a little décor to refresh it. I keep the same wreath every year, but I love adding new ribbon or floral picks to give it a new look.
  • Get a safe lighter that the kids can use (supervised of course!) because there is always a fight to light them. I like this electric rechargeable one

2. Decide which prayers you’ll follow.

  • Find prayers for each Sunday during advent to read together during the candle lighting.
  • Make a few copies so the kids can take turns.

3. Make a fun Advent plan for the family.

  • Paper chain: I just saw this super cute Advent paper chain on Catholicmom.com. Print off as many copies as you need!
  • Advent calendar: We always had to incorporate chocolate because my husband was from Switzerland.  But there are so many to choose from- from simple scripture verses to pieces of chocolate to a different piece of Nativity set each day! Pick one that one will fit your family or use one from a past year.
  • Advent Bingo: Make a bingo grid and fill it with a mix of good deeds and God-deeds. When the kids make a bingo, give them a prize.
  • Advent Jar: Fill it with simple good deeds, bible readings, and devotions.  Then choose one each day.  I like this idea for variety!

4. Choose your personal Advent commitment- Pick only one or two and commit.

A woman holding a magazine titled "IN TIME" with abstract art on the cover, near a window with a pla.
  • Advent devotional: There are many to choose from! I am purchasing the new one from Blessed is She.  
  • Attend an Advent Retreat or Mission: Check out your local parish or retreat center and see what is going on.  Register and put it on your calendar now- before time gets away from you. If you are in the NJ area- consider this one and you may get to hear me give a small talk on Mary!
  • Spiritual reading: Set aside five minutes a day to read that challenging spiritual book that you want to tackle. I am going to dive back into Saint Faustina. I love audio books since my attention span is not what it once was.
  • Daily Do: One year I realized how much I hibernate in winter. I decided to leave the house daily to DO something faith related—Mass, adoration, Stations, a rosary walk with friends, Bible study, Advent Retreat, Mission. Something different each day. Again- I need variety. This also got me trying some new things.
  • Weekly Confession: Another year, I committed to weekly confession for the four weeks of Advent. I surprised myself when Lent rolled around, I was still going. It was life-changing. You can learn more about my Confession lessons my recent post called Ants in the Airstream.
  • Morning Prayer: This is the perfect time to commit or recommit 5 minutes of your morning to God. I put together my favorites in the e-book that you can get for free.
15 Simple Morning Prayer quotes with vibrant sunrise sky background.
Inspirational sunrise with evening clouds and water reflection for morning inspiration.
Nativity scene with figurines and stable, festive Christmas display.

5. Get out your Nativity set.

If you haven’t already, pull out your nativity set now. Consider an unbreakable set if you have small children so they can touch, play, and be part of the mystery. I still have the one from when my kids were little, and I keep it out all year.

6. Make your To-Don’t list. 

Decide now what you will NOT do this Advent. Ask your family what their favorites are and incorporate them. There are so many things we CAN do it can make us frantic!  Getting the tree, decorating every square inch, making 10 dozen cookies for cookie exchanges, school parties, moms club parties, play group parties, work parties, Nativity play, and the list goes on and on. 

I will never forget the year I decided to forgo the Christmas card with clever photo and humble brag letter.  I can still feel that stress leave my body as if it were yesterday. I also began rotating my favorite traditions so they did not get completely forgotten.

Our mom plates are full enough without adding to them. Imagine a new plate.  It is pretty, clean and empty. What would you put on this plate? Focus on Christ, purposefully placing the most important things on the plate and letting the rest go.

Even if that means you have to use last year’s candle stumps because getting new ones did not make the cut.

Similar Posts