Tag Archives: Advent Wreath

December 12, 2011 · 4:07 pm

Advent Lesson Eleven: A Peek Inside Our Home!

The Completed Advent Candle Wreath:

I used antiques: one antique mirror, one silver tray, and five candlesticks with bobeches.

I bought one 100% pure beeswax Advent Candle Kit from http://www.toadilyhandmade.com.

I purchased the ribbon from Cindy’s Chapeaux in Havana, FL.

I picked up [free] fresh evergreens from St. Paul’s United Methodist Church: Boy Scout Christmas Trees [Lake Ella].

http://www.Toadilyhandmade.com  Advent Candles:  

Benjamin, 2.10 years, rolling the Rose Candle.

I love the expression of accomplishment and wonder on Benjamin’s face,

after he completed the Advent Candles at his home:  “I did it myself!”

The Tree of Jesse

The Tree of Jesse:

One wrought-iron “Winter Tree Ornament Display Stand,” spray-painted “Hammered Black.”

Hand-made-by-local-artists:Sstained-glass and beveled-glass ornaments.  [Some are from Susan’s Stained Glass at The Cottage Shops at Lake Ella, Tallahassee, FL.]

Vintage velvet fabric.

A beautiful jewel box from Korea, from my friend Eun Kwak.

Inside the Jesse Tree Jewelry Box:  

A velvet pouch, containing a pewter ornament, depicting the Holy Family.

This ornament is hidden until Christmas Morning, when we will hang it on the Jesse Tree.

Our Dining Room Table:

Antique bowl with pomegranates.

Our Dining Room Table:

100% pure beeswax votives.

Royal blue hemmed fabric for table runner.

A Simple Glass Nativity Scene, Made in Germany

Illumined from behind, with a 100% pure beeswax votive.

A hemmed square of organdy fabric veils the Nativity Scene, until Christmas Morning.

Nativity Scene

I bought this from Ten Thousand Villages, several years ago.

It is perfect for small children.

Inside the velvet pouch are wooden figures of the Holy Family.

We will add the Holy Family figures to the Nativity Scene, on Christmas Morning.

The Completed Nativity Scene with Holy Family Figures.

Nativity Scene:

A simple wooden stable and wooden image of the Holy Family

It would be easy to make the stable.

I bought the Holy Family wooden image at Ten Thousand Villages.

The Holy Family wooden image will stay hidden, inside an organdy pouch, until Christmas Morning.

A Simple Wooden Bell-Shaped Ornament,

with figures of Holy Family and sheep.

From Ten Thousand Villages.

Simple Ornament:  Angel

From Ten Thousand Villages.


An Olive Wood Ornament:  Dove

From Ten Thousand Villages.

Advent Calendar Book:

I do not know if this book is in print anymore.

It is a very sturdy Calendar/Book, which you can use every year.

Day One [A] of Advent Book

Day One [B] of Advent Book

The Very First Christmas

This is a book from Hallmark, from my dear friend, Ida Jean Sapp.

It is perfect for grandparents:  Record the story onto a microchip and your grandchildren can hear your voice,

every time they turn the page!

This is a great book for families with children, godchildren, or grandchildren.

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November 13, 2011 · 10:10 pm

Advent Lesson Five: Margot’s Advent Wreath

Dear Family & Friends,

In Advent Lesson Four, we learned about the rich meaning of the Advent Wreath.  Here are photographs and Margot’s Easy Steps to Create an Advent Wreath.  I used a few of my cherished heirlooms and antiques.  I hope this lesson inspires you to use what you already have in your home!

Step One:  Candles

Purchase your Advent Candles ASAP, so that they will arrive by the First Sunday of Advent, which is November 27!  Here is the website:

http://www.toadilyhandmade.com 

You may choose either one Do-It-Yourself Kit [$30: enough to make three sets of five Advent Candles] OR one Already-Made Set [$18 for five Advent Candles].

Each set includes five candles, in three colors: Three Royal Blue OR  Three Royal Purple — plus One Pink plus One Ivory.  When you order, specify “Blue” or “Purple.”

These are 100% pure beeswax candles, which is very important, both for symbolic, aesthetic, and health reasons.  Trust me on this for now.

Step Two: Candlesticks

Search around your home for five complementary candlesticks.  As you see in the photographs, my Advent Wreath includes two sets of matching candlesticks plus one unique single candlestick in the center.  They are all heavy, clear, cut-glass antique candlesticks, circa 1900. You can mix and match candlesticks, in any combination of material [I like silver, pewter, or glass], height, style, and  vintage.

Step Three:  Container

Gather together the candlesticks inside a container — a tray or platter of some sort — any solid, sturdy material will do.  Choose a container that will allow enough room to position the evergreens.  I use a cherished silver serving tray that my mother gave me decades ago. However, I have not yet polished the tray.  So, for this “photo shoot,” I covered the tray with a midnight-blue piece of vintage velvet fabric.

Step Four: Bobeches

Purchase bobeches, which are round, clear-glass “collars,” which catch the candle drips and protect the surface under the candles.  An antique shop should have these.

Step Five:  Evergreens

Go to your locally-owned nursery and ask if you may gather a few evergreen branches that fall onto the ground, between the rows of Christmas trees for sale.  Now you have free evergreens with which to decorate your Advent Wreath!  Do not be fussy about the arrangement:  Trim off the thick, stiff part of the branches.  Overlap the remaining soft, pliable portions, secure them together with thin ribbon, and bend the finished length into a circle, securing the final shape with more ribbon. The color of ribbon should be ivory, blue, or purple.

Step Six:  Display

Decide where to display your Advent Wreath.  I chose the brick hearth:  the space in front of the fireplace, in my living room.  Propped against the front of the fireplace opening, I positioned an antique mirror.  The Advent Wreath sits on the silver tray, which sits upon an off-white painted-wood, over-sized serving tray [hand-made from wood salvaged from antique furniture]. I like the “drama” of the off-white painted-wood against the dark velvet against the clear glass candlesticks.  When the candles are lit, the tableau will reflect off the mirror and looks beautiful! You will have to use your imagination, as I have not yet obtained my Advent Candles, evergreens, or ribbon.

I would love to hear your ideas on creating your Advent Wreath.  After you create your Advent Wreath, you may rest assured that you have “decorated” your home in a meaningful and thoughtful manner.  For several years, I have not displayed any “decor” except my Advent Wreath and Creche.  [Coming up next:  The Creche or Nativity Scene.]
Remember:  The colors of Advent are [primarily] Royal Purple OR Royal Blue plus white or ivory.  I also use silver.
Coram Deo,
Margot

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November 11, 2011 · 4:50 pm

Advent Lesson Four: Watch for the Light

The Annunciation:  [hansmemling.org]

The Meaning of Advent and The Advent Wreath

By Fr. Dr. Michael Petty, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Tallahassee, FL

“[The Season of Advent, within the Church Year,] consists of the four weeks before Christmas Day.  Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” During this season, we have a dual focus in worship:  On the one hand, we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s historical advent or birth in Bethlehem. On the other hand, we anticipate Christ’s final advent, as the world’s Lord and Judge at the end of history. The celebration of Advent helps us to place ourselves within the context of God’s redemptive purposes: We live after the coming of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah promised to Israel, and before the coming of Jesus Christ to bring his work to its ultimate fulfillment.

This season is intended by the Church to help us keep a proper focus during what has become, in our culture, a frenzied time with a heavy commercial emphasis. We spend this season most fruitfully, not by counting down the days to December 25, but by preparing ourselves to celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God and by amending our lives in the anticipation of his promised return. Advent is a season to slow down, to reflect and to meditate on the great mercies of God. To aid in this process, you may find it useful to read Scripture regularly during this season. Scripture readings for every day of the Advent Season can be found on page 937 and page 939 of The Book of Common Prayer.

The Advent Season comes to an end with the first Eucharist of Christmas, on Christmas Eve. This Eucharist ushers the Church into the Season of Christmas, which lasts until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany (the Twelve Days of Christmas). Because we observe Christmas as a distinct season, you will notice that we do not make use of Christmas music during Advent.

Advent has been observed by the Church since the sixth century and, over time, many traditions have become associated with the season. One of these traditions is that of the Advent Wreath, a circle of greenery, with four blue candles on the circumference and a white candle in the center. The Advent wreath is a sign of hope; it is greenery displayed during the winter and candles lit, as the days grow shorter.

On each of the four Sundays of Advent a different candle is lit:

The first candle is the Patriarch’s Candle, reminding us of the Old Testament patriarchs who anticipated the fulfillment of God’s promises.

The second is the Prophet’s Candle, reminding us of the Old Testament prophets who foretold the Messiah’s birth.

The third is the John the Baptist Candle, reminding us of the prophet who proclaimed Christ’s Advent.

The fourth is the Virgin Mary Candle, reminding us of Mary’s faithfulness in responding to God’s call to be the Mother of the Messiah.

The final candle, the Christ Candle, is lit on Christmas Eve. As the winter darkness gathers, the light of the Advent Wreath increases and reminds us of the Light of God, shining in the darkness. The lighting of the Advent Wreath is an act of lived hope as the Church remembers Christ’s birth and anticipates his return in glory.”


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