Advent Question

Katie emailed....

Dear Mary Ellen, I like to hold off on decorating for Christmas for as long as I can keep the kids at bay, mostly because I want them to appreciate Advent and not be burnt out by December 25th. What I'm wondering is if you, or any of your contributors, have any ideas re: outside Advent decorations. Let me explain. I was taking down Halloween decorations which include a string of purple lights (more pretty than scary). And I thought "Hmm...could I get some more purple and a string of pink and do something progressive on the front lawn for Advent, a la Advent Wreath-y?". But I'm stumped as to what that might be. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you and Peace, Katie

Dear Katie:

I usually decorate my dining room for advent. I use purple lights on the china cabinet and purple and pink ribbons on the light fixture and the "good"  Nativity is set up in the china cabinet. Then I use tons of greenery. 

I love the idea of outside decorations for Advent.  I would put a green wreath on the door or fence decorated in pink and purple and I would use those lights as well. As for a countdown how about an outdoor manger that the kids add straw to for every good deed or penitential act? 

That's all I can think of at the moment - but I am hoping for some good responses here? Readers???

Comments

[Barb Szyszkiewicz, sfo]

I hang a wreath on the front door that has 3 purple bows and one pink bow. At Christmas I remove those bows and replace them with gold bows and little angel ornaments.

Inside, we have created a tradition in our family that the Christmas tree is put up and decorated on "Pink Candle Sunday." Even when they were very little, it was easy for them to see: on the day Father lit the pink candle at church, we could put the tree up. No figures are placed in the manger until the final week of Advent, and Baby Jesus is placed there at night on Christmas Eve.

[Lindsey @ enjoythejourney]

What a great, great idea! I hope you don't mind, I put a link to this post on my Christmas blog!!!

[Gwen]

Hi Katie,
It's difficult to come up with some way you can progressively decorate using strings instead of individual lights. I once had the idea of rigging up some sort of Advent Wreath on the lawn with big electric candles. Somehow I was going to make them purple and pink. Well, I haven't worked that out yet. Anyway...do you have an outside wall large enough for 4 candle "shapes?" I wonder if you could shape your strings of lights into candle shapes right on the outside wall(facing the front yard of course) and put one up each Sunday? I'd like to hear about what you figure out--best wishes!

[Alice Gunther]

Right now, Michael's Craft Store has artificial wreaths on sale at 2 for $3. At that price, it might be worth buying a few wreaths, decking them out in pink and purple ribbon, perhaps with white or purple lights, and leaving them in the front windows.

[Gretchen]

Re: outside decorating for Advent:
In the past we have hung purple lights around three of our front windows and pink on a fourth. The first week we only light up one purple window, the second week two purple windows, the third week we light up the pink with the two purple, and finally the fourth week the last purple window is illuminated. Then on Christmas, all the windows are lit with white and or white and red lights. We hang all the lights before the start of Advent, and just choose which strands to plug in, as stated above. These window lights complimented either an Advent wreathe on our front door, or later, we covered the door with a door wrap and hung big foil covered tag board letters spelling out vertically, "COME LORD JESUS!" on which we shined a spot light from the front yard. On Christmas we add three letters above the the word "COME" W, E, L, to spell "WELCOME LORD JESUS!"
Of course, all the kids were able to explain to friends and neighbors the significance of our purple and pink lights! HTH Katie.

Gretchen

[Kira Mello]

I've started putting up a wreath on our front door each advent decorated with the pink and purple ribbons and a beautiful angel dressed in purple and gold attached to it as well. I call it our St. Gabriel Advent wreath. We do put up our tree, but the last few years we only wound purple and pink ribbon through it until 'pink' candle sunday when we took down the pink and purple ribbons and decorated with ornaments etc. also, I like to give an Advent 'gift' wrapped in purple and pink papers - something to help prepare our hearts for Christmas (new advent calendar, spiritual book, etc.) to everyone the first sunday of advent when we light our 'advent wreath' for the first time. I always liked the idea of the quiet almost hidden advent preparation as it reminds me of the quiet, hidden nature of that first advent.
kira

[Jeanne]

Hi
I like your site. I am a mom of 7 and also have tried to figure out how to outdoor decorate for advent. Why hasn't anyone ever marketed advent lights for the window? Tonight however I am trying to figure out how to make a simple advent candleabra with wired electric lights for my webelo scouts to bring home. sort of like a menorah except with 4 light instead of eight. Ever notice that all the stores sell is either 3 or 5 cande display for the window?

[D. Forbes]

We are in the same boat. Each year my wife and I try to fight the early "celebration" of secular Christmas. Emphasizing the internal reflection of Advent, and then the true celebration of the 12 days of Christmas. Simply waiting to put up your Christmas decorations can sometimes get you labeled a Scrooge of the neighborhood, so a couple years ago my wife and I concocted an outdoor advent wreath. We purchased 4 decently durable tiki torches from the hardware store (not the wicker kind that fall apart after a season). And decorated 3 with purple lights, and 1 with pink lights (my wife added some nice reflective ribbon and bows as well for daytime). We also put a circle of green lights and some green garland in a circle on the ground, staking the 4 "candles" along the "wreath". We're in Arizona, so we don’t have to deal with snow; I'm not sure how to handle that aspect.

Each night we gather around outside and light the appropriate candles and sing "O come, O come Emmanuel". (Quite the spectacle with six kids) So we've gone from scrooge to religious nuts, but that's a fine alternative to me.

One funny side note, when we first put them up, my neighbor (a non-practicing Catholic) thought that 3 of the torches had gone out and almost came over and "lit them back up" for me. After I explained it was an advent wreath, he remembered. It's definitely a conversation starter. I always bring up the song "12 days of Christmas" to emphasize my point.