Monday, December 1, 2014

The First Light of Advent

The first light of Advent is the light of stones
The light that shines in crystals in seashells and in bones
 
The second light of Advent is the light of plants
Green plants that reach up to the light and in the breezes dance
 
The third light of Advent is the light of beasts
That shines in all creatures in greatest and in least
 
The fourth light of Advent is the human light
The light of hope and of thought, to know and do what’s right

~ Rudolf Steiner ~


 

As a new mom, six years ago, I wasn't quite sure how we, as a family, would handle the holidays, and since Reece was only 7 weeks old at his first Christmas, Justin and I chose not to do anything. We would be spending the day at my parents place and we felt like that was enough.  I also wanted time to think about how we would celebrate and what traditions we would bring into our new family of three.

Fast forward six years, and we feel like we are building some wonderful family traditions. We took our time, adding things slowly, changing things here and there if they didn't feel right, and through all of it, keeping things slow and simple. For the last two years the Advent gnome has been making an appearance, and Reece was so happy to see him return yesterday. Our Advent wreath has always graced our table, each candle being lit as we move through the weeks of Advent and the corresponding verse from above said. It has been a lovely tradition, but this year, I wanted to change things a little bit.

I came to Justin with an idea to make an Advent spiral for our table, as well as carvings of Joseph, and Mary, to journey along the spiral each day as we light the candles. I am so pleased with how it turned out, and last night we lit the first candle, and added our stones and seashells to the spiral. It was perfect, and so very beautiful.

This year I have also been trying to figure out a way to have Reece actively involved in this journey, and it finally came to me on the weekend. I set up a spiral on our nature table, made from rocks. The spiral will end at a soon to be created image of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Each day of Advent, before Reece opens his scroll for the day, he will replace the next rock in the spiral with a star, slowly lighting the way to Christmas Day. I honestly have no idea how this idea came to me, but it felt so right, and I feel offers him a wonderful visual of our Advent journey, along with our candle spiral.

Our nature table will be added to each week during Advent corresponding to the verse above. The first week is minerals, hence the spiral made from rocks. The second week is plants, and we will add some plants to the table. The third week is animal, and some lovely wooden animals will be added. And finally, the fourth week is human, and will include the addition of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

During Advent we will also be reading The Light of the Lantern, Stories for Advent. It came highly recommended to me last year, but unfortunately was delayed in arriving and didn't make it in time for Advent. So, I tucked it away for this year, and I actually think Reece is in a much better place now for understanding these daily stories.

This year we are mixing some old traditions with some new ones. It feels right, for us, and I am very much looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

Are you keeping to old traditions this year, or adding new ones?

46 comments:

  1. That candle spiral is absolutely beautiful!

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  2. Love your spiral! Here with us we keep it to the 4 candles only. I don't want to give it that much of attention, as I know it will affect the peacefullness in the family. My daughter thrives by order and a calm life, without that many things to have to look forward to. Making events too big, gives tension. She loves the four candles and the tree we will be decorating in a few weeks time. For now we Dutchies look forward to celebrating Sinterklaas (who is like the brother of Santa Clause, who brings gifts dec 5th.) This is already a very big thrill to her and her brother. After that we will keep a few days of rest and peace in our little family before opening the christmasseason. Love from Patricia

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    1. Thank you! Just lovely. We all have to find what works for our families, and our children, and build our traditions from there :) Sounds like you have found the balance for your family.

      We celebrate St. Nicholas this weekend too, leaving our shoes out on December 5th before we go to bed. We don't do Santa Claus in our home, so St. Nicholas Day is so much fun for our little man.

      Wishing you a lovely holiday season Patricia.

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    2. Wishing you all the best too, Kim and to your family! Nice to hear you let out the shoes on friday. With us here we left out the shoe a few times since mid november when Sinterklaas arrived, huge tv event here (these shoes get filled with some sweets and or a small gift), we try to keep this to a minimum. On friday coming he will leave us the bag with the real gifts in the big bag. We try to buy or make one bigger gift ( I made a big dollhouse with stables e.g. for our daughter) and then put in a few useful ones likes pyjamas. I really don't like all the commercial ideas of buying big things, I more like the less is more idea. I guess you feel the same way. Love Patricia

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    3. We do feel the same way. We like making our holidays simple, and keeping things slow. It feels right for our family.

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  3. You made the Advent spiral? It is absolutely gorgeous and I love how you are involving Reece in the celebration.

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    1. Well, my hubby did :) Thank you, I am so very pleased with how it turned out.

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  4. I love this- I told my husband about the gnome and spirals last night and that I wanted to try it, but not sure I could get it ready, well today. It may have to wait til next year. Did you make the gnome and scrolls yourself?

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    1. Thanks! It can be a challenge to get things ready on short notice, they can always wait. Yes, I made the gnome and the scrolls. The scrolls are just paper, I write a little note and then roll them up, and tie them with yarn.

      On a side note, if you want to incorporate it, keep it simple and write up a scroll each night for the next morning. They can be simple things, and still bring in the same anticipation and joy to the season.

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  5. That all sounds so wonderful Kim! Great inspiration! Much love to you! :)

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  6. Beautiful spiral--I can smell the beeswax from here! In our house, we celebrate advent through books--opening up one holiday story each evening for bed, leading up to "The Night Before Christmas" on the night before Christmas. Even though my kids are outgrowing picture books, we still enjoy snuggling together and reading our old favorites.

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    1. Thanks. You should have smelled it yesterday when I was making candles :)

      That sounds like a lovely way to celebrate the season. So nice to hear that your kids have not outgrown the picture books and the tradition.

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  7. Such beautiful traditions Kim. We put up a Jesse Tree and have readings every morning, then at night we light the candle on our Advent wreath and have a little reading.
    I love your Advent spiral, if I had more than one year left with a child at home I would have one too.
    Happy December.

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    1. Sounds lovely Tracey. Thank you, I am a little smitten with it :)

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  8. Lovely tradition (s) Kim and I think so important for child and parent, it makes things so much more special. We always cut our tree down in the forest, this year it was Foghorns turn, past down from Jules and Auggie. He was pretty proud.

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    1. Thank you Camilla. I think you are so right about the importance for both parent and child. Oh I can just imagine how proud he was, and I bet you were pretty proud too. xo

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  9. Oh that spiral!! I love it. This year I want to emphasize the Advent season. It's something that is emphasized each Sunday at Church, but my goal is to carry that feeling through the week here at home and Ree is old enough now to get it. So we will light the advent candles each night at supper and say a prayer together. I also have a few surprises up my sleeve for St. Nicholas' Feast and I really want to celebrate the Solstice this year. Thank goodness I have a few weeks left! Oh one more thing I have done is put together a little basket of goodies, one thing for each day from now until Christmas. Just some small crafts, some outside activities, making popcorn garlands, having a hot chocolate, popcorn & movie afternoon with the cousins, etc. Simple things that will help with the joy of the season!

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    1. Thank you Jen. Sounds like you have some lovely things planned. It is nice as our children get older and we can bring a little more to the holidays. I love your last line, it is what we are all about here. Enjoy the season my friend. xo

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  10. Just beautiful! The spiral s lovely. Great job to your talented husband. Really!
    Advent is new to us this year. I was never into Advent because as I child, all it was ever to me was sweets every morning. I didn't want that for my children so we skipped it all together. We made it our own this year with a beautiful hanging calendar my husband made. We have also chosen a mostly homemade/handmade and experience based Christmas this year. I say mostly because my arm just barely feeling better now stopped me in many if my "making" so a few little store bought treats were added. But we are looking forward to a simpler time this year... hoping to make it simpler and simpler a time goes by! :-)

    Happy December dear Kim! To you, Justin and sweet Reece xo

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    1. Thanks Yanic. That is what is so wonderful about having our own family, we can begin to make new traditions that feel better for where we are on our own journey.

      Sorry about your arm, never fun to have put the making aside, but you do need to get well too.

      Thank you, same to you! Enjoy. xo

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  11. We are keeping the old traditions this year. I'm trying to keep this time of year as low key as possible. Do your candles last though the whole 25 days? We have a spiral for solstice and the first candles never last all twenty 21 or so days.

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    1. Not sure, this is the first year we have the spiral. We usually have a wreath with the four candles, and they never last the whole season, I just start new ones when the burn down.

      The spiral will only be lit for dinner, so I am sure the tea lights will last, the tapers may need to be changed, but I have extras :)

      Low key is good, it is how we do things here too.

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  12. Kim... this is so special... i really like the spiral and and carvings and detailings such as Joseph's cane ! such a wonderful way to celebrate Advent !!!

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    1. Thank you Erica, it feels good in my heart, and Reece is enjoying it...which makes it so very perfect!

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  13. That is so so so beautiful. I also love the way you got into this story and celebration. And do you know what? You inspired me a lot for this year. I was so fed up with advent calendar. This year we made our little spiral and take it another way for the time to Christmas. And the kids were really happy about it. I could feel peace around... just what I needed!

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    1. Thank you Sandra.

      That is wonderful to hear, happy that you have found a way to celebrate that fills you with peace, that is so important.

      Enjoy the season my friend.xo

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  14. That sounds like a beautiful tradition you've developed. I love the idea of the advent spiral with the holy family figures. I think we need to introduce something like that in our home. :)

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    1. Thank you. It is really lovely, and seeing it lit up at night is beautiful. I think you need one too :)

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  15. Thanks Rosemarie. The wonderful thing about ideas is that they can be filed away for next year, right?

    What do you think of the book? So far we are enjoying it. Little man was quite enamoured with the magical rock last night :)

    Love the picture book each day, I aim for that, but it is usually a few picture books :)

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  16. beautiful way to prepare for Christmas day. I have an advent calendar that my mother sewn for me when we were first married. My children would fight over whose turn it was and now I am the only one placing an ornament up each morning-I do miss those arguments :)

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    1. Thank you Karen. I bet you never thought you would miss those arguments. Funny the things we miss, eh?

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  17. I love the wooden spiral and your new tradition with the stars, it all seems so lovely and thought out. I love when traditions unfold slowly, ours are still in the making... :)

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    1. Thank you. Yes, on the slow part, it has been so lovely to see it all evolve and grow, as we have. We really had no idea how we wanted to approach the holidays, we needed time to think about it. I am so glad we took the time, and now, we have some lovely traditions that I feel pretty darn good about.

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  18. I agree with all, that this is really such a beautiful Advent Spiral and figures of Mary and Joseph as they travel on their way. I also really love the tactile experience of Reece moving the star--this would be great for my boys who really need to feel and touch things to understand them. The Advent Calendar, handmade by a beloved godparent, is wonderful--but so sight oriented I think it sometimes leaves them craving for more.

    I think what I love so much about both of these is the thought and consideration that went into them. At times, as a Waldorf teacher, I realize I am falling back on adopted traditions instead of really examining our family's needs. Just seeing your create your own way is so inspiring!

    Happy Advent to you all.

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    1. Thank you Coco. Each night as we light another candle the spiral gets more beautiful. We are all so pleased with it. And the rock spiral has been amazing, Reece loves it. I think he might actually enjoy replacing the rock with the star more than opening the scroll :) It has really brought the experience to him in a way I never expected. So very happy with how it turned out.

      Thank you for those very lovely and kind words, they mean a lot coming from you my friend. You have made me smile this evening, and warmed my heart. Big hugs.

      Wishing you and your family a happy Advent too. xo

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  19. LOVE this, Kim. the spiral is so beautiful. if your husband feels like making others and offering them for sale, I would very gladly purchase one to use in years to come. I've been looking for a way to do something similar to what you are doing with the stone spiral- something like a Mary's star path, but just a tad different. it is lovely.
    xo

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    1. Thanks Amanda. You know he told me yesterday he has the mirror one to this one, it happens when he cuts it. He said if anyone was interested....it is yours if you would like it. Let me know :)

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    2. Kim that would be awesome. thank you so much! I will email you personally to chat a bit more about it.
      xo

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  20. What a beautiful Advent Spiral - where did you get it? We are adding a new tradition this year - my eldest two are making a wooden Advent Spiral with Grandpa in his workshop. It will take the place of our simple 4-candle wreath later in the Advent season. Also adding new books every year to our ever-growing stack of Christmas-season after-dinner reading.

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    1. Thank you. My hubby made it.

      How wonderful that your eldest two get to spend time in the workshop with Grandpa creating something that will no doubt be very meaningful for your family. Love that!

      Don't you just love bringing the Christmas books out, we did that last week, and little man was so excited! Enjoy the season.

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  21. Justin did a gorgeous job on your spiral (and on Mary, Joseph and the donkey too)! You should include some in your shop to sell! Just gorgeous!

    So many wonderful Advent traditions! I just love the Waldorf Advent verse. It has really helped Advent become something more "us"! Happy Advent, friends! xo

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    1. Thank you Shel. I am so pleased with it, and it looks gorgeous all lit up at dinner time.

      Happy Advent to you guys too! xo

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  22. what lovely traditions! i love your advent spiral. we have developed some traditions slowly over the years as well. i love this time of year and all of the tradition and thoughtfulness it brings.

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    1. Thank you, I am really enjoying the spiral and each night when we light it, it is exciting for all of us to light another candle.

      It certainly is a lovely time of year.

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