Monday, November 30, 2015

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 ~



On Saturday night, once my little man was sound asleep, I spent time preparing our home for Advent. Our dining table was cleared, and placed in the center was our Advent spiral along with our carvings of Joseph and Mary. Every day another candle will be lit as we say our Advent verse, and Joseph and Mary will travel along on their journey. We added this Advent spiral to our traditions last year, and it was definitely a highlight for both Reece and I. When he woke yesterday morning he was so happy to see the spiral, and couldn't wait for us to light our first candle.

I also changed our nature table, creating a rock spiral. Each day Reece replaces one rock with a star as we travel the path towards Christmas. I love this and it allows Reece to be actively involved in this journey. As we reach the end of the spiral a wooden cut out of Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus will be added to the nature table.

Our reading during the Advent season this year will include two books. The first is The Light of the Lantern, Stories for Advent. I so enjoyed reading these stories with Reece last year, and look forward to reading them with him again this season. The second book we will read from is Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, A Family Celebration of Christmas. We will of course be reading many other books through this season, books about St. Nicholas will make appearance, as well as many other winter and Christmas related books. As I pulled out our seasonal books yesterday Reece excitedly sat looking through each one, remembering them with a big smile on his face. He was so happy to see them all again.

Rhythm and ritual are big parts of my life with Reece. They guide us through our year, and bring us closer to the earth, her seasons, and the festivals and celebrations that flow through the year. Over the years we have slowly found the rituals that feel right to us, and help guide us through each season, and we welcome them each year with much joy.

How do you celebrate Advent in your home?

39 comments:

  1. How beautiful Kim, I love your spiral! Since we live in Vienna we always spend the first of Advent at our churchs Christmasfair. This year, in a new location it was a huge success And although completely exhausted we are very happy and satisfied with the result. For our family, I always make an advent calendar with little gifts for each day, the calendar was made for me by my mother in the sixties, so it bears many, many memories with it and has now made memories for my children.

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    1. Thank you Karin-Ida. So happy to hear the fair was a success. How lovely to have the Advent calendar from your childhood to share with your family now. Beautiful.

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  2. What a beautiful way to celebrate advent!

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  3. We use to always do a Jesse Tree when my children were growing up. Now for Advent Alex and I read the book our church puts out each year.
    I love the rituals you and Reece share Kim, they really are special.

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    1. Yes, I know others who do a Jesse Tree as well. Thank you Tracey, they feel special, and so very right for this path the two of us are walking.

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  4. Ah yes, my little ones are eager to "deck the halls" with all our traditional decorations. Most especially our Nativity creche. And our Christmas books, like The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. :) Wishing you both much joy and peace during this season.

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    1. Thank you my friend, wishing the same for you and your beautiful family. xo

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  5. I really enjoyed reading about your Advent traditions, Kim. I always think that you seem to be very connected with the seasons in everything you do.

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    1. Thank you for those very kind words Jennifer. Connecting to the seasons is so very important to me for many reasons, and I love that it comes through in my posts.

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  6. I love your advent spiral it's beautiful. We changed our seasonal table today for Advent, creating our star path, adding the crystals and rocks we used as part of our story from the Festival of Stones by Reg Down. Like you will we will also be reading other stories and poems.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, we read the Festival of Stones too. Reece just got it for his birthday, so this is the first season it will be part of Advent for us. You can't go wrong having Tiptoes Lightly and crew along for the celebration :)

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  7. I love your advent spiral, what a lovely idea :) I love getting out our favorite seasonal books and decorations, they bring back so many memories.

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    1. Thank you Suzy Mae :) We are finally at that stage, that the books and decorations are bringing back memories for both Reece and I, and it is so exciting. I loved seeing him looking at the books yesterday, remembering them from previous years. So much fun!

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  8. I like your advent spiral.

    We have an advent calendar my wife made of felt - the top is a Christmas tree, the bottom is numbered pockets which hold 'decorations' for the felt tree.

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    1. Thank you Matt. How fun, I bet it is lovely, and I am sure your kiddos love it! Will you share it on the blog?

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  9. I absolutely adore the idea of the spiral of rocks being replaced by stars each day! I might have to borrow that idea (even though we'll be a couple of days late)! I'm hoping to add Mary and the spiral into our rhythm too (just ordered mary on the donkey today. The spiral is out of stock)! I adore advent and it's lovely peaceful feeling! Thank you for sharing your traditions and inspiring me! xo

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    1. Thanks Shel. That idea came to me in the middle of the night last year, just before the start of Advent, and Reece loved participating in the journey that way. He was excited to see the rock spiral on the nature table on Sunday morning, and a star waiting with his Advent gnome. Feel free to borrow it, I think your girls would love it too.

      xo

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  10. I adore the Advent spiral and the Steiner poem is beautiful! We have an Advent wreath that I decorate differently every year. The girls also have Advent calendars that I made for them when they were little, as well as a fabric one my mom got for them. It's a felt tree and every day another ornament gets placed on or below the tree. I asked them when I got the decorations out if they still wanted it hung up and got two resounding "yes's" . :-)

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    1. Thank you Anke. That is so awesome that they still wanted their Advent calendar hung up, I hope my little man feels the same way when he reaches their ages.

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  11. Can you believe it's advent? I cannot. Lovely photo ad the lights and the emotions in the photo :)

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    1. Honestly, I can't, but I have to admit I am glad it is here. This season is the perfect time to be moving through the transition we are in the midst of. Thank you Karen.

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  12. So lovely! Thank you for sharing! For the past couple of years we have created Mary's Star Path with stars constructed from cardboard and painted with gold and sparkles placed on a homemade runner of burlap (from an old coffee burlap bag). The stars guide wooden figures of Mary, Joseph and a donkey towards our wooden nativity set where an empty wooden cradle awaits the birth of Jesus. As Mary and Joseph travel the path a star travels to the "sky" - a bluish/white piece of cloth. Candles are placed along the path for each Sunday of Advent. Yesterday stones and shells were place around the first candle. We also sing an Advent song that the kids are taught at their school. I love this time of year. It is so magical! My kiddies also have beautiful hand sewn Advent calendars with pockets. I splurged this year and will be filling them with little Lego (from Lego Calendar sets) and the occasional sweet treat...my kiddes are Lego fanatics these days!

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    1. It is such a magical time of year, isn't it? I love how you celebrate Advent, and bring it to life for your kiddos, it all sounds so beautiful. Hope you guys are all well. Any plans for a trip this way anytime soon, it would be lovely to catch up in person again :)

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    2. Thanks, Kim! It really is beautiful. No plans as of yet, however Josh is going away on tour again in February so perhaps the kids and I will have to plan a little get-a-way, your way! :)

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    3. Oh yes, let's talk in the New Year, that would be so much fun.

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  13. What a great idea Kim! I love this gentle and natural way to walk in Advent! Please allow me to inspire me the way you do <3

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  14. I love this, and the simple reflection of all that you do and the way it returns again each year to nourishes your souls. It is much the same for us!

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  15. I do so love that spiral! I like how moveable it is!

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  16. Happy Advent Adventures! We always read the Light in.the Lantern too. And as we started it this week, I feel also that this time my daughter "remembers" it as she finds stones to bring in from outside to the nature table. It finally feels like tradition is starting to take hold.

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    1. It is a good feeling when the traditions start to take hold for our kiddos, isn't it? It is the same here this year and it feels so wonderful.

      Enjoy your Advent my friend. xo

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  17. Such beauty in your holiday tradition my friend. I love reading about all your work. Everything you do is always so mindful, inspiring. Thank you for sharing your special times with us. xo

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  18. we, as you know, now have a most similar spiral and were so happy to unpack it and place on the table a few days ago! ours is covered with bones and crystals and stones right now, and we add candles daily. next week we'll cover it with plants, etc. we use the same Steiner verse as well. Claire also has a paper-pocket advent calendar strung up on the wall outside the door to her room and each day I tuck a slip of paper inside with something fun for us to do, or a service project, etc. Much like the little messages your wee gnome delivers, I'm guessing :) cheers!

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    1. Yes, I know! So happy to know the spiral is part of your Advent season. Enjoy the season my friend.

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  19. What a beautiful spiral, your seasonal rituals are always so lovely. We are very much enjoying our Christmas books again, and planning on decorating at the weekend.

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    1. Thanks Sally, I feel like we are finally into a groove with our rituals, and although Reece and I will make a few changes now that it is just the two of us, a lot of them will stick because we both enjoy them so much. Hope you guys are enjoying the season, and all those Christmas books :)

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