I can’t believe it.
We are officially beginning a new Liturgical Year. This year has gone by so fast.
Advent is here. It’s time to start the St. Andrew’s Novena, break out the Advent wreath and prepare ourselves, our families and our homes for Christmas.
St. Andrew’s Novena
Starting just before Advent is the St. Andrew’s novena. It’s a little different from a normal novena simply because it lasts longer than 9 days. This novena starts on November 30th, the feast of St. Andrew which is where it gets its name, and goes all the way to December 24th, Christmas Eve.
The St. Andrew’s novena is 15 times every day. You can say them all at once or you can break it up. I have done it both ways.
Probably the best time to say it though is with the family Rosary. The whole family can say it together and you’re less likely to forget about it.
I also recommend choosing an intention for the whole family. You can of course choose private intentions, but I definitely would encourage you to pick something for the whole family, especially if y’all are saying the novena together every day.
I have the St. Andrew’s Novena for you right here.
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my petitions, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath is probably the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of us when we think about this season, and I would have to say that it’s my favorite Advent tradition.
I made the wreath that we use and it becomes the centerpiece on our table for the next four weeks.
At supper, we light the appropriate candles and sing a couple verses from an advent hymn. We then have a candlelit supper.
We just started this tradition last year, but I have to say that I’m really looking forward to it and I highly recommended that y’all give it a try too. There is something so peaceful and relaxing about a candlelit supper.
The Nativity
Another Advent tradition we have is gradually setting up the Nativity scene week by week. Every week of Advent, I bring out a piece of the nativity set.
The first week of advent, I set the out stable. We place our Nativity scene on our piano and it really makes the perfect spot for it.
The second week of Advent, I set out the animals. Our set has a donkey and a cow.
The third week of Advent, I set out the shepherds and their sheep.
And on the fourth week of Advent on Christmas Eve just before leaving to go to midnight mass, we set up the Holy Family and sing our first Christmas carol of the season.
During the first three weeks of Advent, I also have Mary and Joesph traveling throughout the house on their journey to Bethlehem. I try to have them go through all of the rooms before they make it to the living room which is where the stable is.
Collecting Straw
The final Advent tradition for my family is that we collect straw to place in the stable.
We collect the straw by making sacrifices. For every sacrifice we make, we get to add a piece of straw to the jar.
On Christmas Eve when we finish setting up the Nativity, we will put the straw all around to help make the stable warmer and more inviting for the Holy Family.
This one is really simple to do and it can be a great way to help teach young children about making sacrifices.
Let’s Get Ready For The Birth Of Our Savior
With all of these reminders around the house, it really helps me to focus on the time of year and to make sure that I take the time to prepare myself for Jesus’ birth.
I really hope your family has some great Advent traditions and if not, I hope I’ve given you some good ideas that your family would love to try and make your own traditions.
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