The Tradition Explained

What is the Advent Bag and Box Tradition
How it Works
Candle Order for 2009
What You Need to Get Started
Suggestions for Doing the Tradition

NEW in 2009! Advent Planning Calendar (PDF)

What is the Advent Bag and Box Tradition?

For each of the twenty-five days of December there is a candle to light for Hope, Peace, Love, Joy or Light, an inspirational message (of your choosing) to read, and a card with an activity related to kindness, giving or family fun. The activity card for the day is pulled from the Advent Bag or Box each morning or the evening before.

As the month progresses and we perform acts of kindness, giving, secret giving and family connection, the Spirit of Christmas grows inside us.

The most important thing to remember is: there are no rules or ways it “has” to be done!

There are certain key elements (the bolded text in the “How it Works” section below) that make the tradition all that it is; but, my hope is that you will customize the tradition to work for your family and your personality.

How it Works

The first night, December 1:

The family, individual or couple, gather around a wreath (or some version thereof) with five unlit candles. There are usually four candles of one color that are placed on the wreath and a fifth white candle that is placed in the center.

One person lights the first candle and says, “I light this candle for Hope.”

Another person reads a quote or short inspirational thought.

Everyone takes a moment to reflect and give their thoughts on the reading. Even little kids are able to participate in this.

Another person opens the Advent Bag or Box and pulls out the Activity Card for the day.
After discussing, doing or planning for the Activity Card in the Bag or Box, everyone joins hands and closes with a word of gratitude or a prayer, depending on your inclinations.

One person snuffs out the candle saying: “Though I snuff out this candle for Hope, we know the Hope never goes out because we are the Hope.”

And so it continues until Sunday arrives and another candle is added (new candles are added on Sundays) and lit for Peace. For the following week two candles will be lit:

“I light this candle for Hope. I light this candle for Peace”.

And so it continues night after night. With each successive week of Advent another candle is added.

On December 25th, the center candle is lit.

Candle Order for 2009

December 1 - 5	HOPE
December 6-12	PEACE
December 13-19	LOVE
December 20 - 24	JOY
December 25	LIGHT

What you need to get started

Five Candles
- Traditionally four candles of one color are placed on the wreath and a candle of a different color is placed in the center. We tend to use red or green candles for the outer four and white or cream for the center candle.
Something to put the candles in.
- There are gold advent rings with four candle-holders built in to the ring that you can use “as is” or decorate by wiring greens to it. If you use one of these you will need a candle holder for the center candle.
- You can find wire and foam forms to make wreaths at craft stores. You can build candle-holders into these wreaths or simply put the candles in separate candle holders and place them around the inside of the wreath.
- There are candelabras that accommodate a high center candle surrounded by four lower candles. We “got” one at a “White Elephant Gift Exchange” years ago and we've been using it ever since.
- You can simply use five candles in individual holders of your choice.
Matches or something to light the candles.
A candle snuffer - Highly recommended to avoid getting wax on tables and carpet.
Inspirational Readings - There are lots of books with inspirational readings and quotes you can use. If you are a member of an organized religion they may publish a booklet of Advent Readings you could use. Or you can print readings from this website.
Advent Activity Cards
- You can buy a set of Advent Activity Cards from this website or make your own using the backs of old Christmas Cards. Or you can simply fold up little pieces of paper with the Advent Activity of your choice written inside them.
- The important thing is to keep the focus on activities that involve giving, secret giving, kindness and family fun!
An Advent Bag or Advent Box or something to put the Activity Card (or Cards) in.
- Advent Bag
  - You can make your own bag from scratch and make it whatever size you want it to be.
  - If you don’t sew, simply use a Christmas Stocking, gift bag, decorated paper bag, or even a favorite purse, sock or backpack!
  - We also have several you can order from this website.
- Advent Box
  - If you prefer to use a box, you can decorate a shoe box, use an existing advent calendar box, or use a favorite jewelry, gift or trinket box.
- Many people use sealed envelopes numbered from 1 - 25 into which they’ve put the Advent Activity Cards. They keep the envelopes in a box, basket or Advent Bag and open the appropriate envelope for the corresponding day of December.
It's never too late to start! If you begin after December 1st, for instance on December 17, simply light the candles for Hope, Peace and Love; then, on December 21, add the next candle for Joy (see Candle Order above ).

Now you have everything you need to bring the Advent Bag and Box Tradition into your home!

Suggestions for doing the Tradition

Keep it short and sweet!
- Don’t take a long time discussing the reading - especially if there are kids involved.
- Do the Advent Activity after the circle has closed. It’s fine to discuss what, when or how to do the activity but save the actual, “doing”, for afterwards.
Keep the activities appropriate for the ages of the participants.
- When kids are little, do more activities that involve physical activity: sharing treats, reading stories, tea parties, inviting friends to play, giving to the food bank, playing a family game, going to see the lights etc...
- As kids get older, add more giving activities that involve; compliments, good deeds, and giving to a charity. They love the secret giving activities: Drop a Dollar, Super Secret Special Surprise, being Santa’s Elves etc...
When doing the Tradition by yourself or with your spouse, the time becomes more reflective. There are several benefits to doing the Advent Tradition this way.
- You get to do whatever you want!
- The readings and discussion can be more intimate.
- The Advent Activities can be more about giving service, giving to charities, or giving the intangibles like: time, attention, patience, forgiveness etc..
Keep the Advent Activity Cards you have pulled from the bag, box or envelope, where you can see them: on a mantle or a shelf, on the refrigerator or a white board with magnets or push-pinned to a bulletin board. As the days progress and you see the Advent Activities you’ve done accumulating around you - it creates a subtle but tangible undercurrent in your home that is filled with the Christmas Spirit.

Remember: KEEP IT FUN and THERE ARE NO RULES!!

If you miss a night, so be it. Continue on the next night or whenever next you can.
If everyone can’t be there, then do it with whoever is there and do the whole thing!
If you can’t do the activities as you planned - just flow with what comes along. It all gets done eventually.
If the demands of the season are starting to stress you out:
- DELEGATE - if that doesn’t work then
- SIMPLIFY - if that doesn’t work then
- ELIMINATE! then
- BOLDLY DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO KEEP SMILING!

Wishing you a wonderful and magical Holiday Season that is filled with the Hope, Peace, Love and Joy that bring the Christmas Spirit into your heart and home.