Advent

Advent...what a beautiful time of year!  A time of waiting, reflecting, preparing and traditions, but most of all a peaceful time to spend with family.  Advent takes us into the darkest part of winter and brings us a luminous light from within.

  I love lighting candles at dinner, making presents for friends and family, and opening a door on the Advent calendar each day; it makes Christmas more special for me.

Our main Advent tradition is "Mary's Star Path."  On top of a bookshelf, we lay out a "snowy" piece of fabric, and on it place a path of 24 gold paper stars, with bigger stars for each Sunday of Advent.  Mary, from our Nativity set, travels along this path each day drawing one star closer to the manger.

Each day, accompanied by a special song, Mary moves on to the 

next star, and the previous one finds a home in the "sky," a 
blue piece of fabric with little stars draped across the back of 
the scene.  During the first week the landscape is bare except 
for rocks, crystals and shells; the second week plants are 
added; the third, animals; and the fourth, people. 

   

"On the golden star path walking,
Mother Mary travels far, 
Brings to us the light of heaven, 
Brighter than the brightest star."

Oh, where do you come from,
You little flakes of snow?
Falling softly, falling softly,
To the earth below.
On the trees and the bushes,
On the mountains so far,
Tell me snowflakes,
Do you come from
Where the angels are? 

- Hedwig Haberkorn

Ida Bohatta