6 weeks to celebrate Christmas like a Catholic

Whether you are a believer or not, the month of December is a great time to ponder the question: Is God real? So many people out there hope in the ambiguous power of the universe. But they are selling themselves short: put your hope in the creator of the universe, not some universe that does not have ears to hear you or eyes to see you. You don’t have to be Catholic to celebrate Christmas like a Catholic!

If you only celebrate Christmas on December 25th you are missing out. Counter to popular belief, December 25th is just the beginning: The Song the 12 Days of Christmas is true! 

Christmas is the most festive season in the Americas: Our neighbors down south, party for 6 weeks and rightly so! The final day of Christmas is on January 6th and gifts can be exchanged again, and you celebrate with more food on the feast of the Epiphany! 

The first Sunday after November 30th, the feast day of Saint Andrew, kicks off the beginning of Advent. Then December 25th, marks the first day of the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! 

The Sunday after St. Andrew day is the first day of Advent, and when the festive count down to Christmas begins.

Before I get into celebrating Christmas as a Catholic, here are some things I want to highlight:

St. Andrew

First, Saint Andrew was the apostle who introduced Jesus to Saint Peter, his brother! It makes so much sense that his feast day (commemoration of the day of his martyrdom on a cross) be the introduction to Advent! As we celebrate the coming of God as a humble baby in a manger. 

The Manger

The manger brings Christmas full circle to Easter: The infant Jesus was placed in a manger, a manger is where farm animals eat their food! A foreshadowing of how Jesus would someday be food for us in the EUCHARIST! Now if you ever wondered if the Bible was truly Holy Spirit inspired this is just a one of infinite parallels found throughout the Bible. 

I hope that more people get to revel in the joy of this Christmas season and re-discover all the rich traditions Advent and Christmas originally brought so they don’t get lost for generations to come. 

Catholic Advent Spiritual Preparations

As soon as Advent starts I pray for guidance on how to celebrate it. 

Yes there are Advent wreaths and candle lighting in some Catholic homes. But to me an Advent wreath is a material symbol, much like a Christmas tree. To give an Advent wreath credit, it’s a way to set special time apart to honor God. To me there is more importantly inner preparations to celebrate and understand the meaning of Christmas. Understanding Christmas is important to properly serve God and also to teach our children properly about the most holy moment in which the word became flesh. 

1. Pray the joyful mysteries of the Rosary.

My goal during advent is to pray a whole rosary: 3 sets of joyful mysteries each day. Am I able to do this as a busy mom of 2 toddlers? Sometimes, on days when I am disciplined and choose to prioritize God instead of my desires. I can pray 2 rosaries (15 min each) before my children wake up. My first rosary is usually during that sleepless time in the early morning and my final rosary is prayed after they fall asleep, before any me time or night-time chores. My sacrifice of less sleep, less me-time and a messier home is a gift to God during Advent. 

Personally, meditating on the birth of Jesus Christ, I can’t help notice how imperative Mary was. God could have brought Jesus without Mary, but He chose to make Mary a living tabernacle for the nine-months in which she housed His most precious son. 

2. Make time to read the gospel of Luke.

I can’t read scripture everyday. I have very small children who need eye contact, attention and I have so much to do as all people do on top of the caring of my little humans. But if my Rosary is said, I will set aside 10 minutes for scripture before sleep. Meditating on the joyful mysteries is really hard without reading the gospel accounts. 

Other books related to the Nativity are the prophesies in the Old Testament related to the woman, the Messiah and the seed of David in Genesis and Isaiah. 

3. Fast and Abstain from meat on Fridays. 

Traditionally the third week of advent is a week of fasting. Fasting and abstaining from meat on each Friday in advent is my sacrifice and gift to God. Fasting helps me gain clarity, honor God and inwardly prepare myself for Christmas. The gospel of Matthew tells us we are called to do four things as Christians and one of those is fast. 

4. Novena to St. Joseph.

My children enjoy the book, Stair Case for the Sisters. It’s a great story and includes a simple novena to st. Joseph at the end. 

I like to revisit this book and novena during Advent and Christmas. 

There are many more traditional Christmas novenas. 

5. Hope

I pray for the conversion of those I love. I pray for the moms I know. I try to pray a Hail Mary for 10 people I love, to let Jesus into their heart and believe. 

I gift high quality paracord rosaries (they don’t break like chain rosaries) along with a generous gift card to those I love. If I ever give you a rosary, it means I love you and don’t want you to miss out on knowing Jesus. So far, people are really happy for the rosary and I usually get a big hug. 

Sincerely,

Laura