Monday, December 03, 2007

Not driving to Dollar Tree

As you can see, I've still not put an Advent wreath together. All summer long I neglected my search for purple candles. Looks like we'll be making our own version again this year.

14 comments:

~Babychaser~ said...

I've always wondered... why purple candles? The Advent candle holder my aunt sent several years ago has them, but I've never known why. :)

Any idea?

LA said...

I like your homemade version, very pretty.

Cheers! LA

Saralyn said...

At our house blue is a shade of purple! Besides, it's not the color of the candle that counts, right?

Anonymous said...

Where I live (UK) the tradition is to use red candles, and a white one on Christmas day

TheNormalMiddle said...

My advent wreath (homemade) is in storage, along with 80-90% of our life. I am having a very bare bones Christmas, but I'm trying to focus on the REASON and not the beautiful decorations. Sounds easy enough, but it has been quite hard for me!!!!

Lisa B. said...

I'm sure you will come up with something lovely!

Monica Wilkinson said...

We're using vanilla votives - hopefully, keeping the tradition is more important than the candles!

JavaMama said...

Very creative... I am having a hard time finding purple candles for our advent wreath and may have to resort to being creative as well. Thanks for the idea! This is our first year to do the advent wreath.

JOYfully in Him,
Kelli

Catherine said...

My church sells purple candles at advent time each year. Three purple and one pink (for gaudete sunday) for $3, plus the circular brass holder for $4 if you need it. The Catholic Church observes the season of advent very formally. Try calling your local catholic parish and ask if they sell the candles, or know where to get them.

To answer the question about purple, purple is the color for the liturgical season of advent. Green is for "ordinary time," white for the Christmas season (STARTING on Dec. 25--the vatican leaves Christmas decorations and the white hangings up until late January, the feast of John the Baptist) and for the easter season, purple again for lent, and red for Good Friday and the feast days of martyrs.

In our house, we make Christmas more special by waiting to put up and decorate our tree, and keeping the season of advent low key. I also have a purple tablecloth I like to use during advent.

Meredith said...

The color of the candles is important--though not essential--to my Catholic tradition.

Each Sunday a new candle is lit on the Advent wreath at church, and I like to have our home wreath look the same--so that my small children understand the connection.

Purple is a penitential color, just as Advent is not the celebration of Christ's coming, but the season of PREPARATION for Christ.

That's why you see three purple candles and then the rose color on the third Sunday, in which we rejoice that Christmas is almost here.

After Advent the real Christmas season begins, in the space between Christmas and Epiphany.

I'll be the first to admit that these two seasons are blurred in our home. I like to take the tree down well before New Year, for instance. But the Advent Wreath--as traditional as we can make it--is one reminder that all the celebrating doesn't start until we mark His birth.

Meredith said...

Catherine, we were posting at the same time! Thanks for reminding our readers that the local Catholic church is a good resource.

I missed the Advent wreath kits this year, but I could always go to the Catholic bookstore for a ready supply.

That is, if I were energetic enough to drive across town first!

Catherine said...

Meredith, LOL. I didn't realize that this was a stealth Catholic blog! One more reason to enjoy. :-)

Roberta said...

I picked up a pack of advent candles at Joann Fabrics...3 purple, 1 pink for 1.50. I did not know you could buy them, so this is our first year using them.

TJ said...

I posted earlier, but it isn't up... hmmm

Thank you all for the lesson on Advent. This non-denominational Christian girl was pretty lost on the meaning of purple, or even much of the meaning of advent.

My mother bought me a second hand copy of "52 Simple ways to make Christmas Special" (I think that's the title) I think many of you would enjoy it, as it has special activities for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. I was lost on what the difference was, until just now. It includes devotional ideas like special prayers, and activities for the family.