The countdown to Christmas begins with Advent ….

How suddenly the festive season comes upon us - once again, the first of the Advent Sundays falls in November & this day always heralds in the start of the festive season for me.

 It marks the first of the four Sunday's leading up to Christmas & is the perfect reminder to observe the real meaning of Christmas; not easy when the commercial message is so powerful with hugely expensive adverts competing for our patronage. This is a message I reflect on each year ...

However, setting limits on gift spending make it more about the occasion & take some of the stress out of the event with this helpful article …

If you light a candle on this first Sunday, just pause & then steer Christmas in the direction you want.  Embrace ideas that you would like to become family traditions & which will mark Christmas in your family for years to come.

I light candles in my Ethiopian candle holders for the Advent Sundays - a reminder of the deep devotion of the Coptic Ethiopians which touched me greatly on our many visits there …

We will soon be following traditions started by my late Mother in filing the girls (now both in their 20's)  advent calendars to give to them & burning a nightly advent candle. I like to just spend a few minutes each night being thankful & reflective while watching it burn …

Traditions last through the generations, they are the threads that bind us in a common history.

Be blessed as we celebrate the first of the four Advent Sundays!
Dee ~♥~