The Advent Wreath

The woman who was 'hosting' the late-August yardsale must have been fond of candles, at some point.

She had an entire table full of the decorative sort that sell for big bucks at the 

tourist shops in vacation towns, priced for pennies. Maybe she finally got tired of dusting them? 

Perhaps she needed space on the holiday decor shelf?

Maybe her husband is a closet candle hoarder, and selling them was her sweet revenge.

Who knows - I bought a bunch of them with this in mind - 

a cheap and lovely advent wreath.

I've never done an advent wreath, neither formal or informal like this one, but have always wanted to.

While lighting one candle each Sunday of December, attention is focused on the 

coming of the Christ child and the anticipation of His second coming. 

More on the history of the advent tradition here.*

In my imagination, my family would have a deep spiritual experience while lighting and 

pondering the two advents. We might talk about our hopes and fears, 

sing "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel", and take turns reading scriptures aloud. 

Of course, that is NOT the way it went.

There was a minor skirmish over who would light the candles, 

confusion around how to use the unfamiliar lighter which required 

pressing two switches in perfect coordination, and intense dinnertime hunger 

which completely blocked any soul-scraping discussions.  

I should know better than to spin expectations by now - I'm no rookie, after all.  

So it was what it was, and I pondered my own advent 

thoughts while passing the ranch dressing and dishing the potatoes.

I was reminded again of the wisdom of this little girl.