The Advent of Advent!

My son and daughter at St. Mary Church, German Village
with one of my favorite Advent Wreaths.

I have to admit, I love Advent. I love the restrained joy of preparation for the coming of Jesus. I love the music and I love the spirit of the season.

No really. I do!

There is something about Advent that gets me thinking about the joy of the Unexpected. The Birth of the Messiah was a gift that was expected. Oh yes! But the presentation wasn't quite the way it had been envisioned. There were Angels singing. There was that amazing Star of Bethlehem. But then there were those smelly shepherds, too. And a manger? I can just see First Century Martha Stewart-ish types thinking, "Surely we could have done better..."

But, isn't that always the way, though: We all have a vision for our Christmases and they are never quite what we imagine that they will be. I have found, that if I relax and let God take the lead, Christmas always turns out for the best. That's because God knows me, and He knows just precisely what I need. No matter how much planning I put in or how much control I assume on myself, there is always a glitch. But it's there for a reason. God is always making the crooked straight. I think that's what Advent is all about: Letting God make the crooked ways straight so Jesus has a place to dwell when he comes to us.

So, to prepare for Advent I've got a couple of things cooking:

Over at "The Beautiful Music Challenge" today, I am continuing my series "10 Hymns You Should Know" with two Advent Hymns to get ready for the beginning of the Advent Season this Sunday. Join in the fun with your family. Music is a great way to teach about the real Gift of Christmas!

And, over at CatholicMom.com, they're hosting an Advent Wreath Link-up starting on December 9th. Read all about it here and then get ready to join in the fun. Last year, my Advent Wreath was in deep storage and I had to improvise a little. But it was so much fun, I think I'm going to get creative again. I'll be hitting Pinterest for ideas later on!