Six Months ‘till Christmas!
Happy Advent!
We just celebrated the Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist. As we celebrated, we remembered his words: that he must decrease, as Christ increases. And so fittingly in the liturgical calendar, his birth is marked on the longest day of the year. From now until Christ’s coming nativity, the hours of sunlight will ever-so-gradually decrease, only increasing again when the true Light brings his Light to the World!
While we’re not in the liturgical season of Advent quite yet, now begins our season of preparing this website for your (and our) 2026-27 celebration.
This year the landmark date of June 25th (six months until Christmas!) has special significance for us. Today is the birthday of Stephen’s mother, Joan, who has shared our home since Thanksgiving as we have provided care for mid-late stage dementia.
Early in her stay, we celebrated Advent with Joan. Many evenings we gathered for The Joy of Advent readings and carols, and I remembered how, two years earlier, we had carried those same readings and carols into the nursing home to share with my own mother who’d just suffered a life-altering stroke. In both cases, three generations were joined by a simple celebration. Even in Joan’s forgetfulness, and in my mother’s fight for recovery, one thing remained constant: the joy of Christ’s birth.
Advent is a time of preparation, of joyful waiting, reflection, of quiet and stillness. Most of us, amidst the business of December, do experience a moment or two of stillness—watching gently falling snow, gazing at holiday lights, listening to a favorite carol. I believe that is what we crave in midsummer’s endless sunlight. We long for the early dark, the magic of a glowing candle. We long for stillness, togetherness, remembering. We long for the return of the Light.
As I work through each devotional and add sections to our website, I long for stillness. In part because of the busy days of caretaking, meals, kids in and out of the house, but also because it is in stillness that I most clearly hear God’s voice.
We have six months until Christmas. Let’s take a moment. Turn off devices, set aside the paint cans, the golf clubs, the bag full of beach gear. Let’s be still for five minutes, ten, more, and listen for what our Lord might have to say, and let us carry his Light into the world.
Helping You Prepare
I (Rebecca) am a planner. I love lists and planners and organizers. Sometimes I overcomplicate life by over-planning (what’s that maxim? The surest way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans? I must make God laugh a lot!), but I’ve found that even a partially completed plan accomplishes more than no plan at all. So it will be no surprise that the Joy of Advent site has several posts with tips on holiday planning, including a downloadable Advent and Christmas Planning Workbook. We also have a full blog series in the works, which is currently being written by one of our contributing authors. Look for that soon, and you can check out the current posts below.
We’re also always updating our Christmas Shop. We offer signed book packages and printable downloads. The downloads have been designed to accompany our book and the Joy of Advent daily celebration on the website. Our hope is to help you simplify your Advent preparation!
Will You Help Us?
First…
We ask you to join us in prayer. Please add us to your prayer list, as well as our wonderful contributors.
Second…
We ask that you share our website and our books! If you’ve read the book Stephen and I wrote together, The Joy of Advent, or the my Epiphany book, One Star, Three Kings, please review them on Amazon. These reviews have a huge impact on how the algorithms showcase the books to buyers.
Finally…
As we continue to create resources to encourage families to move closer to Christ, we welcome your contributions, which go directly to the costs of running a website without pop-ups or paid promotional posts!
Resources
If you’re looking for summer activities, consider making Jesse Tree ornaments to accompany your readings! Find tutorials and ideas from simple to advanced at our Jesse Tree Ornaments Pinterest board. Find more resources below:
