Welcome St John the Baptist Family!

Our Catholic Faith

Grades 6-8

January 21, 2026

Parents,

Advent Customs, Traditions, and Feasts

Advent is a time to get ready for Jesus’ birthday!

It starts about four weeks before Christmas. Each week, we light a candle on a special wreath called an Advent wreath. The candles remind us of hope, peace, joy, and love.

During Advent, we pray, sing, and do kind things to prepare our hearts for Jesus. Just like we get ready for a party, we get ready for Christmas by thinking about how much God loves us and how Jesus came to bring light to the world.

This month, we will be looking at several customs and traditions we, as Catholics, participate in during the season of Advent and Christmas. There are several saints and feast days we celebrate during the month of December.

Advent

The church season of Advent is a time to look forward to the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Traditionally, the church has focused on the four themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Let’s consider each theme’s meaning for you this year.

You are probably eagerly anticipating the gifts you will receive this year.

While these are important moments, the time before Christmas is when Christians worldwide take time to honor why there is a Christmas season. Advent is a time to reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice for everyone.

How can you experience more hope, peace, joy, and love this year? Let’s find out together.

The Scriptural Foundations of Advent

Advent is the season of the church year that begins after Thanksgiving and lasts until Christmas Day. On the calendar, It is December 1 – December 24 (Christmas Eve).

Advent lasts four weeks and technically continues past Christmas on December 25, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth and Epiphany (the wise men’s visit) on January 6.

“Advent” is derived from the Latin word for “coming”. We reflect on Jesus’ coming at Christmas and prepare for when Jesus comes again on the Last Day.

Luke 2 describes the events leading up to Jesus’ birth. While the term “Advent” isn’t in the Bible, it makes sense that the church has traditionally focused on Jesus’ birth during this time of year.

Keep reading for the four themes and how you can experience them.

The Four Themes of Advent

·Hope (purple candle)

“Hope” is expectant anticipation. Biblical hope differs from how we use the word in today’s culture.

When we use the word “hope,” it often means a wish.

I hope it doesn’t rain on Friday for our game.
I hope my favorite team wins the Super Bowl.
I hope I get good grades this semester.

These are wishes.

Christian hope is different because we trust the God of the universe. God never changes, He is trustworthy, and what He says always comes true.

In the Bible, there are many stories of people looking for hope. Abraham and Sarah hoped for a baby. Abraham was 100 years old before God gave him the son he hoped for (Sarah was 99!). There’s no better place to look for hope than in the birth and life of Jesus Christ.

·Peace (purple candle)

We all want to experience peace and not strife or upset in our lives but how do we get it? When we become a new creation in Jesus, we are asking for peace.

In Philippians 4:7, we are told, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

·Joy (purple candle)

When we hear the word “joy,” we often think of being happy and the two words do go together.

However, true joy which is a choice, is found only in our relationship with Jesus and not in our circumstances, which tend to change and so will our emotions.

True joy is based on a “who” and not a “what” if it makes it easier to understand how it works.

We know in the Apostle Paul’s life that he endured beatings and imprisonments for his preaching about Jesus. We would think he wouldn’t have joy or happiness, but we would be wrong.

For Paul said, “Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.” (Philippians 3:1)

We are to choose joy in whatever may come our way. Advent causes us to pause and reflect on our lives and what we look forward to— hope and peace.

·Love (pink candle)

We have heard the word “love” thrown around, whether in our personal lives (“I love pizza!”) to movies and songs. It’s based more on emotions than on commitment.

The Bible explains that love isn’t dependent on how we feel (emotions) but on extending ourselves for the well-being of another.

We all have heard this Bible verse: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

Customs and Traditions

Advent Wreath

The use of the Advent wreath with four candles has been an Advent ritual for hundreds of years. The Advent wreath is a symbol of the 4-week wait for Jesus’ birth. The green branches remind us of the new life we have in Jesus, the circle represents the eternity of God’s love for us (with no beginning and no end), and the candles represent the light and hope Jesus brings into a dark world.

If you do not have an Advent Wreath at home, here are some ideas for making your own.

Press the "Advent Wreath" button for the ideas.

Advent Wreaths

Christmas Tree

One of the earliest legends of the Christmas tree is told about St. Wilfrid, a bishop born about 634 in Northumberland in what is now England. Most of the people he served were not Christians, but Druids. They worshipped oak trees and held all their sacred ceremonies in oak groves. On stone tablets in the grove, they offered sacrifices, sometimes human sacrifices. Wilfrid went about preaching Christ crucified, and many Druids came to believe in the risen Lord. But they found it hard to leave the old ways behind. One day, it is said, Wilfrid was with a crowd of newly baptized Christians in an oak forest. He took an ax and chopped down a giant oak tree. This must have been shocking for the people watching. Even if they no longer believed that oak trees were gods, they were still used to seeing them reverenced, not cut down.

The Poinsettia Flower

There are many stories of poor people who want to give a gift to the Christ Child, but who have nothing to offer. One of these legends comes from Mexico. Maria was the child of poor farmers. It was the custom in her village for each person to bring a gift to Mass on Christmas Eve and place it before the Christ Child in the manger. Maria had nothing and she was ashamed, for she loved the Child Jesus. As she walked to Mass, she saw some weeds growing along the road. She picked up an armful and carried them with her into church. But once she saw all the beautiful gifts before the creche, she hung back, embarrassed by her lowly offering. Only the prompting of her parish priest caused her to come forward and offer her weeds to Jesus. She closed her eyes and knelt in prayer before the Christ Child.

When Maria opened her eyes, she saw that her bouquet had been transformed. There, before her, were flowers of brilliant red. The petals of what we know as the poinsettia flower formed a star shape, like the star of Bethlehem. From that day to this, these flowers are called Las Flores de Noche Buena, the “Flowers of the Holy Night.”

Mistletoe

The legend of kissing under the mistletoe began with ancient Norse mythology and later evolved through Celtic and Roman traditions.

In Norse myth, mistletoe played a tragic role in the death of the beloved god Baldur, who was slain by an arrow made of the plant. His mother Frigg, the goddess of love, vowed that mistletoe would henceforth bring love rather than harm, promising a kiss to anyone who passed beneath it. The Celts and Romans also revered mistletoe for its mystical and healing properties, associating it with fertility and peace. Over time, these beliefs merged into the Christmas custom we know today, where mistletoe became a symbol of romance and goodwill during the holiday season.

Candy Cane

The shepherd’s crook, representing the Nativity’s first witnesses and Christ the Good Shepherd, inspired the candy cane. Its alternating white and red stripes represent the Lord’s purity and sacrifice, even as the same colors do liturgically. It’s lively peppermint flavor stands for the royal gift of spice. Finally, like the Body of Christ itself, the candy cane is given to be broken and shared.

Christmas Holly

The bright green leaves and red berries, well into the cold season, make holly right for Christmas. Its symbolism, however, is much deeper. For the early Christians, it was not only reminiscent of the burning bush seen by Moses, but prophetic as well: In the face of Christmas sentimentality, it foretells, with its prickly points and drops of blood-like berries, Christ’s crown of thorns. According to ancient legend, its berries were once yellow, but were stained permanently red by Christ’s blood, since it was used to fashion the Savior’s crown of thorns.

The Creche

The story of the first creche comes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. In December 1223, Francis was visiting Grecio, a town in the mountains of Italy. He realized that the local Franciscan hermitage was too small to hold the people who wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve Mass. So, Francis found a rock cavern, before which he placed a stone altar for the priest. Inside the cavern, before which he placed a live ox and donkey amid piles of hay. It is said that the worshippers saw the infant Jesus lying there, though Francis had brought no baby to the scene, and the infant’s holiness shone through him and fell upon those gathered in the darkness.

The Manger is Spared

Christian pilgrims began going to the place where Jesus was born as early as the second century. The Roman empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, built a church over the site in AD 339, and it was called the Church of the Nativity. When war came to Bethlehem several centuries later, Persian soldiers invaded the church to destroy it. According to Palestinian legend, the soldiers saw a painting on one wall of the church. It showed the magi, the Three Kings, all in Persian dress, The soldiers retreated, and many of the elaborate floor mosaics were spared. They can be seen today in the Church of the Nativity, rebuilt on the same site in AD 565 by the emperor Justinian.

Advent and Christmas Music

Hymns and songs such as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel are sung. Christmas carols not only remind us of the meaning of the feast, but the melodies fill our hearts with the memories, the feelings, the experience of Christmas. It is fitting to stop our busy preparations from time to time to savor the holy songs of the feast. These activities encourage hearing Christmas carols as prayer.

Jesse tree

A tree or branch decorated with symbols representing the ancestors of Jesus and key events leading to His birth. Each ornament corresponds to a Bible story read each day of Advent.

Advent Calendar

A calendar with 24 windows, doors, cards with numbers and decorations, opened daily from December 1 to 24. It helps families and children count down the days until Christmas, building anticipation for Christ's birth. Each day may reveal a scripture verse, prayer, picture, or small treat.

Advent Calendar

Look through the examples of an Advent Calendar. As a family in preparation for the coming of Jesus, discuss the customs and traditions. Talk about which one your family could make and do the activities of that calendar. Make your calendar before Advent starts.

(Press "Advent Calendar" to find the ideas.)

Las Posadas

"Las Posadas" is a nine-day celebration before Christmas. The word posada means "lodging" in Spanish. For nine evenings, two people (Mary and Joseph) lead a procession as they seek to find shelter. They go to a particular house and hear "No, we have no room." When the "innkeeper" finally lets them in, everyone comes inside for a festive evening, beinning with prayer.

Feast Days

Dec. 6 – St. Nicholas

In the city by the sea, the people were hungry because so little food had grown that year. One day, a ship came into the harbor, filled with grain for the powerful emperor. Bishop Nicholas went to the ship’s captain. “My people need food, and the emperor has plenty,” Nicholas said. “Please give us some grain. I promise you will not have any missing when you get to the emperor.” This was impossible! And the captain would be punished when the emperor found the grain missing. Still, he left some grain for the people. That grain supply lasted until food grew once again! And the ship was not missing any grain! Bishop Nicholas miraculously kept his promise.

Dec. 8 –Feast of the Immaculate Conception

On this day, we celebrate and honor the holiness and innocence of Mary. Catholics believe that Mary was at her conception free of sin. She was free of original sin and therefore pure enough to be the mother of Jesus. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation, and all Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass.

Dec. 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe

In the sixteenth century, in Mexico, the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant named Juan Diego. She spoke to him in his native Indian dialect and asked that a shrine be built in her honor. She showed two signs: Juan Diego found roses in December, and on his cloak was left the beautiful picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady’s shrine in Mexico City is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

Dec. 13 – St. Lucy

St. Lucy, whose name means light, was often called the patron saint of the light of the body or the eyes. People prayed to her for help with eye diseases.

Dec. 28 – The Holy Innocents

Following the birth of Jesus, King Herod was very threatened by the possibility that a new king had been born. He ordered all baby boys under the age of 2 years old to be killed. It is thought that this massacre went on for two years. Because Bethlehem was such a small town, modern historians believe that fifteen to twenty babies were killed during this time. The Church has referred to these babies as the first martyrs of Christ, and hence the observance of this day.

December 25 – Christmas Day

What a wonderful gift God gave us on Christmas. For over 2000 years, Christians have celebrated the birth of God’s Son in a lowly stable in Bethlehem.

Sunday after Christmas – Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

This feast is dedicated to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and their life together as a family.

This may not be a complete list and explanation of Advent and Christmas customs and traditions, but hopefully, this will encourage you and your family to take part in the anticipation and preparation for the coming of our Lord.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,

We welcome You into our hearts and our home.

Thank you for coming to be with us.

May our lives reflect Your love and peace. Amen.

Have a wonderful holiday in December. Enjoy your time with your family and Jesus.

Don't forget to come to our Christmas Party on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

We will see you back in January.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse