Advent is the time period from December 1st to December 24th that identifies the days and weeks that come before Christmas. An advent calendar or wreath is used to track the season, which represents "coming" as a derivative of the Latin word "adventus." This time period celebrates the period leading up to the birth of Christ.

The most common form of preparation for Advent is the advent calendar. Created a wide variety of different ways, this device is used to track the progress of the days that make up the advent season.

The typical way the calendar is made is by the use of advent candles. There are 24 candles used to signify the 24 days that precede Christmas, from December 1st to December 24th. When a new day arrives, the family gathers around the advent calendar and lights a candle to signify the progression of the Advent season.

There are a wide variety of designs that make up an Advent calendar. Calendars are most commonly used by children to track the days of the period. One example of an Advent calendar design is a Christmas tree that has 24 candles on different branches of the tree.

Another common advent calendar design is in the form of pockets of candy holders. Each pocket is labeled with a specific number to signify the number of days in Advent. When one of the days arrives, the celebrants remove candy that has been stuffed in the candy holder and eats the candy in celebration.

An advent wreath is another form of preparation for the Advent holiday. Unlike the calendar that tracks each day of the season, the wreath tracks the four weeks of the holiday period. There are four candles that make up the wreath and as each week arrives, a candle is lit to commemorate the arrival of one of the weeks of advent.

There are many ways that Advent is celebrated by the religious community. Special services are held where the congregants gather together for prayer, worship and to be edified and encouraged. The religious leader may specifically focus on a message of encouragement to remind the congregation of the coming Christmas holiday and why we celebrate the birth of Christ. The church may also sing special hymns and spiritual songs that celebrate and promote the birth of Christ as well.

At home, there are a number of Advent activities that can be conducted together as a family. For example, some families have their kids gather together and actually create their own advent calendar or wreath to celebrate the holiday season. Other families have their kids color in special advent themed coloring books that commemorate the holiday season.

The Advent holiday season is a time of reflection, celebration and rededication for the millions of individuals that celebrate it worldwide. As you can see there are a number of different ways that you can choose to celebrate the holiday. You can use the suggestions and examples that we give in this article or you can use them as a starting point to come up with your own ideas. The choice is completely up to you.