The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It’s a great time to make sure you have your supplies, books and ideas ready for the season.

Having a mindful Christian Advent is a time of joy and wonder. It’s a quiet time spent intentionally concentrating on the miracle of Jesus’ birth rather than the commercial version of Christmas. This kind of Advent is build peace instead of panic.

Some ideas for Advent prep include:

• Get or make Advent candles. (We are doing beeswax candles from a kit this year. You can find the kit here.)
• Purchase an Advent calendar or stock up one if you have a reusable model.
• Get the Advent wreath out of storage … or buy one.
• Order a new Advent devotional or order new ones. This year I’m using two favorites: “Preparing for Christmas” by Richard Rohr and “Living in Joyful Hope” by Suzanne M. Lewis.
• Get out your Christmas music.
• Organize children’s Christmas books.
• Pick the name of a saint or devout Christian. You can study their life during the season. I’m doing Henri Nouwen this year.