Happy Advent!

So, today is the first day of Advent, and for us Episcopalians (and millions of other Christians around the world) today is the first day of the Liturgical Year. So Happy New Year! In my family we have always marked Advent with the lighting of the Advent wreath, a circle of four candles representing the four Sundays of Advent. They are usually Purple or Blue, the liturgical colors for this time of year (Purple leaning more toward Advent as a mini-Lent and Blue to the honoring of Mary).  Each Sunday you light a new candle as you move through advent, preparing yourself for Christmas. In my church growing up each of the Sundays was also marked by a single word to reflect on that week, words like Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love, reminding us to prepare our hearts with these qualities as we move through the season.

A few years ago, my brother and I started using a beautiful Advent wreath our parents gave us, and I've continued using its since. But this year as part of the Producer's Christmas, I decided I would start a new tradition of creating my own Advent Wreath, and here it is!

Basically, I started with 8 simple carving blocks of Bass wood, two gauges of copper wiring, a bunch of tiny nails and sheet of medium weight copper foil.

First I took a carving gouge to the blocks to give them some texture before roughly staining them. Then I drilled holes through the blocks at various angles and wove the heavier gauge copper wire through them to create four connected platforms for my candles. Then it was all dressing as I cut letters to spell out the four words on the blocks and nailed them into place. Then I cut and embossed leaves for the "vines" that connect the bases. These I attached with the thinner gauge copper wiring simply by punching holes in the leaves and decoratively entwining them into the existing structure. The end product is a copper and wood garden holding my four pillar candles.

I chose pillar candle rather than the traditional tapers because I want to be able to burn them during the long evenings of the Seattle winter, a reminder of the hope and warmth of the season amidst the dreariness of the rain and clouds. An important part of the wreath is also the hole in the center, a space for the Christ candle to come on the day of Christmas. I've got a tall whote pillar candle that will fit perfectly when the day arrives.

Create your own Advent wreath and keep the candles burning each night of these 28 days as we make our way toward Christmas. Whether its wood and wire or a few evergreen branches (or palm fronds) or maybe a paper map, take some time to create this symbol in your home and mark the passing of these days. Happy Advent!