Advent Wreath

I was raised Presbyterian, so Advent was a big deal growing up.....while we no longer celebrate Advent at church, the tradition of Advent is still a unique way to focus our family on the coming of the Christ child at Christmas.


In the past my hubby would say....why don't we buy a real Advent wreath and celebrate Advent?? Well....because an Advent wreath costs too much to buy???


So last year, I got creative and decided to make my own.....using materials from The Dollar Tree and The Goodwill Store!

I started with ribbon and glass containers from The Dollar Tree.....

I just hot-glued some of their ribbon to the glass container.

Then I went to Goodwill and turned an old picture frame into a tray...

I spraypainted the frame black, distressed it with sandpaper and added some

fabric instead of the odd-looking photo that was originally there.

Then I added some inexpensive handles that I purchased at my local True Value hardware store....

From there, I just put my ribbon-covered containers on the tray....

....and added greens and holly......(my hubby recently told me that the holly is actually supposed to be there....it apparently represents the crown of thorns that Jesus wore at his crucifixion
.....and I was just going for a "pop of red!")

Here's a little background on Advent  (excerpted from here.)

The first is called the "Candle of Hope." It symbolizes faith in God keeping his promises to humanity. The second is called the "Candle of Preparation," reminding Christians to "get ready" to receive God. The third candle is the "Candle of Joy." It recalls the angels joyfully singing about the birth of Christ. The fourth candle, the "Candle of Love," reminds Christians that God loves them enough to send his only Son to Earth. The "Christ Candle," the white candle in the center, stands for Jesus Christ himself.

What are you doing to help focus your family on Christ this season?