A Wonderful Advent Wreath Story

“What are you doing, great-grams?”

She looked at me over the tops of her glasses, the way she does when she's reading to me from the Bible to see if I'm paying attention. I really was interested, she could tell. I know because she took off her glasses, letting them hang by the silver beaded chain around her neck.

“I'm making the Advent wreath for the church.”

“What's the Advent? And why do they get a fancy wreath?” I reached for the purple ribbon with a finger. “Can I feel it?”

“Are your hands clean? Is your heart pure?”

I could feel my nose wrinkle. “I'll go wash. And say a prayer.”

Grams smiled, putting her glasses on again. “When you come back, I'll tell you the story of the Advent wreath.” Another glance over her glasses at me. “Don't cut your washing or your prayers short, or the story will be very short.”

“Yes, ma'am.” I ran off, not noticing her loving smile follow me. I was back with my face pink and a peaceful heart in almost no time. Grams did her sideways-look at me.

I could feel the blush make my freckles jump out. “I washed behind my ears, too!”

She nodded, tying the last bit of wire holding the evergreens to the small spoked wheel. “You know Christmas is coming?”

Nodding, I glanced at the Nativity set up on the corner table. “The birth of the Christ child.”

“Exactly. Well, in the old days....”

“When you were my age?”

“A bit before then, dear. Would you like to help?” She turned the wreath, checking the greens for gaps. “The Advent wreath is special to the church. There are a lot of symbols.” She touched the purple silk. “The purple ribbon is the old symbol of royalty. Christ was also known as “The Prince of Peace.”

She pointed, “These candles all have names. The first is the Prophet's candle. It means 'Hope' for the Coming.” She looked at me, “You understand about hope?”

“I hope so!” I said, handing her the candle.

“Hope is not about what will happen, it's about what may happen. You have to believe in order for hope to work.” She said. “It's not about what you want or need. It's the devout wish for something beyond your experience. Something greater than yourself.”

“Yes, ma'am.” I reached out and touched the second candle, the wax silky smooth. “This one is named?”

“The Bethlehem candle. For the town where Christ was born. It means 'Peace'.”

“And this one? It's not purple, it's pink!” I sniffed. “It smells good. Like roses.”

“That's because it's special. The Shepherds candle. It means 'Joy'. It goes here.” she pointed. “Can you guess the name of the last candle?”

“No....”

“It's called the Angel's candle.” We put in the Advent wreath together.

“I love you, Grams.”

“I know, dear. That's what this candle means. And the reason we remember the birth of Christ.”

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.

The Story Behind The Christmas Wreath

The Christmas wreath is as popular today as it was when it was first introduced to the world. People take great pains to make these beautiful Christmas decorations but most people have no idea just how far back the tradition of the wreath really goes. It goes back to Pagan times and the ancient culture of the Persian Empire. The wreath that was hung on the doors of the family homes during this time was actually a symbol of wealth and importance. Granted, the wreaths of the Persian Empire were smaller than the ones that hang on doors today. As a matter of fact, they were worn on the head and were encrusted with jewels. The Greeks made wreaths of laurel that were placed on the heads of winning athletes during the Olympic Games.

This tradition was continued by the Romans and they were worn on the heads of leaders, such as Julius Caesar. Eventually they moved from headgear to wall and door decorations, possibly as a souvenir of the athlete’s victory. It is believed that this is how the tradition of hanging them on the wall was born. From here the tradition of hanging a wreath made of evergreen was started and it moved into Eastern Europe. The wreath was decorated with candles and lit during the cold winter evening in order to help rush in spring and the good weather.

The Christmas wreath tradition moved from pagan traditions to a Christian tradition, typically used by the Catholics. The wreath was hung up during Advent and they usually had four candles in the middle of the evergreen circle. The wreath today is a circle, signifying that it had no beginning and no end and is considered in the Christian religion a symbol of God and eternity. The candles in the wreath were traditionally white or three violets and one rose. Each candle was lit everyday with the exception of the middle candle which was not lit until Christmas Eve. They were usually lit right before dinner.

The Christmas wreath is quite often made of evergreen boughs of holly and they can be real or artificial. While an artificial wreath will last considerably longer, they don’t have the same smell as a fresh wreath when made of real pine and other items. It can be decorated today with traditional items, such as pine cones, fruits, berries, lace and ribbon or it can be made with more modern materials for a different look.

Whether you hand make a Christmas wreath or buy one from the store it is important to remember how the wreath got its start and to reflect upon what it means to you and your family. These holiday decorations are a joy to behold on every door and make your home look warm and inviting no matter how you decorate it.

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.

Making Christmas Decorations with Your Family

Children love to talk about Christmas. The following story was told by a young child when asked what her favorite time of year was.

“Christmas is my favorite time of the year; you don't have to go to school, you're allowed to eat all the cookies you want, and, of course, there are presents! But my favorite thing to do during the Christmas season is decorating the house with my mom and little sister. Each Christmas we come up with a theme as a family and create Christmas decorations together, which is always a whole lot of fun. This year we chose the theme 'Joy', and decided that our decoration colors should be purple and white. We chose purple because it is my little sister's favorite color and white because it is the color of snow, which we all love very much!”

“Mom decided that we should decorate the fireplace mantle with our theme word so she bought large wooden letters that we could paint and decorate with old Christmas ornaments and decorations. My mom painted the J purple with white stripes so it looked like a candy cane, and then she tied a big dark purple bow around the top of the letter. My sister painted the O white with a lot of purple dots, and then we glued little bells in the center of some of the circles. I decided to paint the Y purple with the word 'Joy' repeating throughout it in white paint, and then I glued some white garland on the outer edge of the letter so it looks like a border. So far everybody who has seen it says how pretty it is, and they are always really surprised when they find out we made it ourselves! “

“Another home made Christmas decoration we made this year was wrapping pictures hanging around our house like presents! We rolled some wrapping paper on the floor and set the pictures on it, then cut it to size and taped the paper to back of the frames. My sister and I weren't very good wrappers, so my mom helped us make it look really nice. After that we taped ribbon and bows onto the “presents” and put them back up on the wall. We all liked how it looked so much we also wrapped the bathroom cabinet doors, so now we have even more presents to look at. I think I like this Christmas decoration most of all because it reminds me of all the presents I'll open on Christmas morning!”

I love hearing about the different Christmas decorations families make together. A lot of families today join together in going to the Christmas tree farm to pick out their tree and cut it down which is a wonderful annual family tradition. Few families go to the trouble of making their own Christmas wreath but many will apply their own custom decorations to a Christmas wreath they buy. Everyone likes to make the holiday special by decorating inside and outside their homes and this makes the holiday season truly special.

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.