It's the second Sunday of Advent and I couldn't resist writing a little post about one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

My side of the family always had some stick-to-it traditions. Whether it was watching Scrooge on Christmas Eve or putting our Christmas tree up immediately after Thanksgiving (sometimes the day after, usually the Saturday after). But one of my favorite traditions was the Advent Wreath. Even if we faltered and couldn't do a Sunday, we'd always make up for it somehow.

[Pictures from 2009 when my parents were in SC... some of the only "recent" advent wreath pictures I have.]

This was a time where we all got to sit around the table and my sisters and I got to "discuss" who got to read the story, the prayer, and who got to light and blow out the candles. Even if we stepped on each other's toes (literally) to blow out more than one candle, it was a time we were all spending together. It was a time where my parents were putting family love and the reason for the season before anything else.

Yes, we all went to church. Yes, we all knew that Christmas was about the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet when you're focusing on baking goodies for friends, buying gifts for one another, taking a picture with Santa... all these things cloud why we're celebrating in the first place.

Although we don't have candles for our wreath this year (I kept forgetting to order them... way to prioritize, right?), we're still sitting down every Sunday evening and singing, reading, and praying to remind us just why we're celebrating the season.

What's your favorite Christmas tradition that keeps the birth of Jesus Christ in the forefront of your celebrating?