Today is the first day of Advent 2015! Do you know the history of the Advent season?

The term advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming.” In the early Middle Ages, this term came to apply to a period of preparation for Christ’s birth, his “coming” into the world on Christmas Day. You can learn more on our History of Advent page.

If you are looking for a tradition to make the Advent season more meaningful, I encourage you to do a simple Advent wreath with your family. My Advent Wreath page has directions for lighting candles, includes daily Scripture reading, and suggests an Advent song for each week. As another option, I created a 20-day study for Advent called Journey through the Nativity. The study explores 20 different elements of the traditional Nativity scene (people, animals, and things). You may be surprised by what you learn!

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