Get Ready to Get Ready

Margaret Gartlgruber shares five steps to prepare for the beginning of the Advent season.

As I hit submit on my Advent candle order on Amazon, I think, “This is the year! This is the year I am going to prepare to prepare. To get ready to get ready. To make a plan to wait.”  

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, it is too late. I know this about myself. There is Thanksgiving, then there is after Thanksgiving, then there is shopping and activities and family. The next thing I know, it is the first Sunday of Advent and I do not have the candles and shamefacedly pull out last year's stumps just to have something there.   

I am going to share my list of preparations with you here:    

Purchase your Advent Wreath Supplies Now.   

• Candles are always my last-minute purchase.  
• Get your wreath or display out soon and purchase some new décor to give it a good refresh. I have the same one I use each year, but I like to get some new ribbon and pokes to give it a new look.   
• Get a safe lighter that the kids can use; for some reason there is always a fight to light them.   

Decide Which Prayers You Will Follow.   

• Find a list of prayers for each Sunday.
• Make a few copies so the kids can take turns.  

Make an Advent Plan for the Family!  

• Advent calendar: There are so many to choose from! My husband’s family is from Europe where there was the tradition of a piece of candy for each day. I would recommend a Scripture or good deed to go along with that candy.
• Advent Bingo: Make a bingo grid and fill it with various good deeds and God deeds. When the kids make a bingo, give them a prize.  
• Advent Jar: Fill it with lots of different things and each day, pull one out and do your best fulfill.  

Decide on your personal Advent commitment.  

The month can become super crazy and if you have your plan already set, you will more likely follow it.  Some ideas are:  

• Advent devotional: There are many out there for women. I am going to use the new one from Blessed is She. 
• Spiritual Reading: Set aside time for a book that you have been meaning to read and commit to read each day for 5 minutes. My choice this year is The Diary of St. Faustina.
• Daily Do: One year, I realize how much I hibernated once the cold weather came. I decided to leave my house daily to do something for God. Mass, Adoration, Stations of the Cross, meet friends for a Rosary walk, Bible study. Pick something different each day for variety.  
• Weekly Confession: Another year, I decided to go to weekly Confession. I only intended to do it the 4 weeks of Advent. Imagine my surprise when Lent rolled around and I was still going each week. It was life changing.  

Get Out your Nativity Set! 

If you haven’t already, be sure to get your Nativity set. Consider getting an unbreakable set if you have small children so they can touch and be a part of the mystery. I still have the one from when my kids were small, and I leave that one out all year.   

Finally, decide what you are NOT going to do this year.

There are so many beautiful ways to spend Advent and Christmas. It can be so tempting to do each of them until we are frantically doing it all! Focus on God as much as you can. Prioritize your traditions and consider rotating some of them. You don’t have to do a Christmas letter with photo and card as well as bake and decorate 10 dozen cookies. Advent was a lot more enjoyable when I stopped doing the Christmas cards each year.   

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Margaret Gartlgruber
Images: Canva