What Are You Giving Up for Advent?

AnneMarie Miller ponders practical ways we can prepare for Christ’s coming at Christmas.  

A few years ago, our family did something unusual for Advent: We gave up treats.   

There were exceptions to our sacrifice — we’d enjoy treats on Sundays and on a few feast days that were special to our family — but the majority of the time, we did not eat candy or desserts in the days leading up to Christmas.   

This sacrifice was hard at times, especially when the culture around us was immersed in candy, cookies, and Christmas festivities. However, our penitential offering was beautiful. It helped us grow in our devotion and prayer. It guided us to remember that we weren’t in the festivity of Christmas yet; we were still in the Advent season. It also helped us to prepare for Christ’s coming by purifying our attachments and hearts so that we could more fully welcome Him at Christmas.   

A Season of Joy … and Discomfort  

When we think of Advent and preparing for Christ’s coming —  both at Christmas, at the end of time, and as we encounter Him each day —we often focus on fun, lighthearted preparations. We pull the nativity set out of storage, we light the Advent wreath, and we may even bake endless trays of cookies to give to friends and neighbors.   

We think of the excitement of welcoming a new baby, and we focus on that expectant joy as we place ornaments on the Jesse Tree and sip hot chocolate as we read piles of Christmas books. For many of us, Advent is a season full of joyful coziness as we dream about the coming Christmas celebrations.   

At some point, I began to realize that Advent is not only a season geared toward cozy joy and delight. Advent is a time of preparation, and if we are going to truly prepare for Jesus’s coming, we may need to get uncomfortable. During the season of Advent, God invites us to turn to Him and let go of our unhealthy attachments and sins so that we may fully celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation.   

During Advent, we can examine the ways we need to strip ourselves of everything that is unholy so we may welcome Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, into our homes and lives in a renewed way.  

Although Advent used to include times of fasting and penance, the Code of Canon Law does not label it as a penitential season. However, when we attend Mass during Advent, we are reminded that we are in a simple time, a season for prayer and penance.   

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal notes that decorative flower arrangements for the altar “should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of the season” (GIRM 305). Moreover, musical instruments at Mass “should be used with a moderation that is consistent with the season’s character and does not anticipate the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord” (GIRM 313). 

The Scripture readings at Mass discuss turning to God and repenting of our sins. I always get excited when I hear the Gospel mention St. John the Baptist and his call for repentance, because this saint reminds me to simplify and focus on the essential practices that will bring me closer to God.   

Each year, I see anew how the Church, in her wisdom and liturgy, saints and prayers, invites me to prepare for Christ in ways that are both joy-filled and uncomfortable.   

Practical Advent Preparations  

Advent will be here before we know it, so this week is a great time to begin thinking about how we will prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth. There are many wonderful crafts and activities that families can do together, but there are also great penitential practices families can do, as well. For example:   

• Give up treats as a family for part or all of Advent. 
• Eat simpler meals.
• Sacrifice your time to visit people in nursing homes or homebound parishioners or neighbors. 
• Get to Confession and receive the gift of absolution and healing in your life.  
• Go to daily Mass by yourself or as a family.  

These simple ideas are just a start. What are some other ways we can get uncomfortable and stretch ourselves during Advent this year?  

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Copyright 2025 AnneMarie Miller
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