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Grateful in VA
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| Posted: Oct 25 2010 at 9:36am | IP Logged
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This is my first year doing an advent wreath. What's the average number of each color candle you go through for the season?
Do you have any helpful hints for how to go about making this special for first timers with 5 children ages 2-7?
Janine
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JennGM
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| Posted: Oct 25 2010 at 10:20am | IP Logged
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Janine,
It depends on how you use the Advent wreath. I incorporate ours at the dinner table, so we light it during our meal time. You could use on 4 through Advent (the 3 purple and one pink), but towards the end of Advent you may have to light and blow out pretty fast if you are burning the candles pretty regularly. (I'm talking about traditional tapers; other candles vary.) Otherwise, I would add 1-2 extra purples if you're going to burn pretty regularly.
Over the years you could save your 4th week candle from the previous year and switch out the first week when it goes down to a stub.
Taking turns in huge for the children, so part of the tradition comes in the actual lighting and blowing out the flame. Using one of those BIC lighters or a taper to give arms' length for the flame is helpful. Years ago my mother had a small version of a candlelighter/extinguisher like the altar boys use. We loved using that.
I do have an extinguisher/snuffer which we also take turns on whose night it is to blow out the flame.
We have added some themes to each week, but for a beginner with the little ones I would keep it simple, we did the Advent prayer, table blessing, then light the candle and sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel".
If any of your children are reading, then letting them lead the prayers is another way to "take turns".
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 25 2010 at 10:41am | IP Logged
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We go through the set of four plus another 1 1/2 violet candles or so, using good quality traditional tapers and lighting them every night during dinner.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Maggie
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| Posted: Oct 25 2010 at 12:58pm | IP Logged
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If you freeze your candles at least 1 hour prior to use it
1). Eliminates dripping
2). Makes them last longer
And I LOVE this Advent Storybook. Perfect for cuddling on the couch before bedtime. We all love it!!
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Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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Trinity
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| Posted: Oct 25 2010 at 1:29pm | IP Logged
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We use one set of candles each year. I'm still nervous about having little ones around with lit candles, so we just light for Sunday dinners, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Maggie wrote:
If you freeze your candles at least 1 hour prior to use it
1). Eliminates dripping
2). Makes them last longer
And I LOVE this Advent Storybook. Perfect for cuddling on the couch before bedtime. We all love it!! |
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I have never heard that, but now I want to try it out.  Does it work for all candle types?
I have that very book in my Amazon cart right now. : )
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Trinity
DS(05/01/03)& DD(03/02/08)
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 25 2010 at 1:39pm | IP Logged
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Do you have to freeze them every time you use the candles, or just one time?
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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MaryM
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We generally just use one set - sparingly in the last week if they seem to be getting too short. Advent can vary in length from 22 to 28 days which makes a difference for that first candle lit. This year it is 27 days so will almost be the longest possible. Have to conserve a little more in those longer Advents (or as Nancy does - resort to an extra candle or two).
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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ekbell
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Our advent candles are lit for our Advent 'meditations' consisting of an opening prayer, the Jesse tree reading for the day, and one advent hymn and one 'fun' seasonal song.
Each person in the family, who is old enough to understand, gets a turn leading.
This means that they lit the candle(s) if old enough, choose the prayer (non-readers choose from a children's book with lots of helpful pictures), read the reading if they are comfortable reading aloud and mostly importantly choose the songs and blow out the candle(s).
I make a new Jesse Tree poster every year and provide small paper cutouts to color while listening to the readings such as the ones here http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19971201/FRIDGE/F RIDGE1.HTM which are then pasted onto the poster (we don't have the space for a 3-D tree).
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Grateful in VA
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| Posted: Oct 26 2010 at 4:25am | IP Logged
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Thank you for all of the great ideas ladies.  I am really excited about Advent this year!
I love the idea of having the kids take turns leading. I think with help even the youngest will be able to participate.
I can't believe it never occured to me to incorporate singing. My 5 has just joined our choir and is preparing for the Christmas Vigil! He needs to learn some of the songs in Latin for the first time. This will be great practice for him.
ekbell,
Thanks for the Jesse Tree link. My husband, our son's wolf den leader, needed a "woodworking" project for scouts this year. Tree branches will be free easy to come by around here. Thankfully most of the boys come from our parish so the idea should go over well.
Freezing candles...I'll have to try that. I think I'll get an extra purple or two just in case  .
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: How many candles?
