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This year I decided that I had to take Advent seriously (in part because the last few years the real impact of the Incarnation has started perculating through my thick head).

This year I made a change. I bought a small tree, table sized, and religious themed ornaments, and only added a few non-religious ornaments that had sentimental value.

Under it's boughs, I have set up a creche. I have Mary and Joseph there now, later I will add some of the other figurines, but the Baby Jesus of course doesn't come til Christmas eve.

Not a reindeer or santa in sight.

And to remind me, I say the Angelus every morning.

The keywords for me are watch, wait, fast and pray.

The question is not how many presents will I get, but how many presents can I give to my Lord?

It makes the season very different.

I do like to get up the outside lights early in Advent - not anything spectacular - but lights of cheer and welcome in the darkness - candles in the windows and a garland along the porch, one star of David. Tomorrow we'll start reading Bible verses from the Advent calendar each night, and we light the candles on the wreath on Sunday.

It would be hard to wait until Christams eve to put up the tree! But I have tried to make it more prayerful - religious ornaments, and everyone in the family has an ornament symbolic of their name - a rock for Petra, or a little abacus for Joseph (he shall add) - all Biblical names or saints' names and I pray for protection and blesing as I put them up. The tree stays through Epiphany and by then I'm sated with the gaudiness of it. The children would have it up until February if they could, but they sure don't want to see Christmas in November.

I use the example of the gradually increasing light of the Advent wreath as the pattern for decorating at home and Church.

At home, the decorations begin with creches at the beginning of Advent (minus the Christ Child, who does not appear until December 24 mid day) and these will remain up through Candlemass. Outdoor lights are added in groupings each Advent Saturday. Right now blue bulbs predominate; and I actually have a grouping of four wild cedar trees that will serve as a living Advent wreath.

At home and Church alike Gaudete Sunday is the turning point...that is when the trees appear. Church poinsettias do not arrive until Advent 4. The church nave has deep window sills so the only creche figures at the stable (also placed on Gaudete) are animals and a shepherd. Mary and Joseph are on a front window ledge. The Magi and their camels are much farther back, and will move forward with each successive Sunday or Festival. The church creche also stays up through Candlemass.

Returning back home, Christmas Eve is the big outdoor transformation when many of the blue lights are suddenly supplemented with clear; a wire sculpture creche is lighted, plus a whole lot of clear lighted wild trees. And these remain lighted through all of the twelve days!

What is the Angelus? I know it's a prayer, could you send me a link about it?

Very beautiful comments. I especially liked this:

"The question is not how many presents will I get, but how many presents can I give to my Lord?"

And even if we are very poor, we can always give him our heart and our life.