Prompt: Share about an Advent tradition that helps you prepare for Christmas.
Every December, my family gathers around the kitchen as the rolling pin, cookie cutters, and flour are scattered on the counter. I’ve been making and decorating sugar cookies since I was preschool age, but this tradition truly took shape when our family moved from California to Illinois during my elementary school years.
In a season of change, decorating Christmas cookies brought us together when everything else felt unfamiliar. The process was simple; mix the dough by hand, roll it out to just the right thickness, press in the cookie cutters, fill bowls with homemade frosting, and sit around the table to decorate. As Christmas music permeated the air, we gathered and were still at a time when everything around was loud and bright.
Over the years, as my children have become older, Christmas cookies have evolved from a simple family of five decorating cookies, to elaborate cookie decorating parties, to a few select friends, and now a scheduled event on the calendar. However each year looks, the real heart of this tradition has always been giving ourselves the gift of time to be together. After the cookies are finished, we pack them up and deliver them to neighbors, friends, teachers, and first responders. And of course, a plate is always saved for Santa on Christmas Eve.
I’ve realized that this simple tradition is its own kind of Advent practice for my family. It slows us down. It gathers us together. It reminds us that small acts of kindness can brighten someone’s season more than we’ll ever know. I’m always reminded “Where there is kindness there is goodness, and where the is goodness, there is magic.”
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