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Are you looking for a fresh way to start the Christmas season? Celebrating Advent is the perfect way to usher it in. Use this Advent Wreath event to help your church understand the relevance and significance of the Advent season.
“The Sunday after Thanksgiving, our small church had a short time of praise and worship, and then we sat together in family groups and with friends to make Advent wreaths. It was such a special time. We created our own advent wreaths, one for each household, to bring the celebration of Advent into our homes.”
“I remember, as a child, our church having an advent wreath, but it never occurred to me I would celebrate Advent at home with our children. I was so thankful for this event.”
Some churches light Advent Wreath candles during the weeks before Christmas, but many do not. Have you ever celebrated Advent in your home? Participating in Advent gives us a moment to breathe and think about why we actually celebrate Christmas. It gives an opportunity to think of others and hold down the busyness many of us, too often, find ourselves wrapped up in.
Make Advent Wreaths At An All-Church Event
- Provides fellowship focused on honoring the Lord
- Offers a great way to explain the meaning and symbolism of the Advent Wreath
- Helps build a feeling of community for families and those living alone.
- Gives your church a budget-friendly event to start your Christmas season
Sit together with family and friends and create a wreath that can have a lasting impact on the spiritual walk of your congregation members.
Advent Candle Wreaths Are Simple & Easy!
This article highlights three totally doable Advent Ideas for all-church events or small groups.
Your small church can set up this event as a family-style event, families work together to make a family wreath. Couples make a wreath together to start a new tradition of celebrating Advent.
Making a wreath together can be meaningful for parents and children of all ages. It can bring families closer together and can be an opportunity for family relationships to strengthen.
When doing this in a small group setting, allow plenty of space for people to sit and have a place to create and decorate their wreaths. The size of your group and budget can affect whether you provide all the materials or if you have people bring some or all of their own materials.
Small Church Women’s Ministries Make Advent Wreaths
Making Advent wreaths is a great event for your small church women’s ministry. These wreaths give spiritual encouragement to women (and their families) to remember Jesus as they prepare for Christmas. Your women can create a beautiful centerpiece for their table that is a reminder of Jesus’ love for all of us.
Advent wreaths can help us refocus our mindset on God, His plans, and His purposes. We get a mental break from thinking about the consumerism and busyness of the last two weeks of the year. Making an Advent Wreath is incredibly meaningful.
By making an Advent wreath and lighting the candles, we are choosing to be intentional about our spiritual growth. Even for those who lead extremely busy lives, for those few moments of lighting a candle, we choose to set aside the hustle and bustle and focus, dwell, and think about Jesus.
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Check out the Blue Christmas Pack & the Advent Worship Pack!
Three Easy Advent Wreath Options
Advent wreaths can be meaningful for those who create them. Single adults, as well as families, can establish their own Advent traditions and incorporate Advent wreaths into the plan. We include three examples of advent wreaths for you to explore this year. These wreaths are all easy to make; hot glue guns are NOT required.
1. Traditional Wreath
This traditional wreath uses a metal wreath form with candle holders specifically designed for Advent. This is great for all groups and might be the easiest to make for a family event. It is pretty straightforward. No decisions need to be made on candle placement because the candle holders are built into the wreath form.
2. Pillar Candle Wreath
This wreath can use either short or tall candles. In our example, we used 3” pillar candles for the outside purple and pink candles. We used an 8” jar candle for the center white candle. Although super easy, this is the least traditional of the three options because it’s not technically a wreath. Candles are placed on a glass candle plate, and greenery is filled in around the candles.
3. Blue Christmas Mason Jar Wreath
For this wreath, we used a repurposed wreath. Using repurposed wreaths can make it a low-cost and economical choice. Some churches ask participants to bring their own Christmas wreaths, either repurposed from one of their own, purchased at the local Habitat for Humanity or thrift store, or brand new. Mason jars should be wide-mouth. The sample pictured below is actually a repurposed Blue Christmas wreath – and already had blue candles instead of purple.
Learn About the Meaning of Advent!
John 1:4-5, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This verse is one of the common theme verses for Advent.
Advent starts on the 4th Sunday before Christmas and continues to Christmas Eve. It is all about remembering the true meaning of Christmas. We don’t just celebrate Jesus’ birth, but we think about, ponder, meditate, and understand the reason Jesus came to the earth. He came to seek and save the lost. His coming made it possible for you and I to have a relationship with Him, a friendship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The Advent Wreath is one way we remember the true meaning of Christmas. In addition, it is a way to spiritually prepare our hearts and minds to remember all Jesus did when He came to the Earth.
Is There Symbolism In An Advent Wreath?
When you make your advent wreath, consider the symbolism of items you include to decorate your wreath. Understanding the symbolism of items on your wreath can lead to deeper spiritual growth as we ponder and pray about the items we choose and their significance and relationship to our life’s journey and our spiritual walk with the Lord.
- Evergreen symbolizes continuous life. Even in the darkest areas of winter, there is life.
- The circle shape of the wreath symbolizes the eternity of God, our everlasting life in Him, and His infinite love.
- Candles represent Jesus as the Light of the World.
- Purple or blue candles symbolize prayer.
- The pink candle symbolizes joy in the birth of the Lord and joy in what He has done for us.
- The white candle symbolizes purity; Jesus was without sin. It also represents the true fact that Jesus washes away our sins and makes us white as snow.
- Holly leaves can symbolize the crown of thorns Jesus wore when he died for us.
- Red berries can represent the drops of blood that cleanse us from sin.
- Pine Cones symbolize new life. Some pinecones only open up from the heat of a forest fire. They symbolize new life comes after grief, hardship, or loss.
What Themes Do Advent Candles Represent?
Advent candles have special meanings. Although the symbolism may differ slightly, the candles in Advent Wreaths all have importance. When you look at or make your wreath, think about the most significant meanings to your life, journey direction, or the aspects you need to ponder and be prayerful about. Consider these things in light of what Jesus accomplished for you through this birth, death, burial, and resurrection.
Common themes for Advent candles are:
- Hope, faith, joy, peace, purity
- Hope, faith, joy, prayer, Jesus’ sinless nature
- Hope, peace, joy, love, purity
- Faithfulness, hope, love, joy, purity
- Prophets, angels, shepherds, magi, Christ
- Faith, preparation, joy, love, victory
3 Easy DIY Advent Wreaths
Traditional Advent Wreath
This traditional wreath uses an Advent Wreath Metal Form.
Materials needed:
- Premade wire advent wreath frame
- Candles
- 3 purple or blue tapers
- 1 pink taper
- 1 white pillar or jar candle should be at least 6” tall
- Greenery or garland to wrap around the frame, about 6’
- Optional: greenery for extra fill-in – not garland
- Optional: holiday wreath picks of berries or pinecones
Directions:
- Wrap your garland around the metal form. Be sure to wrap it close together so the metal wreath form doesn’t show through.
- Set in extra greenery if desired
- Place the taper candles in their holders
- Place the white pillar candle in the center
Pillar Candle Wreath
This wreath uses all pillar candles or 8” jar candles.
Materials needed:
- Circular base for decoration such as a charger plate, mirror, or candle plate
- Pillar or jar candles
- 3 purple or blue
- 1 pink
- 1 white
- Greenery or garland, 6 – 10 feet
- Optional: greenery for extra fill-in – not garland
- Optional: holiday picks of berries or pinecones
Directions:
- Place the candles on your base. Purple/blue and pink around the outside, white in the middle
- Next, place your garland all around the outside, then weave around the candles and fill in where needed.
- Set in extra greenery, pine cones, or Christmas picks, if desired
Helpful hint: If your charger plate goes up on the edges, you need to place something, such as a small piece of corrugated cardboard, under the bottom inside part of the candle to keep it level.
Mason Jar Wreath – Blue Christmas Example
Materials needed:
- Christmas wreath, either new or one to repurpose
- Wide mouth mason jar
- Salt, 1-3 cups (use as needed)
- Taper candles
- 3 purple or blue
- 1 pink
- 1 white
- Optional: Ribbon, Jute, or twine to tie bow or candles together if desired
- Optional: extra pine cones, greenery, or Christmas picks to add to the wreath
Directions:
- Tie a ribbon bow or other decoration on the outside of the mason jar but below the rim
- Place your wreath flat on the table and the mason jar in the center of the wreath
- Fill the jar ¼ to 1/2 full with salt
- One by one, work your candles into the salt so they stand straight. If needed, add more salt. Place the purple and pink candles around the edges of the jar and the white candle in the center.
Advent Wreaths Give Meaning To Christmas
Advent wreaths are a visual reminder of the elements of Christmas we value and celebrate. Click to get your free PDF printable for “Symbolism For Advent Wreath Materials” and print this out as a reminder for women or families. These wreaths can work with almost any budget. The materials for each type are similar and vary only slightly.
Bring intention to your small church Advent and Christmas season this year. Make Advent wreaths with your members and give them a reminder to focus on Jesus this holiday season.
Read more:
8 Worship Ideas to Celebrate the Meaning of Advent
12 Ideas to Reach Out to the Hurting This Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas
