Elegant Advent and Christmas
Environments on a Shoestring

Wait a minute before pulling out the box of last year's decorations, before even beginning to think in terms of Advent wreaths, candles and the many other symbols of the season. Spend a few moments pondering the theology of the season. Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas, and the two seasons are intimately linked. How does the community of faith prepare for the Christmas mysteries? The Advent season is not so much penitential as a time of hopeful anticipation. While images of John the Baptist permeate the Scriptures, we also overlay the liturgical milestones of Gaudete Sunday (the Third Sunday of Advent) and the O antiphons, which herald the incarnation. Perhaps another neglected dimension of the Advent season is Mary. A healthy Marian theology would naturally reflect our identification with Mary in her impending birth. How do we birth the Holy One? How does our church community bring the presence of Christ to the world around us? Are we beacons of hope in a stress-saturated world? The environment we set speaks of the season.

Entryways are portals. During Advent consider icons of Mary for the assembly to encounter as they walk into the church. Mary of Compassion heralds AIDS Awareness Day the first week of Advent, Mary of the Streets creates an interesting image as does Our Lady of Guadalupe for December 12. The changing images of Mary, perhaps Mary icons revealing different nationalities, can help the assembly remember the vast differences and similarities we share as the body of Christ. These images can continue into the Christmas season with icons of the Holy Family, the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord added at the appropriate times.

While the Advent wreath is not a central liturgical symbol, it has permeated many worship environments. In the Southwest we are challenged in its creation since pine branches are not native to our area. Although using items that are foreign to the desert environment can give a taste of “other worldliness,” environments are most effective when they use items found in nature. For example, eucalyptus trees are abundant in some areas and work wonderfully for wreaths, plus they give a delightful scent to the worship space. It is true that an artificial branch would be much easier and certainly less messy, but it would also be less real. “Quality means love and care in the making of something, honesty and genuineness with any materials used, and the artist's special gift in producing a harmonious whole, a well-crafted work” (20).

If using an Advent wreath, make it large. How often do we find an enormous worship space with a tiny wreath tucked in the corner? If the circular wreath is to reveal the everlasting presence of Christ, make it an ample symbol. “As our symbols tended in practice to shrivel up and petrify, they became much more manageable and efficient” (14). For the assembly to experience a symbol it must become noteworthy and noticeable. 

Please note that this does not mean overwhelming. The wreath should never overpower the altar, ambo, baptism font or presider's chair. On the other hand, the wreath must be noticeable for it to speak its message. Try hanging the wreath over the main worship space to make the assembly part of the environment. Use burning incense with its smoke gently ribboning throughout the worship space as everyone gathers. The incense will help people sensually enter into the heightened solemnity of the season.

Remember that the assembly is the number one priority. The environment must lead “the faithful to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations called for by the very nature of the liturgy” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 14). Let the number of candles of the Advent wreath grow and become part of the gathering procession each week by placing them around the worship space. Inexpensive processional holders are easily created from copper tubing used for pipes; these copper pipes make elegant candleholders that easily slip into a fixed base. Accent the candle with additional eucalyptus and dried white statice flowers or native dried seedpods. Graceful, long ribbons of purple, deep blue and silver add a delicate, flowing visual to grace a candle-lit procession that grows as the season progresses. These ribbons can easily transform to white, gold and silver for the Christmas season. Begin each Sunday of the season liturgy with a grand procession of all the liturgical ministers of the day. For added elegance, add a few wired white roses to the dried flowers around the candles during the Christmas season.

The Christmas season is a premier moment to emphasize different baptism motifs. While we are intimate with the dying and rising nature of baptism, Christmas is a wonderful time to hone in on baptism as a new creation. Hang narrow dowels with long purple, dark blue and silver ribbons over your baptism font in Advent that transform to sparkling white, gold and silver during the Christmas season. Three- to four-inch wide ribbons make the task simple, yet elegant. Using three sets of ribbons in a cluster speaks of the Trinity and is a fitting symbol over the baptism font.

Consider using sheer fabrics for the Advent and Christmas seasons. The deep blues and purples of Advent draw us into the darkness of the long winter nights we experience every evening. The elegant whites and gold of Christmas cry out, “Christ our light.” Sheer fabrics give an eschatological touch to the environment; we are there, but not quite. We give a taste of the reign of God, we reach out and touch it, but it has not arrived completely. We see but do not see.

Remember that the season of Advent changes character on December 17, which is usually near the Third Sunday of Advent. A week earlier, hunt for bargains in pink roses, wire the roses, and dry them in a dark closet the week before. Sprinkle them in the Advent wreath for Gaudete Sunday, in the arrangements of dried flowers on the candles, or any other dried flower arrangements in the environment for a festive link to the liturgy. Progressively move to the light of Christmas by adding more dried white statice flowers or “baby's breath” to the wreath or candles for the last Sunday of Advent. Visually, the season will gradually ebb into Christmas and blossom in fulfillment.

The question of when and where to put the creche can challenge the most gifted liturgist. Consider using a devotional niche, a place on the wayside for people to visit and encounter the scene with subdued lighting. If such a space does not seem readily available, step back and ponder the possibilities. A corner, an area tucked on the side or back of the worship space can become a wonderful gathering place before and after the Christmas season Masses.

Keep in mind the general liturgical principle of large and clear symbols that speak loudly. Contact your local florist in November about purchasing larger pots of poinsettias rather than a multitude of smaller six-inch pots. Poinsettia trees are now available and they are lovely as are large tubs of huge abundant flowers. While red and pink poinsettias are a harbinger of the season, consider all white poinsettias for an elegant, yet seasonal Christmas floral display.

The seasons of Advent and Christmas are premier seasons in our liturgical year. The worship environment can draw everyone into the mystery of the season. A simple elegance and knowledge of the seasonal liturgies can offer the assembly a taste of the heavenly banquet.