The shops may have been in “Christmas mode” for months and we’ve been busily working on our clients’ advent campaigns and Christmas mailings, but does anyone else feel that Christmas has crept up on them a little this year?  I blame the mild weather!  The Decembers of my youth meant hats and mittens, icy pavements and the excitement of impending snow.  It can be a struggle to feel festive when you drive to work in the morning and it’s 13C outside!

For me, apart from looking forward to our family Christmas celebrations, the arrival of advent is a time for Christian reflection and acknowledging the birth of Jesus all those years ago.

Whether you have a faith or none, there are, no doubt, lots of preparations you will be making during this advent season.  But what does advent mean to you? 

How do you celebrate advent?

There are many ways that advent is celebrated around the world, here are mine: 

• Opening an Advent Calendar (chocolate of course!)
• Decorating the house (and of course hanging my stocking on Christmas Eve)
• Burning an Advent Candle
• Singing Christmas carols at every opportunity!

What are your own traditions to add to the list?

What are you waiting for?

The name “advent” comes from the latin “adventus” which means “coming” The season is traditionally seen as a time of waiting and preparing for the birth of Jesus.

However you choose to mark advent and to prepare for the celebrations of Christmas, whatever you are waiting for, we wish you a very happy festive season and look forward to all that 2019 has in store.