Anticipation hangs in the air during the month of December.

We tend to give it a negative twist; it shows up on our to-do lists, to-buy lists, and to-wrap lists. It can feel like anxious anticipation. Will I get it all done? Perfectly? To others’ satisfaction?

I think this is why I love Christmas Eve so much.

The to-do’s are (mostly) done, and it is a night for just being.

being with family
being with traditions
being with beauty
being at church
being in awe of God
being still

I grew up celebrating Christmas with extended family on Christmas Eve.

I didn’t know that other people didn’t do this until I got married. It was so normal to me to have the big dinner on Christmas Eve, and then go to church. The next day was for unwrapping gifts and staying in our pajamas all day, picking at leftovers. This was a tradition my husband and I decided to continue when we became our own family.

I love having Christmas Day to just relax and enjoy, but Christmas Eve is just my favorite because that’s when the anticipation is imminent and the evening is full of beauty and wonder. Over time I have learned to find moments to savor that sense of anticipation through the whole month of December.

There are several ways I do this, and I plan to write more about those next week. A major part of this, for me, is taking time to journal. This year I created some journal prompts based on the advent themes to help myself really apply those themes to my life.

I grew up with the tradition of lighting advent candles at church. It’s definitely a tradition and not something you will actually find in the Bible. As we have moved around the country, not every church we’ve attended practices this tradition, and I found that I missed this symbolic way to focus us on the message of Christ’s coming. We set up an advent wreath at home, and we try to remember to light the candles at home on Sundays in December. Truthfully, we do not always get around to it on Sundays, but we always light them at Christmas dinner and reflect on the meaning of each candle.

On an advent wreath, each candle has a meaning.

I am sure there is probably a meaning to why three of the candles are purple and one is pink, but I have never looked that up. I’ve always thought it was weird, I mean, green and red would make more sense, right? But for me, it adds to the specialness of the wreath.

I created some journal prompts for each advent week. I’d love for you to journal along with me. Feel free to pick and choose the prompts that speak to you. Remember, there is no perfect way to journal - it’s okay if you do not make time to journal every day or if you do not answer every question.

Journal prompts for the advent season

Hope

On the advent wreath, this is the first candle, a purple one. It represents the hope that people held for the coming Messiah. The entire Old Testament hopes in anticipation of this Messiah. They had some expectations. They also had some laments because they were suffering while they waited. Sometimes it is hard to hope.

What were your hopes and dreams as a child?
What are your current hopes for yourself?
What are your current hopes for others? We can’t control things for others, but as long as we know this, we can document our hopes for them. Sometimes it helps to just write those hopes down and acknowledge that they are hopes, and not a responsibility to “fix” things for that person, or control their lives. After you’ve written down your hopes for others, you might want to review the list and identify the ways your hopes might come into conflict with what those people hope for themselves.
What steps can you take to move towards making those hopes a reality?
Which hopes are completely out of your control? Write a prayer telling God about those hopes, and put those hopes in His hands.

Faith

I look at faith as a way to do something with our hope. In the advent wreath, this second candle represents the journey of Mary and Joseph towards Bethlehem. They were moving forward in faith, although the things they felt God was asking them to do didn’t make a lot of sense from an earthly viewpoint. Faith tends to show up when there are decisions to make.

Has God asked you to do something that didn’t make sense? What was it? How did God work good from that thing? (If you are in a season that currently doesn’t make sense, do not focus on that yet. Go back and chronicle the ways He has worked good from past things that didn’t make sense. Or write about things you have seen God do in the lives of other people for now. Sometimes we need to rehearse the ways God has shown up for us or others in the past when we are in those confusing seasons).
What gets in the way of stepping out in faith? Usually this is a fear of some type. List 25 things you might be afraid of, and then go back and look at that list again. (Forcing yourself to come up with a bigger number than seems feasible will stretch your brain to really search). Probably some of them will be ridiculous. But probably 3-4 of those things will jump out as the ones that impact you the most.
What does the part of you that holds the fear need so that it can take a step of faith? It is important to recognize it is a part of you that is fearful, not your whole self. You may want to visualize this little part of yourself like it is a person. Don’t be surprised if it looks like you at a younger age. How can you give yourself what this little part of yourself needs?
Is there some decision you are struggling with right now? What does the Bible say (if anything) about this issue? Looking up what the Bible says may give you instant clarity on the issue and dial you into what God wants for you. If it’s an issue that the Bible is silent on, or just neutral, you may want to list out the secondary impacts of the decision. How will it impact your time, your quality of life, your relationships? Sometimes the answers to those questions will connect to something that actually is in the Bible.
What tentative steps can you take in faith? Sometimes we need to tentatively push on a door to see if God opens it (this is how Sparrow’s Nest Counseling came to be!).

Joy

This third candle, the pink one, is the Shepherd’s candle. It represents the joy they felt when the angels appeared to them. In that day, shepherds were lowly outcasts, and God chose them to be the recipients of the angels’ message. I’ve always had a heart for the one who feels left out, because I have been that one. I really resonate with the message that they were included in God’s amazing, glorious plan.

What brings you joy? Make a giant list. It doesn’t have to be about the Christmas season, but it certainly can be. You can write about things that used to bring you joy if you are in a hard season right now.
What steps can you take (maybe in faith?) to connect with something you wrote on your joy list?
Who are the shepherds in your life, the ones who feel left out?
How can you bring joy to others (“shepherds” or others)?
What can you do to focus on joy in your day to day errands?

Peace

This is usually called the angels’ candle, because they brought a message of peace on earth (Luke 2:14). Our world could sure use some peace. We can start with peace inside of ourselves.

Where are you lacking peace?
For each thing you wrote, separate out the circumstance using my FACETS model:
F What are the facts? If an outside observer were describing the situation, what would they say?
A What actions are you taking? (include reactions, not just intentional actions here)
C What is the context? (ongoing circumstances relevant to this issue)
E What emotions do you notice regarding this issue?
T What thoughts do you have about this issue? (include the irrational ones - it is especially important to notice those)
S What body sensations do you notice when you think about this issue?
Once you write all of those things down, you may see what might be getting in the way of feeling at peace about the situation. You may want to write some action steps based on whatever comes up in this exercise.

On Christmas Eve we light the Christ candle.

This is the white candle in the middle. It represents the fact that Christ has come. The practical application of this is that He is with us, in the middle of our messes, of our hard situations, of our joys. We are never alone.

Find some time to write a prayer thanking Him for the ways He has shown up for you this year, and pouring out your joys and sorrows and hopes for the next year.

Ask Him to show you what changes you can make to become more like Him.
It’s okay if you do this after Christmas – in fact you may have more clarity on this as you approach the new year.

I am wishing you a meaningful advent season, full of intentionality towards hope, faith, joy, and peace.

Jennie Sheffe is a National Certified Counselor ™ who helps women find freedom from anxiety and peace in their chaos. She sees clients virtually in the state of Pennsylvania, or in her Carlisle, PA office. She offers Christian counseling and EMDR Therapy.

Journal Prompts for Advent