Christmas is great but is your family missing out on the joys of Advent and Epiphany?

Tabitha Heathcote shares how her family’s festive season is a joyful journey from 30 November to 6 January

Every year, as the days grow darker and excitement for Christmas builds, I look forward to one thing most of all: Advent.

Advent is a season of anticipation, of wonder, and of joy.

When I was growing up, Advent was as much a part of our family’s Christmas traditions as putting up the tree or going to church on Christmas Day. Every year, my mum would place the Advent candle on the table, we would set up the wooden nativity scene, open the Playmobil Advent calendar, and, of course, argue over who would be the first to open our shared chocolate calendar.

I guarantee that we laugh more trying to find the missing baby Jesus than anyone does over the antics of a naughty elf on the shelf

Each morning during Advent, we would sit down for breakfast together and read through the Christmas promises and the story of Jesus’ birth. We took turns lighting the candle, opening the Playmobil window, or revealing the chocolate for the day. It took me years to realise that most people ate their chocolate as they opened it. In our house, we always put ours in a bowl on the shelf to share on Christmas Day!

I have such fond memories of ……