Image: Melanie Kyer
Advent Wreath Traditions
This is our family’s Advent wreath. (It’s more of an Advent “plate,” really). I bought it in Kiel, Germany, when I was studying there in 1997. The traditional wooden choir figures are also from that year, bought at a famous German Christmas shop. Advent wreaths are more common in German homes than in American ones, usually with all red candles. I grew up with the more Episcopalian color choice: purple or blue with one pink, so that’s what I’ve gone with this year. Though I have used it for close to 30 years now, it’s the wreath’s first time on my childhood dining table, which now lives in our house. When we light the candles, we often sing a simple Advent song I sang as a little girl:
“Light one candle for hope: one bright candle for hope!
He brings hope to every heart: He comes! He comes!”
The successive verses sing of peace, joy and love. Lighting the Advent candles doesn’t just give us warmth, light, and that nebulous “holiday” feeling. The act of lighting them is a prayer itself. It’s a prayer of four words that I feel that more strongly this year than ever: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. May you feel them all as you light candles this season.
Melanie Kyer, December 2025