Advent 2021

What does “Advent” mean? For each of us, probably something different. For me, it’s a time of year when we should reflect on what we could do for others—for our loved ones, our friends, acquaintances, but also strangers. Sometimes simply to bring them joy, and sometimes because someone truly needs our help.

Advent should first and foremost be a spiritual season. Although it is closely linked with Christianity and the anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, I believe this magical time touches almost everyone in our society. Even though in recent years Christmas and the pre-Christmas period have become, for many, a nightmare of consumerism, perhaps that makes it all the more important to remember what this time should truly be about.

The smell of pine needles and dried fruit, cinnamon in cakes and drinks, handmade decorations, gingerbread hanging from branches of the Christmas tree, the expectation of something beautiful. These are the things we most remember from childhood. That’s why, at Jemná cesta, we prepared a series of Advent activities for the children—things that would brighten the season not only for us but also for people around us.

We began by slicing and drying fruit for Christmas decorations. Apples, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, even kiwis. You wouldn’t believe how much joy children find in slicing fruit or placing thin slices into the dryer. At the next evening’s meeting, we packed the dried fruit into a box and moved on to making ornaments from cold porcelain. Once the ornaments had dried a bit on the radiator, the children painted them (sometimes the table or the floor suffered in the process, but overall the results were beautiful). The ornaments were later meant to bring joy to people at the Christmas market.

The last activity we managed before the epidemiological situation worsened was making Advent wreaths. The children (and their parents) brought branches of spruce and thuja, pinecones collected in the forest, prickly twigs with rosehips, and mistletoe. Together we created four beautiful Advent wreaths. Even though the children loved them so much they wanted to take them home, we agreed it would be better to make others in the village happy.

The first wreath went to our neighbors upstairs at the Center for Children and Families of St. Anthony. Not only have they always been kind and supportive, but the children were most excited that their wreath would brighten the lives of children who hadn’t had as much luck as they had. The children wrote a note for them—with a few spelling mistakes, but all the more authentic—along with messages for the other two wreaths. One was delivered to the municipal office as a thank-you for their support, and another to the Social Services Home in Rohožník. And here is the message the children attached for the seniors:

"With love, we made you a beautiful Advent wreath. You can smell the cinnamon and the scent of Christmas coming soon. Your eyes may be drawn to the colorful rosehips and the dried fruit, which we sliced and dried ourselves. And of course, there are four strawberry-red candles. You can light one each Sunday—they symbolize the Advent season. They will not only light up the space around you, but also ignite a flame in your heart, filling it with the spirit of Christmas. We wish you Christmas full of peace, calm, a pleasant atmosphere, and moments spent with family. With love, the children from Jemná cesta Community Center.”

We had planned much more: Christmas ornaments for the tree, baking gingerbread cookies, organizing a Christmas market by the belfry, teaching children how to wrap presents.

But never mind… All of that will wait for us, even a year if needed.

So we wish you a beautiful Advent season—the scent of pine needles, dried fruit and gingerbread, the warmth of candles and human presence, and above all peace, kindness, love, and mutual understanding.

The children—and the grown-up children—of Jemná cesta