4 Ways to Observe Advent in a Secular Workplace

“We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ” (Roman Missal).

While many stores started stocking Christmas decorations in October, Christians all over the world are living a different season. While January 1 begins the secular new year, the first Sunday of Advent (December 1 this year) begins the year for those who mark their time by the liturgical calendar of the Church.

“In the course of the year,” explains the Catechism, the Church “unfolds the whole mystery of Christ … Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord’s powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving grace.”

The Liturgical Year

When we celebrate the seasons of the liturgical calendar every year, we mark our time by both remembering and participating in the mysteries of the life of Christ.

Advent begins the year by preparing us to “wait in joyful hope” for the birth of Christ, which we celebrate throughout the whole of the Christmas season, until February 2, the Feast of the Presentation. This period is followed by Ordinary Time and then Lent, a season in which we commemorate Jesus’ 40 days of prayer and fasting in the wilderness. These days were preparation for his passion and death and his resurrection, which we celebrate in the Triduum and Easter, respectively. Pentecost, a celebration of the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the Apostles, follows the 50 days of the Easter Season. We then find ourselves in Ordinary Time again — an opportunity to grow in faith before Advent marks the start of another new year.

Advent

Like many secular holidays and seasons, we can celebrate the liturgical seasons not only through prayer but also through particular practices, including activities, decorations, meals, and traditions.

Advent’s liturgical color is purple, a sign to that it is a season of penance and preparation. It doesn’t carry the same expectations as Lent, but making our hearts ready to receive Christ at Christmas means we’ve got some cleaning out to do! Besides sacramental living, through attending Mass and confession, the Church encourages us to take up some additional small acts of penance and prayer throughout the season.

Preparing for Christmas at Work

It can be especially difficult to observe Advent in a secular workplace full of Christmas parties, Santa decorations, and a constant stream of “holiday baked goods” — all before Christmas has even begun!

How can we be faithful to the rhythms of liturgical living when the only thing most people associate with Advent is chocolate-filled calendars? How can we observe a season of quiet waiting and penitential preparation when everyone around us is tacking up tinsel and taking selfies with Santa at the office party?

We certainly don’t need to become the Grinch; Advent is a time of waiting in joyful hope, after all. But there are small things we might consider doing, first and foremost as a reminder to ourselves. Through our baptisms, our lives are permanently and perpetually marked by the incredible mystery of the Incarnation and the graces that flow from it. If a colleague notices our small observances of Advent, it can become an opportunity to share our faith in the Incarnate Word.

Here are four ideas:

1. Incorporate Some Purple

It’s the color of the season, so leave aside red, green and gold, and stick with the liturgical shade. You don’t have to be ostentatious, but it can be a quiet reminder to you of the nature of the season. Buy some purple cardstock to tuck into your desk calendar. Wrap your succulent pots in purple ribbon. Try a purple headband or switch to a purple mug for the month of December. When you see the color purple, offer a simple, seasonal prayer, like, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

2. Embrace a Small Penance

Penance can be especially challenging when the break room is full of seasonal goodies, but try giving up a treat — anything from cookies or coffee to social media. Peruse the daily readings instead of scrolling through social media. Take a page out of St. Therese’s book and seek out that particularly difficult co-worker, and eat lunch together. Challenge yourself to be the anonymous office “Advent angel,” and wash the mug that’s always left in the sink.

3. Display Symbols of the Season

While it’s unlikely you can march into the office with an advent wreath ready for candle-lighting each week, (although if you can, go for it!), there are lots of smaller, creative ways to decorate. Set your screensaver to an Advent wreath with a new candle lit each week. Pin up a new Jesse Tree ornament to your cubicle wall each day. Display a quote about waiting in hope. (Try Benedict XVI’s “One who has hope lives differently” or this recent wisdom from Meg Hunter-Kilmer: “Hope is a heavy thing when it rests in the things of this world.”)

4. When Christmas Arrives, Celebrate It Properly!

There’s no point in striving to observe Advent well only to skip out on the whole object of anticipation. Christmas begins with the first Christmas liturgy. There’s a whole octave (eight days) of solemnity — high feasts in which every day is Christmas — and then an entire season of celebration. Now’s the time to bring out the sparkles, open up the good chocolates, and revel in the glory of a God who became man for our sake.

If you’re back at work on Epiphany, follow the lead of the three Kings, and bring gifts: bagels, donuts, even a fruit platter for those who are craving a bit of nutrition. Exchange your purple for gold, enjoy the goods of creation you’ve been sacrificing, and switch your screen saver to a manger scene. Above all, this time is your opportunity to spread Christmas cheer. When the rest of the world has the January blues, Catholics can witness to the true joy and light that Christ brings.

Kerri Christopher is a life consultant. She helps individuals learn to discern well, discover their priorities, and make plans to move forward. From “what am I doing with my life?” to “why is my closet always a mess?,” she loves helping people sift through the tough questions by integrating the wisdom and truths of the Christian life with the best practices of human “self-help.” Kerri has both an MA and STL in theology and has taught at universities in the US and UK. With her British husband, she lives in London, where she enjoys discovering cozy pubs and beautiful architecture. You can find her online at Clarity Life Consulting.