Can you believe Advent is almost here?

Neither can I.

To better brace ourselves for the weeks ahead, the Catholic Spirit newspaper (from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis) has this terrific and practical primer on how to give Advent meaning and keep its flame burning:

There’s no way Christmas can sneak up on us this year —?it smacked us in the face with its early department store arrival just after Halloween. Commercial Christmas, I mean — the Christmas of the over-priced wrapping paper, over-extended Christmas lists and over-swiped credit cards.

In the midst of sending greetings, planning meals and buying gifts, the church is also preparing — but in a different way.

Advent starts Sunday, Nov. 30, and extends to Christmas Eve. It’s a time of waiting, pregnant with excited anticipation of Jesus’ birth. Rather being about stress, the season is really about silence and prayerful preparation for the Christmas feast.

Here are six ideas to help keep Advent in your heart as you ready your house for Christmas.

1. Light the Advent candles

Place your Advent candles in a prominent spot such as on your dinner table, coffee table or fireplace mantle — a place where you will see them regularly and be reminded of the season.

After Mass each week, light the candles with family or friends. Say the Lord’s Prayer, reread the Sunday Gospel or find an Advent prayer ritual online. (Take time to prepare for the miracle of Christmas)

Leave the candle burning throughout the day —?and at other times during the week —?to remind you of your prayer.

2. Keep an Advent calendar

It’s not just for kids! The Advent calendar originated with German Lutherans, but has been adopted by Catholics as a traditional way to mark the days until Christmas. Although they vary in shapes and sizes, the calendars usually have small doors or drawers that open to reveal a holy image, Scripture verse or piece of candy.

Starting Dec. 1, the calendars count down the days until Christmas and remind both young and old that Advent is a time of waiting.

Although you likely will have to visit a religious goods store to find a religiously themed Advent calendar, they are also widely available at retailers like Target and even Starbucks.

Making a Jesse Tree is another Catholic tradition that heightens Advent’s anticipation. The tree — large or small — is decorated each week with ornaments representing Old Testament stories from creation to Jesus’ birth. The idea celebrates the lineage of Jesus, as found in the Gospel according to Matthew (King David was Jesse’s son).

3. Try chant instead of carols

It’s tempting to turn on the Christmas tunes to “get in the spirit,”?but listening to something else reminds you that you’re waiting for Christmas. Recordings of chant — or sung liturgical prayer — offer a meditative background as you prepare for the season.

“Chant:?Music for the Soul,” recorded by Austrian Cistercian monks, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart and was the No. 1 classical recording on iTunes Music Store when it was released in June. Six months later, it’s still in the top 20.

Chant instead of carols also ensures you’re not tired of “O Holy Night” by the time the holy night actually arrives.

Check out the link for more helpful suggestions.