WHEN my children were little, we would take them to castles and other places of historical interest, in the hope that they would learn to appreciate life’s rich pageant, only to find that it was always the shop, with its plastic swords and not-so-cheap trinkets, that really grabbed their attention!

Equating Advent with the opportunity to indulge in chocolate – before breakfast! – is like thinking a trip to the theatre is all about the ice-cream in the interval.

Advent itself pre-dates the calendars we know and love by almost 2000 years. In fact, the calendars didn’t come into public use until the early 19th century. Like Christmas itself, Advent has been hi-jacked by consumerism.

So what is Advent all about? Basically it is saying “Get ready! Something amazing is about to happen! Better make sure you’re prepared – really prepared!

"The Big Event it is pointing us towards is the coming of God’s Son into the world to save us from our sins and prepare us to be able to stand before the Judge and not be found guilty. That’s Good News!"

So why not decide to go on your own adventure of discovery this Christmas and into the New Year? Begin a journey of preparation that will take you the rest of your life, which will be challenging and sometimes downright difficult, but always exciting and rewarding.

The Advent season in the church calendar, begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. This year Advent began on December 2 and will end on Christmas Eve.

Chrissie Greaves

Cumbria Prayer Net