Lent is the 40 days before Easter....an advent calendar has the 24 days before Christmas....but now I'm rally stretching here....Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas (I remember an Advent wreath that had four candles...three purple and one pink or was it three pink and one purple?)

I decided to cheat....

Advent is the period preceding the Christmas season. It begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and covers four Sundays. Because the day it begins changes from year to year, so does the length of each Advent season. In 2005, Advent begins on November 27.


The word advent, from Latin, means "the coming." For centuries, Advent has been a time of spiritual reflection as well as cheer and anticipation. Even as the Christmas season has become more secular—with advertisers urging holiday gift-givers to buy and buy some more—Advent still brings joy and the observance of ancient customs. Christian families find quiet moments lighting candles in the Advent wreath, and children use Advent calendars to count the days until Christmas.