
Today we light the candle of Hope, in hope of Christ’s coming.

There are doors in heaven, and there are doors in our hearts. What happens when we come to a door…does it close on us or usher us to a new place? A door is an opening to something new and in that way it is an Advent.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
I love to decorate the front door of the house for Christmas. It makes the door say “Welcome!” and shares a little bit of the house inhabitant’s message to the world.
Someone can arrive at the door, and come through the doors to visit with us, while at other times we close the doors to give us a place of our own.
Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
How many doors did you pass through today? Did you allow Jesus to enter your day and take time to get together with you, hear what you had to say, and impart some of His words and love for you? Let’s invite Jesus to do that now in our Advent time, today.
Christmas carolers come to the door to sing good wishes to the household. They might sing ” Here We Come Wassailing”, which was an old English custom. Wassailing is singing carols while going door to door in the neighborhood. “Waes hael” meant “be in good health” and the time for wassailing was typically later in the Christmas season, but today we do all our celebration of caroling and such things during Advent.
More about wassail tradition and the topic of “doors”.
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you
a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too!
And all the little children
that ’round the table goLove and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you
a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year
Ingredients
* 1 can (64 ounces) cranberry juice
* 1 can (32 ounces) apple juice
* 1 can (12 ounces) frozen pineapple juice concentrate, undiluted
* 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, undiluted
* 3 to 4 cinnamon sticks
* 1 quart water, optional
Directions
* In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine juices, lemonade and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add water if desired. Serve hot or cold. Yield: about 4 quarts.
The original recipe would have had a base of ale to which sugar and spices such as nutmeg and ginger were added, served heated.
Visit a page about caroling and things to do for the Christmas season at Christmas in Ohio. Make a Christmas wreath.