If you’ve ever tried to keep Advent while the world is already sprinting toward Christmas, you know the feeling: the calendar fills, the to-do list grows, and suddenly you realize you’ve made it through another day without a single quiet moment.
But Advent was never meant to compete with Christmas—it’s meant to prepare us for it. A slower, more intentional season is still possible, even now. And it doesn’t require a retreat center or a perfect schedule. Just a few small choices, made with love.
Here are five simple, attainable ways to create space for an Advent heart in a Christmas world.
1. Choose one small prayer anchor
You don’t need to overhaul your entire routine. Start with something tiny and repeatable: a short morning offering, a single Hail Mary in the car, lighting a candle before bed.
If you want a little structure, Time for God by Jacques Philippe is one of the most encouraging, realistic guides for building a daily habit of prayer without pressure or guilt. Even a couple of pages can reset your approach to the whole season.
2. Make silence a “pause,” not a project
Silence doesn’t have to be long to be meaningful. Try building 30 seconds of quiet into your day: before checking your phone, before starting a task, or after finishing one.
Think of it as tapping the brakes, just enough to remind your heart why this season matters. Those pauses add up, and they soften the pace of everything else.
3. Pick one thing to say “no” to (and one thing to say “yes” to)
Advent invites us to make room. And making room usually means choosing intentionally.
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Maybe you say no to one extra event or one more late night.
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And you say yes to a walk, a holy hour, writing a Christmas card slowly and prayerfully, or reading a few pages from a spiritual book.
If you want something to guide that “yes,” the In Conversation With God Advent & Christmastide volume is built perfectly for these weeks, with short, rich reflections that fit into busy days.
4. Let Scripture set the tone
Choose one Advent passage and stay with it all week. Don’t overthink it, just return to it again and again.
A few suggestions:
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Isaiah 9:1–6
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Luke 1:26–38
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Romans 13:11–14
Write it on a sticky note, put it on your lock screen, or tuck it in your planner. Let it be the voice that cuts through the noise.
5. Prepare your heart through small acts of generosity
Advent mirrors the generosity of God, quiet, steady, sometimes hidden. Look for one simple way each day to imitate that generosity: a kind word, an unnoticed chore, a small sacrifice, a patient yes.
Even tiny acts reshape the heart, and they prepare us for the joy of Christmas more than anything else.
A Season That Still Has Time
If you want a companion to help you make the most of these final Advent days, all our titles are 20% off through December 14 with code ADVENT25. It’s a great time to pick up something that will carry you through the season (and into the New Year) with a more grounded and peaceful heart.
May these last days of Advent be slow enough for grace to catch up with you.
