"Advent is a season of devout and joyful preparation for the coming of Jesus" - Fr. Mike Schmitz
Many families and countries have different ideas and traditions on how to celebrate Advent versus Christmas. For example, some do not listen to any Christmas carols until Christmas Eve, in order to make sure that Advent celebrations don’t become Christmas celebrations.
But this doesn’t mean you have to pass up every Christmas party invitation you receive to make sure you are celebrating Advent properly! Instead, remember to keep the spirit of Advent in everything you do until Christmas Eve. This means having a spirit of hopeful longing, joyful expectation, prayerful penance, and spiritual preparation.