Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus' birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, often referred to as Advent Sunday.
The season of Advent in the Christian calendar anticipates the "coming of Christ" from three different perspectives: the physical nativity in Bethlehem, the reception of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the Second Coming.
Practices associated with Advent include Advent calendars, lighting an Advent wreath, praying an Advent daily devotional, erecting a Chrismon tree (an evergreen tree decorated with symbols that are often placed in churches during Advent and Christmas), lighting a Christingle (a symbolic object that represents the birth of Christ and the light of the world), as well as other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations, a custom that is sometimes done through a hanging of the greens ceremony.
