"We know he will come back as the risen Lord, though his humanness is different than my humanness. He has been risen from the dead."

Because Christ conquered death, Catholics believe there will be no more sin and no more death upon his return. "All creation will be healed . . . all that is disordered will be made new and whole again as it was at the very beginning when it was first created before the fall of Adam."

In most Christian traditions, the symbolism of Advent is based on the light that Christ brought and will bring yet again, with four Advent candles placed inside an evergreen Advent wreath. One candle is lit the first Sunday of the celebration, with an additional candle lit during each successive Sabbath as the anticipation of Christ's birth and eventual return – symbolized by increasing light — grows toward Christmas.

Johnston said that's one theory about why the celebration of Christ's birth is held around the time of the winter solstice, which is the longest (and darkest) day of the year. "That's when the (day)light begins to increase. In a sense, the light from men decreases as we prepare for the Messiah. When we begin to anticipate his coming, we light candles as a reminder of the light we're looking for."

The celebration for many has evolved to the four Sundays before Christmas during regular worship services, he said, but in his experience, relatively few Christians bring the celebration into their own homes. Johnston has provided materials to local parishes designed to help those who want to begin family traditions around Advent, such as candle-lighting, scriptural passages and prayers.

Many families — both religious and secular — use Advent calendars, which count down the days until Christmas by using tiny symbols of the season to be plucked from behind tiny doors or windows each day as Dec. 25 approaches.

He suggested families can also research and study the saints, including St. Nicholas, on whose work in providing gifts for those in need the secular celebration of Christmas has grown from.

For many Christians, the circular shape of the wreath is a symbol of eternity and the evergreens the essence of renewal and hope.

According to one Web site dedicated to the Catholic celebration of Advent, the candles typically used are violet and rose, symbolizing penance and joy, and each represents one thousand years of the 4000 years that passed between Adam's creation and the coming of Christ.

"The first candle also recalls the Patriarchs; the second candle recalls the Prophets; the third candle recalls St. John the Baptist; and the final candle recalls Our Lady," the site says. At midnight on Christmas Eve, the wreath is replaced by a large, white "Christ candle."