Adventsmys: Lighting the First Candle of Hope

- Finding warmth, resilience, and the magic of mys in the season’s first flicker of light

Today marks the First of Advent, and we light the first of our seasonal candles. This tradition, deeply rooted in Christian observance, counts down the four Sundays leading to the birthday celebrations for baby Jesus. But you don’t need to believe in the Book of Books to find meaning in this ritual.

The simple act of lighting a candle in the darkness carries a universal comfort, a quiet promise of hope. It is a practice of holding vigil against the night that predates the nativity story by centuries.

Long before the first whispers of a miracle baby in Bethlehem, our ancestors gathered under the darkening skies, huddling together as the days grew shorter and colder. I like to imagine them—wrapped in fur and wool, faces illuminated by firelight—sharing stories, food, and warmth as they waited for the sun to return. They lit candles, not out of tradition, but of physical and emotional necessity. Maybe each flickering flame was a as much a beacon of hope for them back then as it is for me t…