Advent 2026 begins on Sunday 29 November and this year lasts a full four weeks – good news, because last year it was shorter. This calendar divides the preparations into individual weeks so that everything does not pile up at the last minute. It is not a list of obligations, more a suggestion of what to get done when.
Why it pays to plan Advent
Advent is meant to be a time of calm before Christmas. In practice it is often the most hectic part of the year, because gift shopping, cleaning, baking, school nativity plays and work deadlines all come together. The difference between a calm December and a rushed one is rarely the amount of work – it is how it is spread out.
The length of Advent also varies from year to year. It always begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve, so it can last from just over three weeks to a full four. This year it is the longer version: there are twenty-five days between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve.
In Czech folk tradition, the Advent Sundays have their own names – Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden Sunday. The names have no liturgical origin and took hold rather in the world of retail, but they are still used in everyday speech. Golden Sunday, the last one before Christmas Eve, is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.
🎄 Advent decorations made from Czech wood. Candle holders, ornaments and decorations handmade in a sheltered workshop – the earlier you look, the bigger the choice.
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Until 28 November: preparing before Advent begins
The last week of November is ideal for preparation, because you are not yet in a hurry. Three things are worth doing.
First, take last year's decorations out of their boxes and go through them. You will find out what broke, what you no longer like and what is missing – and you still have time to top up calmly. Second, write a list of gifts, at least roughly. Third, order anything made to order, especially engraved pieces. Personalised production takes time and December tends to be fully booked.
If you want to make your own Advent wreath, this is the week to find the best materials. We covered this in more detail in our article on the wooden Advent wreath.
Week 1: 29 November – 5 December
The first Sunday of Advent, known in Czech as Iron Sunday. The first candle is lit and the home gets its first Christmas touches. There is no point bringing everything out at once – Christmas Eve is almost a month away, and decorations that have been up since the end of November feel ordinary by mid-December.
It works well to start with the Advent wreath and candle holders, perhaps with a lantern by the front door. Leave the rest for later. This week is also the best time for the first batch of Christmas biscuits – the kinds that need to mature: gingerbread, Linzer biscuits, vanilla crescents.
Saturday 5 December is St Nicholas' Eve – in the Czech Republic, St Nicholas visits children that evening with an angel and a devil, bringing small treats. If you are preparing gifts, have them ready by Friday, as Saturday mornings can be unpredictable.
Week 2: 6 – 12 December
Bronze Sunday and a week best devoted to gifts. Shopping is still sensible at this point, online shops can keep up with deliveries and the choice is wide. Anyone who leaves gifts until the third week is buying from what is left.
It is also a good time for cleaning, which can be done in parts – one room per evening. A big clean on the weekend before Christmas Eve is a classic trap that many households fall into every year.
During this week you can add a second layer of decorations: window decorations, a wreath on the door, fir sprigs in the planter in front of the house.
Week 3: 13 – 19 December
Silver Sunday. This week is the last sensible deadline for orders that are to arrive by post – carriers are very busy in the final days before the holidays and delivery guarantees get shorter.
It is also time to bake the rest of the biscuits, the more delicate and fresher kinds. And to wrap gifts, which is best not left until the last two days – wrapping six presents at once is a chore, wrapping two in an evening in front of a film is not.
Those who set up a nativity scene usually do it now. In many families a wooden nativity scene is assembled gradually – figures are added over time and baby Jesus is placed in the manger only on Christmas Eve.
Week 4: 20 – 24 December
Golden Sunday and the last four days. By now the plan should only be about finishing off – buying fresh food, the tree, the last bit of cleaning.
The tree was traditionally decorated only on Christmas Eve, often in the afternoon, so that children saw it for the first time in the evening. Today most households put it up a few days earlier. A cut tree stays fresh for about two to three weeks if it stands in water and away from the radiator.
This year Christmas Eve – the main day of Czech Christmas celebrations – falls on Thursday 24 December. We have written tips on setting a festive table in a separate article about the Christmas table.
The tip that saves the most stress: Divide your decorating into three waves instead of one big one. The first wave on the first Sunday of Advent – wreath and candle holders. The second in mid-Advent – windows, doors, outdoor decorations. The third only in the last week – the tree and the nativity scene. That way the home gradually builds up atmosphere instead of looking the same from the end of November.
Advent with young children
For parents of pre-schoolers, one more thing applies: children do not perceive time in weeks. "Christmas is in three Sundays" means nothing to them. They need something they can see and touch – and that is exactly the point of the Advent wreath and calendar.
The four candles on the wreath are a better aid for this than any explanation. The child sees how many are already lit and understands that the day is getting closer. A nativity scene assembled gradually works similarly, or a paper chain from which one link is torn off each day.
The second piece of advice concerns expectations. Advent with young children will never be a calm period, however well you plan it – and it is fine to leave some things out. Nobody will notice three kinds of biscuits instead of eight, and a child will remember December more for whether you had time for them.
Czech customs worth reviving
Advent here has never been only about shopping. Many customs have faded, but some can be revived without much effort – and they give children's December a structure that counting down the days alone does not offer.
Barborky, 4 December (St Barbara's Day). A cut cherry or sour cherry twig is placed in water in a warm room and, according to tradition, should blossom by Christmas Eve. It works surprisingly often – you just need to cut the twig at an angle and change the water. A blossoming twig on the Christmas Eve table is an effect no bought decoration can replace.
St Lucy's Day, 13 December. A day linked to an old Czech saying about the nights being "drunk away", meaning they stop growing longer. Before the Gregorian calendar reform it really did fall close to the winter solstice; today it fits only approximately. In most regions, customs related to cleaning and spinning were tied to St Lucy – symbolically closing the work before the holidays.
Building the nativity scene gradually. A custom many families still keep: the figures are not added to the nativity scene all at once, but gradually during Advent. The shepherds come closer, the Three Kings approach from the edge of the shelf, and baby Jesus is placed in the manger only on Christmas Eve. For children it is a more understandable way of sensing the passage of Advent than ticking off days on a calendar.
There is no point in reviving everything at once. Choose one custom and keep it up for several years – only repetition turns it into a tradition that children associate with home.
Plan at a glance
| Period | Sunday | What to get done |
|---|---|---|
| Until 28 Nov | – | Review decorations, gift list, engraved orders |
| 29 Nov – 5 Dec | Iron | Wreath and candle holders, long-keeping biscuits, St Nicholas 5 Dec |
| 6 – 12 Dec | Bronze | Gift shopping, cleaning in parts, second wave of decorations |
| 13 – 19 Dec | Silver | Last postal orders, wrapping, nativity scene |
| 20 – 24 Dec | Golden | Tree, fresh food, finishing touches |
About the Advent wreath and safety. A wreath made of dry fir, straw and dried fruit is more flammable than it looks – and the longer it stands in an overheated flat, the faster it catches fire. Never leave lit candles unattended, not even for a moment. Keep a distance from curtains and replace candles as they burn down, before the flame reaches the base. In a home with small children or pets, consider a candle holder with LED candles instead of an open flame.
What to save for next year
The last piece of advice concerns January. When you tidy up after the holidays, make three notes on paper or on your phone: what worked this year, what was unnecessary and what to do earlier next time. In eleven months you will not remember, and you will start next Advent from scratch.
Incidentally, the most common note people write is the same every year – order gifts earlier. The second most common is not to buy so many decorations, because half of them stay in the box.
In the same note, write down what was missing. If you know in January that you were short of a candle holder or a few ornaments, you can buy them calmly out of season instead of in the December rush.
What suits Advent
Frequently asked questions
When does Advent begin in 2026?
The first Sunday of Advent in 2026 falls on 29 November, followed by 6, 13 and 20 December. Advent always begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve, which is why its length varies from year to year – this year it lasts a full four weeks.
What are the Advent Sundays called?
In Czech folk tradition they are called Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden Sunday. Iron is the first, Golden the last before Christmas Eve. The names have no liturgical origin; they took hold in retail, but are still used in everyday speech.
When is the Christmas tree usually put up and decorated in the Czech Republic?
Traditionally the tree was decorated only on Christmas Eve, often in the afternoon, so that children saw it for the first time in the evening. Today most households put it up during the last week of Advent. A cut tree stays fresh for about two to three weeks if it stands in water and away from the radiator.
How many candles are lit on the Advent wreath?
One more each Sunday of Advent – one on the first Sunday, two on the second, three on the third and all four on the last. Only let candles burn under supervision and never leave a wreath made of dry natural materials with lit candles unattended.
What is the latest I can order an engraved gift?
Personalised products are made to order, so it is best to order them before Advent begins, i.e. by the end of November. We publish the specific deadlines for each year in our News section at the end of October.
Which items from the AMADEA Christmas range suit Advent?
Advent candle holders, wooden Christmas ornaments, nativity scenes and home decorations are the most useful. You will find the whole range in our Christmas section. Many products can be engraved – everything is handmade in a Czech sheltered workshop.
🌳 An Advent planned ahead is a calm Advent. Ornaments, candle holders, nativity scenes and decorations made from Czech wood – handmade, limited quantities.
Go to Christmas decorationsAuthor: Martin Portych – specialist in wooden products, gift advice and shop content
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