The Art of Living in Advent: Through the Manger and into the Christian Year

The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College presents "Christmas at the Wade | The Art of Living in Advent: Through the Manger – and into the Christian Year," a lecture and book signing by Sylvie Vanhoozer on Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM.

The Art of Living in Advent awakens people’s imagination to Christ "on the move" in our midst by entering into his story not through a wardrobe, as in Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles, but through a manger. It starts not with a myth but with a legend – that Christ was born in Provence – and with a local tradition where villagers, not wise men, come to the baby with gifts representing their own humble vocations.

Sylvie Vanhoozer was born and raised in Provence, France. A certified botanic artist and retired French teacher, she now focuses her attention on placemaking, partly through her writing and art, inspired by the various places which she has called home. She is the author of The Art of Living in Season: A Year of Reflections for Everyday Saints (IVP, 2024) and The Art of Living in Advent: 28 days of Joyful Reflections (IVP, 2025).

This event is free and open to the public and will take place in Marion E. Wade Center's Bakke Auditorium, located at 351 East Lincoln Avenue in Wheaton on the Northwest corner of campus at the intersection of Washington Street and Lincoln Avenue. Parking is located in the lot on the east side of Washington Street. For more information, contact the Wade Center at wade@wheaton.edu or 630.752.5908.