Recently, I had tuned into a local call-in-radio show. The subject of discussion was: “How early should we start Christmas?” The question was posed in light of an Instagram post by English singer and television personality, Stacey Solomon, indicating that she had her tree up and decorated six weeks in advance.
Most callers agreed that six weeks was just too soon. Many retailers would surely beg to differ. I can’t blame them. The holidays are a profitable time, and many livelihoods depend on retail success—especially in the current economic climate—and in light of the restrictions we have had to live with over the last couple of years, many folks will undoubtedly be jumping into festive mode as soon as they can. But, in the frenzy of holiday excitement, more than a few will surely feel burnt out by the time Santa Claus comes to town.
In North America, it is now commonly understood that Christmas starts tomorrow, on the fourth Friday in November--“Black Friday.” It may come as a shock to some, but on the Christian calendar, Christmas does not actually arrive until sundown on December 24th. So let me present you with the perfect antidote to the possibility of Christmastime exhaustion. It’s called Advent. No—Advent is not just a time to pluck chocolates from calendars—but is a distinct season on the Christian calendar. It is the season of anticipation, when Christians are invited to anticipate Christ’s arrival in history, in the future, and into our present. It is a time to prayerfully contemplate the arrival of Jesus, Emmanuel “God With Us” into our lives and into the world, to tune into his promise and his teachings.
Over the next month we will be bombarded with a sugary excess of manufactured cheer that will overshadow the story that ought to stand at the heart of Christmas—a refugee family fleeing persecution, and a child who will emerge from the manger to be the Saviour of all people. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed, my advice is as follows: tune out all the noise, and quietly, contemplatively… anticipate.
