I have extracted this, completely out of context, from an e-mail in which it made total sense, because nonetheless it amused me. I can so sympathize with the sentiments it expresses, even though they weren't those of the writer.
I am not ready for Christmas. Not only in a secular, material sense (cards to be written, cookies to be bakes, presents to be bought, wrapped, and shipped), but spiritually. As one for whom Christmas has 12 days, and doesn't begin till December 25th, I know that we are now in Advent, that powerful, yet neglected, season of repentance and contemplation, of preparation and anticipation. I'm ready for Advent hymns, not Christmas carols.Many of our friends are making a determined effort to celebrate Advent with their families. (See Simply Serena, Smithical, and Groshlink for some ideas.) I commend them and am impressed by their creativity. And yet I find myself unable to find the right balance between living in the world and living apart, of maintaining our differences while being part of the culture in which we live. To maintain Advent until Christmas Eve, as some do, seems unreasonable, if not impossible. For one thing, as choir members we have been singing about Christmas for weeks in rehearsal. Everywhere we look there are Christmas decorations, and soon there will be Christmas TV specials, Christmas parties, and Christmas music everywhere. If, Grinch-like, we refuse to celebrate, we appear surly to our neighbors, who will in turn be surly to us when we insist on playing Christmas music after noon on December 25th. Somehow it cuts the legs out from under the holiday, and flattens the joy.
So here I stand, one foot on sea and one on shore: I'll keep Advent as I can, and delight in being in a church that won't exchange its Advent purple for Christmas white till the night of December 24. But feel free to wish me a Merry Christmas, even now. ("Happy Advent" just doesn't sound right.) I know it won't be long before I allow our mp3 player to dip into the "Christmas" playlist. After all, when there is no hope of falling flakes to provide an atmosphere conducive to Christmas-card writing, one may be excused for taking stronger measures.You can always try dream cookies.
:)
Thank-you for enthusiasm regarding our 'Advent'-ure. I'd like to clarify, I'm not advocating a 'lock-down' on Christmas. By encouraging the 'Practice of a Christ-centered Christmas,' Advent involves preparation for the coming of Christ (and His second coming). Our family 'decked the halls' to AccuHolidays, but in the context of previously reading about the real St. Nicholas, where Christmas as a celebration emerged from, scaling back the flurry of activity/consumerism, why the Son of God became incarnate, and the importance of the Word being worshipped by the nations (Epiphany), etc.
Each day this week over dinner we're reviewing Mary's Song (the Magnificat) in the larger context of the beginning of Luke (we meditated upon Zechariah's song last week). Our commitment for this week has been to grow in patience and each day we share what God has been teaching us in this area . . . the twins on the bus, Theresa with Eden, myself with various campus concerns.
We cut out the Jesse Tree ornaments over Thanksgiving break, but haven't gotten to start yet. Maybe we'll just set-up the tree and review the stories, no big deal. We don't have to get it perfect.
Gotta get moving, some thoughts on Light dispelling the darkness at http://groshlink.net/archives/2007/12/05/christmas-words-light -- I find this very practical in my own life and as seek to follow Christ at home, in my neighborhood, on campus . . . more later ;-)
Thanks for your comment, Tom!
This is something I feel strongly about. "Feeling strongly about," for me, simply means emphasizing the current season as a time of spiritual preparation and anticipation—I feel quite comfortable with Christmas decorations, songs, and the like constituting that "anticipation." It also means continuing Christmas celebrations—or at the very least leaving said decorations up—for the 12 following days (though often the tree manages to stick around until February).
