It is with some degree of hesitation that I disclose my prejudices against society’s contemporary commercialism of the coming Christmas season. I hesitate only because I know how important it is for us to “feel” the season with our haste to put up that Christmas tree and adorn our homes and spaces with the busy cheer of this special time of year. Nonetheless, I worry for children who learn that the specialness of the season is almost singularly distinguished by the décor, shopping, baking, and the cacophony of bells and familiar Christmas tunes in and out of malls and shopping centers at this time of year.

 

Perhaps more important than ever before, we must strive to celebrate that Jesus is the reason for the season. (Christmas does not officially begin until sundown on the eve of his birthday, which we celebrate on December 25!) In order to truly savor the richness of his coming, we make a conscious effort to do something strange and counter cultural: we do Advent! We quiet our busy lives; we spend some time in solitude; we pray with more intensity; we give to those who need; we hope for Christ’s coming with an expectant fervor that prepares us to receive him. Certainly, we prepare for his coming into our homes, into our hearts, and into the specialness of this season that makes giving so much richer. Just as important, however, this is a