Advent

Today is the first day of Advent, the season of anticipation and expectation. We've started playing Christmas music and have put lights up on our house for the first time. I'm... undecided as to whether it looks good or not, which is somewhat ironic since it was my idea. (Rob would not voluntarily choose to put up lights outside, naturally.) We're going to wait until next weekend to get a tree since the Advent season is especially long this year (a Sunday Christmas) and we don't want the tree to be too dry and crunchy by the time we want to light candles on it, but I definitely feel us starting to get ready, to anticipate. I think this time of year is full of expectation and anticipation for pretty much everybody in the western world, but if you're a Christian like I am, then we get to remember that the world waited once for Jesus to come to break in to the darkness and that the world waits again for him to heal all the brokenness forever and to make all the sad things come untrue.

I know I've said this before, but that just doesn't sound like a reason to fall prey to stress and materialism to me.




Or if you're in a more populist, leftist, and/or not-specifically-Jesus-based mood, you could occupy Christmas:

Wherever you're at today as we begin the Advent season, I wish you weeks of rich relationships, meaning, and celebration.