Nobody can deny that Christmas is the most important holiday on the calendar. It’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is one of two central Christian holidays, the other being Easter. Even though the holiday has become commercialized, people still talk about Christmas time as a time when our hearts open up to each other and we learn to be more charitable and joyful. The magic of Christmas is such that so many people are impatient. They want it right now. That’s why you hear Christmas songs playing as early as the beginning of November. Yet are we ready for Christmas?
I don’t think so. And the reason for that is simple: most people haven’t bothered to observe the Advent season.
The Advent season consists of the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent usually begins at the end of November. It is the time to prepare for Christmas – and more specifically, prepare for Christ’s coming. Nowadays, the closest equivalent to Advent most people celebrate is Black Friday, where people shop online for Christmas gifts. However, they don’t do anything to celebrate Advent in itself.
One of the main purposes of the Advent season is to help believers reflect on the significance of Jesus’ coming to earth as a human being. It is the Incarnation of Jesus that is responsible for making Christmas a time of hope and promise. The Advent season helps Christians focus on the meaning and significance of this event and helps them to prepare for its celebration.
Another important aspect of the Advent season is the opportunity it provides for Christians to reflect on their own lives and to consider how they can be more like Jesus. This can involve making a greater effort to be more compassionate, forgiving, and loving, as well as striving to live according to Christ’s teachings.
Like the holiday it helps us prepare for, the Advent season is a time of great joy and celebration. Unlike Lent, which is generally more solemn, Advent observers anticipate the arrival of Christmas and the opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many Christians mark the Advent season with special traditions and customs, such as lighting Advent wreaths, singing Christmas carols, and participating in church services.
For example, at my local Church, St. Martha’s Catholic Church, we participate in an event called “Giving Sunday.” We bring presents to Sunday mass and donate them to the less fortunate. Another way my family celebrated Advent was by honoring the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas on December 6th. I still remember getting fruit, pajamas, and ornaments in my stockings every year at that time. In many ways, it foreshadowed the wonderful gifts we’d find under the tree on December 25th and reminded us of the importance of generosity.
The social aspect of Advent cannot be understated either. Advent provides an opportunity for believers to come together with their families and communities to celebrate and share in the joy of the season. This sense of community can be especially important during a time of year when people may be feeling isolated or stressed due to the demands of the holiday season.
Overall, the Advent season is an important time for Christians around the world, as it helps them to reflect on the significance of Jesus’ coming to earth, to consider how they can live more like Jesus, and to celebrate and share in the joy of the season with their families and communities. Like Christmas, it has become commercialized by days such as Black Friday, which entice people to prepare for Christmas by buying a lot of stuff from stores and websites. However, this does not and indeed cannot detract from an Advent well-spent. What have you done this Advent thus far? Christmas is only a few days away, after all.