I absolutely love buying gifts for other people. Christmas and birthdays are my time to shine. Come mid-October into early November, I’m actively Christmas shopping. I usually have a pretty good idea of what to get everyone on my/my husband’s list – so there’s zero stress involved for me. Basically – I love the entire process of giving gifts. Add in some coordinating, cute wrapping paper and game over.
It’s become a thing for me in the last four years to have all of my Christmas gifts wrapped before Advent begins. I don’t want my Advent season spent buying gifts or getting them wrapped – even though, as I mentioned, these are two of my most favorite things to do! But for me, it’s almost as if I’m getting all of the secular side effects of Christmas out of the way, and letting myself sit in the “wait”.
When you take out the gift buying and wrapping, it’s really easy to set your mind on waiting for Jesus to be born. Sure, there are gift exchanges, parties, concerts, and other seasonal things to do or places to be, but when you are setting an atmosphere of waiting, it becomes very easy to truly focus on “the reason for the season”.
Our house does Advent very, very well – if I do say so myself. Granted, my husband for sure helps set the tone, but for some reason, Advent is always good for us. We have a particular Advent playlist that we play – not a single Christmas song is on it, by the way. We light our Advent candles every night at dinner. We have a Jesse tree that helps set the scene for the coming of our Savior. We even go as far to avoid saying “Merry Christmas” – I’ve even gotten rid of all decorations that include the phrase.
It is the ultimate build-up. By the time December 20th rolls around, I can hardly contain myself. I’m all but bursting at the seams for Jesus to arrive. Come the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass, and I am GIDDY. The moment “Joy to the World” starts playing as the Priest processes in, I always start crying. He’s here. Jesus is here. He has come to His people and set them free. When we finally sing the “Gloria”, and I hear my sweet children belting out the words, well, consider me an absolute puddle.
By the time Christmas day rolls around, and my kids are opening presents that I have almost forgotten what’s inside, I am filled with such joy. Finally, Jesus is here. God is with us. How fortunate are we to know Jesus. To not wonder about who He is. To not question who this newborn baby boy is. To know He is truly our Messiah. To not be confused by His Kingship. To celebrate His coming to Earth. To sing His praises, joyful and triumphant.
As we enter Advent in just a few days, embrace the “wait”. So when Christmas day is here, we can be like the shepherds who returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
