Advent 2.0

Depending on who you ask the season of Advent started last Sunday, the first Sunday after Thanksgiving or it starts today, December 1st. Regardless of when you start your count down to Christmas, the meaning and importance remain the same.

Last year, I shared my thought about the season of Advent this post. Since you already have received my take on the season, I wanted to give you a fresh perspective from our friend Audrey.

The Reason for the Season: Keep Christ in CHRISTmas   

IT’S HERE!!! ‘Tis the season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And I couldn’t agree more! I love this time of year! It truly is my favorite. Every year at this time, I have to stop and ask myself, “So why is this my favorite time of year?” For many reasons including spending time with family, decorating, smelling all of the smells (peppermint, gingerbread, cinnamon, fresh baked cookies…ahhhhh), giving thought-filled gifts to my family and friends, listening to the music, watching the movies, and so much more. But, the greatest reason this time of year is my favorite is that it is a time to focus on Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His coming into our world. It’s His birthday! 

Jesus’ birthday is the greatest celebrated birthday of all. Think about it…do others give and receive gifts on your birthday? Probably not. But, on Jesus’ birthday He gives us the opportunity to imitate Him in giving to others as well as receiving gifts as He did on His day of birth from the 3 wise men. Your birthday is a celebration of you and, likewise, Jesus’ birthday should be a celebration of Him. While all of the things I listed above are good things in and of themselves, they can become bad if we allow them to become distractions and put them before our focus on the real and true reason for the season. As Christians, we are called to represent Christ in all that we say and do. Let’s remember to do just that especially at this time of year when it is all too easy to become consumed with materialism.

So what are some things we can do to keep Christ in Christmas and remind ourselves and others the true reason for the season? Here’s a few things you can try this year:

1. Say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays.” The entire year is filled with holidays including Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, President’s Day, even your birthday. But there’s only one Christmas each year. So, let’s recognize this holiday for what it truly is.

1. Set up a nativity scene in your home. I know this is an obvious one and I’m sure if you are Christian you have one of these you set up every year. But, there are some great ideas you can incorporate with your nativity scene. For example, in my family we always set up the nativity scene before Christmas, but leave out the baby Jesus until Christmas morning when we place Him in the manger on the day of His birth. As kids especially, it served as a great visual as to what happened on this day. I’ve also seen an idea where you can have Mary and Joseph travel around your house each day throughout the season of Advent and arrive at the manger scene on Christmas Eve just in time to give birth to the baby Jesus. Another great visual and even engaging idea especially for children. And if you have children there are all kind of child friendly nativity scenes you can purchase for them to keep in their rooms or even play with.

1. Sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. It is His birthday after all. It is a tradition in my family that first thing every Christmas morning we all gather around the nativity scene and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus as we place Him in the manger. And, yes, even as we have all grown into adults, we still keep this tradition. It is one I truly treasure. You can even buy or make a birthday cake to celebrate His birthday if you feel so inclined.

1. Read the story of Jesus’ birth from the Gospels. Another tradition in my family is to have one family member read the story of Jesus’ birth from the Gospels (my personal favorite being from Luke Chapter 2) before we open presents. It’s another great way to remind us why we have presents and family gatherings on this day in the first place.

1. Do one random act of kindness each day in December leading up to Christmas. This can be as simple as holding the door for someone, telling someone they look beautiful today, doing something extra for your spouse or kids, sending a card to someone you haven’t spoken to in awhile, or helping around the house more. Other bigger ideas include donating food to food pantries or soup kitchens; donating toys to charities such as Toys for Tots or Operation Christmas Child; donating clothes, blankets, or coats to homeless shelters; donating money to your favorite charity or your church; donating your time by volunteering; giving gift cards for food to those in need; etc. There are so many ways we can show kindness to others and be Jesus’ hands and feet. In imitating His kindness to others, we show others the meaning of Christmas to others through our actions.

What are some ways that you keep Christ in Christmas? Be sure to share your traditions in the comments. And this Christmas, let’s all work on focusing more on the reason for the season and keep Christ in Christmas. There’s no better time to start than now!