Celebrating Advent

Christmas can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.  For me, Christmas is about worship.  It is about preparing our hearts for a sacred celebration of the birth of a child that continues to change the world.  I was recently reminded of the Advent Conspiracy, a concept I first heard of last year.  The premise is simple:

• Worship Fully
• Spend Less
• Give More
• Love All

This has me thinking these days about what season we are in.  My husband is adamant that we are currently in Advent and that Christmas doesn't begin until December 25th.  (Yes, we are one of those houses that keeps our tree up until Epiphany in January.)  But I find myself constantly struggling with taking the time to celebrate Advent as... well, Advent.  Advent by its very definition means arrival.  It's the celebration of an arrival... it's the anticipation, the wonder, and the preparation.

As I look at the four key pillars of Advent Conspiracy, the first one hits me hard.  Worshipping Fully.  We are taking steps in our life to Spend Less at Christmas... cutting back on the presents and extra, drawing lines so that we focus on what matters to us (such as my refusal to participate in Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchanges since they just stress me), and trying to do more homemade gifts (as seen in my recent posts).  We are looking for ways to Give More... giving more of our time and gifts to others.  And we strive daily to learn to love others more and judge them less.  But I still find myself so busy in December that I don't stop to Worship.  Perhaps that is why I love Advent Wreaths so much.  They are such a wonderful opportunity to stop, breathe, and worship.

And that is my ramble.  I hope that you find time this holiday season for the things that are important to you.

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