For the last 10 years or so, my family has lived counter-culturally around Christmas time. We practice Advent, a time of waiting and lament, a time where we remember the dark time before Jesus came into our world. That’s why we don’t buy or put up our Christmas tree until a few days before December 25th.
Because of this, we have landed some deep discounts on Christmas trees and found some free ones too. Once we paid $1 for the last Christmas tree on the lot. It’s become an adventure, trying to nab the cheapest Christmas tree out there. It’s also fun because finding a Christmas tree later means my adult kids are usually home, which makes for great fun.
There are other advantages. This year, my husband and I walked into 10,000 Villages on Dec 19th (our anniversary) and fell in love with a hand-crafted olive wood nativity set made by an artisan in Bethlehem. We bought it at 25% off, and the cashier kept saying how lucky we were to find it because it sold out online and she had only two left in her shop.
On December 20th, I wandered into the hospital gift shop to buy something Christmasy to add to my friend’s hospital room shelf –she was awaiting surgery and needed some cheer. All things Christmas were 35% off. I couldn’t believe my good fortune and hers—she came through surgery well and will get to be home for Christmas.
Deep discounts are just a byproduct of living into the liturgical practice of observing Advent. This practice doesn’t make us more spiritual than anyone else. It just helps us remember. We remember that before Christ came, heavy darkness hovered over the world. Scriptures written long before He came mention this, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2).
Practicing Advent means we remember the dark times our older brothers and sisters walked through more than 2,000 years ago. Observing the darkness they experienced connects us to them. The harsh realities they faced are not unlike the ones we face. And we pray too, much like they prayed, “Come again, Lord Jesus. Come make all things new.”
During these four weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas, we make an effort to light a candle after dinner and read scriptures selected for us from our church’s Advent devotional guide. We pray heartfelt prayers for those in need and often end this contemplative time by praying together a prayer written long ago. In this, we remember, we wait, we hope.
And then, starting on December 25th, we celebrate for 12 days the goodness of God who left the comfort of Heaven to become one of us so that we might know Him.
I’m writing this essay on December 21st. Our tree is not up yet. We will start our search in two days when my daughter joins my other daughter who is already home. It will be an adventure that will include deep discounts, we hope. But our biggest hope is that in the busyness of the season, we will remember that He came, that He is the light shining in the darkness, that He is here with us, and that He will show us the way.
treadmilltalks 