It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas
Image from Vector Stock
The Christmas season is now upon us, which is apparent not just in the festive cups at Starbucks, nonstop carols on the radio, and SNOW (yes, crazy amounts of snow fell in southern California during Thanksgiving week!), but also in church life.
This past Sunday was my first Sunday back at church since being on maternity leave and how perfect that it should fall on the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means arrival and it consists of the four Sundays before Christmas when we anticipate the arrival of God into this world.
Advent and Christmas happen to be my favorite seasons of the year, not just in the Christian calendar, but also in the January to December Gregorian calendar because it is the one season where the secular and Christian worlds collide to create a season full of wonder and magic in the air. Creating this sense of wonder and magic has become so important to me ever since I became a mom because children have an exuberant awe that we adults lose as we age.
My sister and brother-in-law came over this past Sunday to help us put up our tree and decorate our home. We drank hot apple cider and listened to carols. And through these traditions, my 3-year-old has already begun to pick up on the fact that we are entering a new season full of lights and wonder.
But I make sure to cultivate that sense of wonder and coziness within my own self as well. I have a list of books, movies, music, and poetry I metaphorically “dust off and get out” this time of year to orient my soul in order to really soak up this season and not get carried away by the consumerism and business of it all. Here’s that list in case you need some inspiration as well. Note that this is not a sponsored post; All of these items are truly my Christmas favorites!
Movies I Watch Every December
The Holiday: I am obsessed with how Rose’s English cottage is decorated that I sometimes fast forward the movie just to get enveloped by the charming interior.
While You Were Sleeping: Such a good movie about family. Wildly hilarious as well.
The Family Stone: Another heartwarming and hilarious movie about family.
You’ve Got Mail: Not technically a “Christmas movie” but the Christmas part of the movie cultivates that coziness and warmth I love to soak up this time of year.
A Book I Read Every December
Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas by Jan Richardson. This reflective book really gets me in the Advent mood. The waiting and anticipation of this season is a waiting in the dark, she writes. It is a hope for things unseen. This book is filled with provocative questions like, “What are you longing to birth this season despite evidence to the contrary?”
Music I Listen to Every December
Poetry I’ve Been Engrossed in This Christmas Season
A fellow minister and one of the most gifted poets I know, Dale Fredrickson, recently dropped a new poetry album, Blessed Is the Man. I'm not the biggest poet enthusiast but he has converted me. This is also not a specifically “Christmas” album though there is one track about the Biblical character of Joseph and how he felt the night Jesus was born. These poems are easy to listen to, understand, and there's beautiful music that accompanies the lyrics.
Other Favorite Traditions
Christmas jammies for the whole family
Setting up an advent wreath at our meal table and lighting candles. The advent wreath is an ancient Christian tradition where the four candles symbolize the four gifts God gives to us: hope, peace, love and joy.
And of course, church! Church is never more beautiful than this time of year. The hymns, rituals, cold weather, hot coffee and treats on the patio after services, Christmas pageants…it gives me all the feels. If you’re not a church goer but want a dose of it to get you into the season, you can listen to my first Advent sermon entitled, “The Magic of Christmas,” here.