Tis NOT the Season (Yet)

When I was a child (WAIT--no uphill trechs to school both ways, stay with me here!) The Christmas season began with a slow boil somewhere between the end of November and the first of December with the arrival of Advent. If you are not familiar with this anticipatory season, it is observed on the four Sundays prior to December 25th. Its a time to read the prophesy scripture regarding the coming of Jesus Christ and prepare ourselves spiritually for Christmas. For a Christian, the Incarnation or God becoming a human being is alot to get your head around. Its not "Happy Birthday Jesus" its "WHOA, GOD WALKED THE EARTH." Jesus laughed and cried and got mad and took a bath and drank wine, just like us. Yet, he was God? How can this be? In this season of celebration, we don't like to dwell on the fact, but this story had horrible suffering at the end. That's what makes it all the more profound and mysterious and HOLY.

Each Sunday, our family would light 1 candle on our Advent Wreath and have a short devotional time around our dining room table. My brothers and sister and I did not take the ritual very seriously, much to our clergy parents' chagrin. Silly or not, it was our family tradition. From that first Sunday on, we would begin, little by little to decorate our house for Christmas. In church, we would begin to sing those hymns themed "promised coming" such as "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" and my favorite, "O Come, O Come Immanuel". Somewhere around this time, the Sears Wish Book arrived in our home and we began to make our lists for Santa. Everywhere around us, Christmas was in full display-- from the church to the streets to the stores. We played Christmas records every day and I longed to sing those songs in church, too. But we didn't. Not yet, because Christmas was not yet here. The slow boil became a simmer as the weeks went on until, (as now )our attention was much too distracted to focus on mundane schoolwork and teachers were only too glad to release us to our parents for the two weeks of Christmas Break.

By Christmas Eve, we were at full boil, fever pitch and all the other cliches that say OH MY GOD, WILL CHRISTMAS JUST GET HERE, NOW, RIGHT AWAY, THIS MINUTE!!!!!!!! Suffice it to say that some Christmases were good, some bad, but the few days after were always so depressing. All the anticipation was gone. Thank goodness that we could finally sing Christmas carols in church!!! For at least two more weeks!!! Hurray!! Because of course, in the church, the season after Christmas Day was Christmastide. Then by February or March, it was time for Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter and then the whole thing starts all over again.

The 12 Days of Christmas was not just a silly song, you know. Once upon a time, people began their celebration on December 25th and ended it 12 days later on January 6 ("12 drummers drumming"), which is when the Amish celebrate Christmas (or Old Christmas as they call it) today.

That very long-winded walk down Memory Lane is my explanation for why if I see one more Christmas tv commercial I will start screaming. Apparently Madison Avenue has decided that November 1st is now the start of the season. (OK, they decided that a few years ago, but I just can't stand it anymore) This retail holiday is now influencing when people decorate their houses and celebrate. It makes me sad when I see Christmas trees kicked to the curb on December 26th. But if its been up since November 15th, O Tannenbaum is nothing but a dried up piece of tinder by then. Who wouldn't be sick of the mess and disruption to your home decor after that long? The problem is , we are all getting a holiday hangover just when the party is supposed to be getting started.

Now in church, we sing all the Christmas carols as soon as we start Advent because people complained that they had to wait too long to sing them. We sing them until the Sunday after and then we stop. One "We Three Kings" for Epiphany and its back to the same old, same old.

I know that one of the popular approaches to weight loss lately (really an old Buddhist philosophy, I think) is mindful eating. Take a bite and be aware of its smell, taste, texture. Be aware that you are eating, so you don't eat a whole bag of chips while reading the paper or driving your kids to practice or whatever. If you savor your food, you will eat less of it and be more satisfied. Why can't we apply this practice to Christmas? Why can't we just ignore the commercials and wait for it, wait for it...NOW! You don't have to celebrate Advent or even believe in Jesus to wait. We might actually enjoy ourselves instead of the yearly meltdown that I experience, overwhelmed by all I have to get done. Instead of trying to cram all the parties and gifts and all of it in before Christmas, we could take the week between Christmas and New Years (I'm not asking for 12 days, just 7) to do that. Heck, alot of first world countries do this already. They shut down non-essential offices so people can relax and celebrate with their loved ones.

So if you hear me grumbling about Christmas, its not that I'm a Grinch, its that I want to savor it, and you can't do that when you stretch out the season so long. It starts to wear thin at the end, just when its supposed to be revving up. I hope you decide to take it slow this Christmas. What you may lose in quantity, you make up for in quality.