Happy Advent Eve Eve1! I can hardly believe itâs time (required phrase about everything this time of year), but in some ways, it sorta feels like âfinally, itâs Advent. Itâs later this year, which means itâs also shorter (since Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, making it also the fourth Sunday of Advent, with no rest-of-the-week Advent days).
Advent is good for us because we NEED the festive discomfort of anticipation. It makes that which weâre waiting for more special, it forces us to slow down and dig into the virtue of patience, and it gives us room to treat that which weâre waiting for with the correct respect and reverence. We are finite creatures living in physical bodies, yet we live âin a glass darklyâ with a longing for eternity. Time is both linear and cyclicalâ2023 is almost over and a brand-new year is rapidly approaching; likewise, itâll be winter again in a few weeks, just like itâs shown up again and again for millenniaâand we need to remember this. We humans grow, change, and learn in seasons. Advent helps us with this.
As a season of anticipatory preparation, here are a few quick thoughts on how to take a more inward posture this season (as Iâll unpack more in tomorrowâs webinar):
Practice intentional denial: Advent is sometimes thought of as a âmini-Lentâ, so embrace that a bit. Forego a typical Christmas delight for a few weeks (sugar or festive music at home comes to mind), or forego needless personal spending.
Quietly serve: Volunteer at an event or local ministry, add a little extra to your tips when you dine out, or serve treats to those who serve in your communityâthe police and fire departments come to mind. Donât publicly announce youâre doing any of these.
Stay quiet: Avoid heated discussions, or my particular convictionâdonât be an Advent purist and keep quiet about the outward displays of Christmas âtoo early.â Recite a short mental prayer and let things go.
Read something: Make it daily and formational, whether thatâs Shadow & Light or some other devotional.
Ultimately, embrace the festive discomfort of anticipation that comes with Advent, and let it have its work on you. Itâll make your season of Christmastide all the more special.
5 Quick Things âď¸
1. Iâm sharing part of my Advent âonboardingâ story over at Hearth & Field today. I didnât grow up recognizing Advent as anything but a countdown to Christmas, so Iâm grateful for the gift of true preparation that it is.
2. Earlier this week I shared with Commonplace subscribers a quick list of six books Iâm reading for Advent, in case youâre looking for any good gems, both fiction and non. I just made it free to the publicâwhatâs your reading plan this season?
3. A fantastic episode about how we can turn anxiety into a strength (I promise itâs not just for men)âitâs not what you think. Why has the prevalence of anxiety risen while the reasons to feel anxious have fallen? This chat gets into how the perception of anxiety actually makes anxiety more of a problem, and how to turn anxiety into something that could actually be used for your greater good.
4. Whatâs the difference between an intellectual failing and a moral failing? Can you be virtuous yet dumb? Can you be intelligent yet evil? And where does âstupidityâ fall?
has interesting insight with this, in particular what Dietrich Bonhoeffer had to say. Heâs a good one to ask, seeing as he was surrounded by plenty of fellow German intellectuals who chose the side of Nazis.5. And finally,
encourages us to make a plan for our 2024 literary life. I love this idea (and have already used her handy doc to start my plan).
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening đť
The Shadow & Light playlist (of course!)
Quotable đŹ
âYou mustnât wish for another life. You mustnât want to be somebody else. What you must do is this: âRejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks.â I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.â
-Wendell Berry
When is holiday music âallowedâ? đś
We have some VERY strong opinions on this topic in our household. Usually Iâm Team First Day of Advent, but because Advent starts so late this year (and Thanksgiving was on the early side), I queued up my playlists the Friday after Thanksgiving. HOWEVER, Iâve only been playing Advent-specific music, and quiet background types at that. Iâm not an animal.
The day after Thanksgiving: 56.6%
December 1: 15%
The first day of Advent: 14.6%
Autumn: 8.2%
Year-round: 4.1%
Christmas Eve: 1.5%
Find this weekâs poll here.
Order your copy of Shadow & Light â itâs not too late! Yes, Advent begins this Sunday, December 3, but just begin reading when youâre ready. Advent is for everybody.
Quick Links đ
đŹđˇ Join Me in Greece: June 20-30, 2024
Question(s) For You to Ponder⌠đ¤
Who could you go out of your way to encourage this holiday season?
Have a great weekend,
- Tsh
p.s. So ridiculously beautiful.
Just go with me here.
Happy Advent Eve! I love the phrase "festive discomfort"âwe tell our kids all the time that "waiting is hard, but you don't have to do hard things by yourself"... so excited for a liturgical season of doing the hard work of waiting together.
Loving listening to Autumn's thoughts on a literary life. Last year was my "The Year of the Re-Read" where I revisited books I hadn't read since high school and college and it was just so lovely. This video was so encouraging as I enter into a year where reading time has greatly shrunk in my daily schedule.
Oh my gosh. I am the 1.5%.
We save Christmas music and cookies until Christmas Eve. (I mean, we'll still go caroling with friends or something or eat cookies at a party! But just in our home.) We do listen to a lot of Advent music before then!
We have a really beloved tradition of starting Christmas with Christmas Eve dinner, after which we transform all the purple in the house into red, green, and gold and then sit by the tree and the fire, eating cookies and fudge and, after reading the Gospel aloud, singing Christmas carols for the first time that year! This is my kids' favorite day of the year (even beats Christmas Day!).
I knew this was a bit uncommon, but didn't realize HOW unusual we are in terms of the music, at least!