Christmas has come early for me this year --- in the best possible way.
In our world, "Christmas" gets mixed up with and too often overwhelms Advent. Mothers especially will attest to the fact that Christmas can be a crazy-making time of year, with all the "shoulds" and "have-to's," which frequently end up being much more part of a woman's experience than a man's.
There are cards to write and mail that "should" include a great picture of the family. There are cookies, cakes, breads and candies that "have to" be prepared. There are the decorations that seem to get more elaborate each year and there is the tree --- which now comes pre-lit, in more shapes, styles and sizes than anyone ever imagined. For families with children in school, there are teacher gifts in addition to all the others that require shopping, preparing and wrapping. It can be an overwhelming experience.
Advent --- the season we should be celebrating --- is not about rushing around town shopping, decorating or entertaining. It is about waiting and preparing for the Lord. It is a time to look backwards and remember the actual birth of Christ and a time to look forward in anticipation of Christ's return.
For our family, Advent took on a different meaning this year, because the first Sunday of Advent was also a celebration of the first few days of our new baby granddaughter, born Dec. 1 to our oldest daughter and her husband. They named her Natalie, from the Italian buon natalie, meaning "happy birth." It is the phrase used in Italy to wish Merry Christmas.
Indeed, the story of the first Christmas now takes on a new personal meaning for me. As we waited that day in a hospital lobby full of "holiday" reminders, anxiously anticipating any word on the progress of labor and delivery, the traditional pictures of the birth of Jesus came to mind and then jumped to the practicality of this birth. Certainly there were grandparents who waited anxiously, like my husband and I, for news from Bethlehem. This somehow transformed the hectic and nerve-wracking hospital waiting room experience into a more prayerful experience. Rather than worrying about holiday "stuff," it became a time of prayer and thanksgiving.
Now the usual decorating and frantic shopping is replaced this year by bottle preparations and all-night vigils as my daughter, her husband and I trade off the feedings. It is a very different type of holiday preparation and it has offered more of an Advent experience. Instead of worrying about all the trappings of the holiday and how all the "shoulds" and "have to's" will be accomplished, there is a feeling of peace.
In the midst of a very early morning feeding, my thoughts go to what Mary did so long ago, and wondering what her own parents were thinking as their daughter welcomed New Life for the world into the world.
This year, I feel a real connection with that holy family. This year, that connection is my gift.
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