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Two Small Books That Will Help Make Your Advent More than Just About Shopping
Don’t let this Christmas season be just about Amazon
If you read my annual piece on good/bad/ugly Advent calendars a few days ago, you know that Advent starts on Sunday, December 3rd (for me as I type this, that’s tomorrow). For the vast majority of people, Advent means little more than those silly calendars and perhaps a wreath as we count down to Christmas day. However, Advent means much more than that.
Advent is, in its simplest terms, the season during which we prepare for the birth of Christ. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website describes it like this:
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. Like Lent, the liturgical color for Advent is purple since both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. Advent also includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting, and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas.
It is more than the crass commercialism or constant beating that the holiday season has become in 2023. It is a time of joy, penance, and getting ready for the real meaning of Christmas.
