I love Advent. I love Christmas. I loveEpiphany. I love all the holidayholy days. And I love everythingthat goes with them. I lovemistletoe, plum pudding, Stir-Up-Sunday, holly and ivy, Advent wreaths,nativity scenes, caroling, sleigh rides, Christmas trees, jingle bells, pecanpie, Martinmas, Little Pascha, wassailing, Twelfth Night, reindeer sweaters,fruit cake, twinkling lights, egg nog, gift giving, card exchanging, red plaidvests, Lessons in Carols, mantle decorations, Boxing Day, and Saint Nick. I love all the beautiful sights, thewonderful sounds, the cherished recollections, the delectable tastes, thepungent aromas, the brisk winds, the early nightfalls, the sentimental oldmovies, the Chesterton poems, the big family reunions, the snug evensongs, andthe chestnuts roasting on open fires. I love the salutations of “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” “FelizNavidad,” “Noel,” “Joy to the World,” and even the occasional, odd “Season’sGreetings.”
I love it all—well, almost all. I confess I’m not a shopper and I just about never go to malls, so Ihave a hard time reconciling the more commercial aspects of the season with mylove of Yuletide. So, no Black Friday, Blue Light special, Groupon, or Sweet Jack sales for me. But, I lovepretty much all the rest of it.
The fact that I love Christmas hardly makes me unique, ofcourse. Christmas is nearlyeveryone’s favorite time of year because it is adorned with so many specialcelebrations, happy memories, delightful stories, wonderful songs, and richrecipes. It is a season ofselfless giving, expressive love, and poetic joy. It is a time for family togetherness, for snuggling up tothe hearthside, for recalling legends and fables, and for celebrating thethings that matter most.
Of course, while many of the richest and most satisfyingaspects of the season have passed into common practice, their meaning andsignificance have often been shrouded in forgetfulness, neglect, ignorance,superstition, or misunderstanding. Alas, this has meant that their greatest pungency, power, and purposehas been lost to us. But, this toohas led to something I love: explaining all the whys and wherefores of our mostcherished holiday traditions, observances, and rituals to others. I love the surprise, delight, andinsight that always comes with teaching and learning—especially atChristmastime. I love the fact that at Christmas, the wonder and the promise of the Gospel is so easy to talk about, so easy to express, so delightful to exclaim.
So, from all of us here in beautiful Franklin, “Gloria in excelsis deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntaries. Ubi caritas gaudet, ibi est festivities.” Blessed Yuletide!
