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By late August, my friend Helen takes on a panicked, wild-eyed look. "It’s Christmas,” she replies when I ask what’s bothering her. “I’ve got so much to do to get ready!”
Helen may represent the extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to pre-Christmas tension, yet she’s hardly alone in feeling overwhelmed as the holidays loom. For many people, the weeks leading up to December twenty-fifth are a frenzy of shopping and social events. Women especially feel stressed, with impossible schedules and to-do lists, all of which leave them too tired and distracted to spend much of Advent waiting at the manger.
Nevertheless, during Advent and Christmas, the central issue for Christians is Christ. We are called to fix our sights on recapturing Advent and Christmas as a season of longing, preparing our hearts and welcoming the newborn King. Peace will come—even in the midst of inescapable busyness—as we and our families learn to seek first the Prince of Peace. If you are longing for a truer, simpler, and less…
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