Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. Which, in my book, means the Christmas season has begun.

Advent is traditionally a time of preparation, of looking forward to celebrating the birth of Christ and to his return.

Do you remember what it was like to look forward to Christmas when you were a kid? I know I was on pins and needles. I’d mailed off my list to Santa. We’d be baking cookies, singing carols, and decorating the house. There might have been a visit to some obviously lower level Santa at the mall. The anticipation was building and . . .

. . . I was EXCITED!!

So how do I look forward to Christmas these days? Hmmmm.

There are presents to buy, decorations to put up, parties to host or attend, cards to mail, food to prepare, family to wrangle, and expectations to . . . well . . . fail to meet.

Oh, and then there’s all the church stuff. Greening the church, our ladies’ Christmas party, a Christmas program, a Christmas Eve service . . .

And somewhere in there maybe, just maybe, pausing to remember what’s actually worth looking forward to–what I really should be anticipating. In a word–Jesus.

The Christmas season is upon us. We all know how easy it is to be swept up by our to-do lists and to end up just checking off each day until suddenly, Christmas has come and gone.

This Advent season I encourage you to pause and remember that tingle of anticipation you felt when you were a kid. And then to realize that while you may not believe in Santa Claus anymore, you still have something truly wonderful to look forward to.

Merry Christmas.