*An * tiss * i * paaaay * shun - 's making me wait...
And then the utter desecration of the song by it's use as theme music for a ketchup commercial years ago. UGH! Shudders!
Do you have a 'thing' that marks the start of anticipation for you? Or is anticipation in your life a constant, a perpetually active flow? Do you sometimes feel the anticipation of something is greater pleasure than the accomplishment or attainment itself?
Sunday was the 1st Sunday of 'Advent', 4 Sundays of the church calendar preceding and in anticipation of Christmas.
Not being a habitual calendar watcher I have many years not even realized the 1st Sunday of Advent was upon me until it had passed & therefor often missed recognizing its onset as uniquely special. Kind of shrugged it off in years past as being part of a 'ritualistic' practice of religiosity instead of true spiritual relationship but Sunday afternoon I have to admit I was jogged into recognition reading someone else's blog about observing Advent which spurred me to scurry to the garage, uncover the box where the nativity set had been packed with other Christmas decorations and pull a CD of appropriately Christmas-y music from my collection for accompaniment.
In my house, no other Christmas decorating gets done before the indoor nativity set is placed in a focal point location - thereby recognizing the focus of the season in that most mercifully sacred 'gift' from God of the birth of the world's Saviour, Jesus Christ. At sundown I finished putting it in place and read to myself Luke's account of Jesus' birth foretold to Mary by an angel: "Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name, Jesus." - Luke 1:30-31
I'm glad I stumbled onto the blog(s) on Advent I read yesterday afternoon. I hadn't been allowing myself much in the way of anticipation for Christmas this year knowing none of my 'family' will be with me and even Darlin' needs to be elsewhere but this morning I'm grateful to be feeling kind of like my 'Christmas Spirit' and anticipation has effectively had a resuscitation/CPR.
I'll NEVER be one of those who have their gifts all tucked away weeks or months in advance or even one of many folks I know have their home all decked out for 'The Holidays' come Friday after Thanksgiving ready to switch 'on' the lighted Christmas Tree Friday evening. I have felt inadequate in the past because I could never get it together like that. A part of me also would internally groan and quip that was just TOO MUCH too soon, getting caught up in the proverbial hamster wheel rush of the commercialized 'Holiday Season' and recognizing that whole approach is pretty much only safely possible using an 'artificial' tree. Horrors! There's NO SUBSTITUTE for the scent of fresh pine as I brush against the sticky needles while placing lights and ornaments and garland and I ADORE it! When I decorate our Christmas tree - talk about a tree hugger! But if one can and does do all that advance preparation in a spirit of excitement and anticipation - effectively extending 'Christmas' beyond just one day (how many times have you thought 'Why can't it be Christmas EVERY day?') - what could be wrong with that?
We pick & choose what goes into the personal 'shopping cart' of our souls, what we'll 'buy' for Christmas, don't we? For me, absolutely YES to the Nativity, YES to the Christmas tree, lights and trimmings, NO to Santa for the most part, NO to mass marketed, HOT ticket, 'GOTTA HAVE IT' gifts, YES to sacred songs of Christmas but NO to too much cute-sy 'junk' jingles & Rudolph/Frosty and such, NO to artificially extending the spending machination of the 'Season', YES to Merry Christmas & NO to generic/PC watered down 'Season's Greetings' & 'Happy Holidays'. YES to 'making' magic, spreading cheer and joy in word and deed to one and all I meet and touch.
Wishing you joyful anticipation this Monday...
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