For many, Advent marks the beginning of a season of anticipation for Christmas. It is a time to prepare our hearts, minds, and bellies (turkey and stuffing anyone?) for the joyous festivities to come.
Growing up, I loved to open a new door on my advent calendar each day during the month of December. I would search eagerly for the next door and savour the chocolate surprise that awaited me as I counted down the days until Christmas.
Though I no longer purchase an advent calendar each year, and though the excitement that accompanies Christmas is not as great as it was when I was a child, I observe the season of advent as a time of reflective preparation. For those who hold their faith near to their heart as I do, the season is a time to reflect and prepare our hearts to observe the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ.
For others, the countdown to Christmas is a time to celebrate good tidings and share in peace, love, and joy amongst family members and friends, with an abundance of sparkling beverages and holiday dinners.
For as long as I’ve been around, Christmas has been a commercialized holiday – a time to buy as many things as one can get their hands on. In my opinion, the over-commercialization of the holiday has blurred the true meaning of Christmas and its joyous simplicity.
Whether or not you ascribe to a faith practice this holiday season, rather than purchasing and spending frivolously, the holiday season can be a time to celebrate the values of kindness, compassion, and generosity, and spend time with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbours.
The Christmas season is even a time when doing something nice for a stranger is more commonplace. At no other time of year do I see so often neighbours shovelling each other’s walks, purchasing someone else’s coffee at a drive-thru, or helping an elderly person get their groceries to their car.
Many people are also handing out donations to their favourite local charities and food banks to help those who are less fortunate during Christmastime.
In fact, according to a research article published by BMJ, there is a “Christmas spirit network” in the human brain, showing significantly higher activity in areas of the brain in people who celebrate Christmas than those who do not.
The BMJ article might indicate that people are more joyous during the holiday season than at other times. It could explain why we tend to see more acts of kindness and generosity during this time of year.
Whether or not you are a self-proclaimed Scrooge, I encourage you to partake in the finer things this holiday season has to offer - such as acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity - rather than getting lost in a list of “have-to-dos" and “must-buys.”
