Awaiting The Wonderful

The fall and winter holiday seasons always seem so far away. There is plenty of time to plan and prepare. Then it swoops in like a hungry pelican over an ocean luncheon. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years...here they are. I have gathered them all together in an Advent basket which I call The Wonderful. Each has tradition, joy, celebration, and a spirit of giving and receiving. And of course this has a story behind it.

Several years ago, my life-long best friend, Steve Magin, called a few days before Thanksgiving to chat about holiday plans. He ended the conversation by telling me to expect "The Wonderful" which made me question just what in the world he was talking about. His response was cryptic and playful. "You'll see" he chirped, and then hung up. That response bordered on curious and annoying. It stirred up memories of hidden Christmas presents cleverly stashed away in secret places by my parents. As a boy, I always made it a point to search for clues like Sherlock Holmes until, one by one, each wrapped enigma was discovered. The next thing was to try shaking, sniffing, or peeking under paper folds to determine the contents. I never quit until I was sure of about everything that would be under the tree. Anyway, I was sure that Steve would let me in on The Wonderful in due time, but such knowledge did little to stifle the nagging mystery. So, just like the boy I used to be, the quest of unraveling the riddle began. Google and other search engines didn't help a bit. A call back to Steve was little more than frustrating. When I told him I was waiting for The Wonderful, he just said it was on its' way. Well, great. The mail, UPS and FedEx brought good stuff to the door, but nothing tagged The Wonderful. Every morning had an element of anticipation to it. Surely whatever-it-was would arrive in one form or another today. It didn't occur to me until Christmas Eve that The Wonderful had been delivered every day since Thanksgiving. A bit of me had been magically transported to Neverland along with Peter, Wendy and the Lost Boys. The Wonderful brought back a delight that I thought had dimmed long ago.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. ~ Carl Sagan

So, with today being the first day of Advent, I would like to share my holiday basket with everyone who reads or listens to this. The Wonderful is coming. Reach in and you will find more than special calendar days, presents, elegant meals, parties and family gatherings. They are all in there. But don't stop looking. Pixie dust, sleigh bells, twinkling lights, and an unattached elusive shadow can be found too. And, of course, an abundance of unconditional Love. Childlike and barefoot, we might rediscover that eager anticipation is the essence of life. This is what makes undeniable the faith in a power greater than ourselves.

Gifts of The Wonderful

“The main trouble is there are too many people who don't know where they're going and they want to get there too fast!”

Sylvester (The Bishop’s Wife, 1947)

I’m waiting for The Wonderful. 

It’s coming as sure as there will be white Christmases, holiday decorations, familiar old songs, eggnog, stuffed stockings and presents under the tree.  Many of us have the luxury of fond memories, enticing smells of things cooking and a landscape that twinkles with a thousand lights to remind us.  Some have not been as fortunate. 

But we must remember that there is more to Christmas than the things we might receive and give.  I have come to call it The Wonderful.  It has to do with a marvelous transformation that seems to happen to people this time of the year.  Waiting for The Wonderful creates an atmosphere of childlike joy.  The possibility of a miracle reigns supreme. Something extraordinary is coming as our waiting takes on a joy of its’ own.

Christmas movies always put me ‘in the mood’ for the coming festivities.  Among my favorites are old black and whites from post-World War II. The men and women who had been engaged in devastating struggles of battle were back home and in the process of creating a bold new world.  They rolled up their sleeves, went to work, built houses, attended schools, and dreamed dreams of prosperity. 

By 1947, the simple times and ways of a Norman Rockwell agri-rural America were forever altered.  Along with the many changes came a more bountiful and materialistic focus on Christmas.  Presents were stacked under lighted trees instead of hung on branches.  More became better…and that notion was reflected in the movies. 

Two very different films were presented that year.  One was ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ which portrayed the Macys parade and an abundance of shopping.  The other was ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ which reminded a hurried nation to slow it down and to think about what our Christmas observance was all about.  This picture sums up the essence of The Wonderful.  It ended with a Bishop’s sermon written by an angel.  This is what he said;

https://youtu.be/XQoRul2ez1w

“Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking. Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child's cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven't forgotten that night down the centuries; we celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, the sound of bells and with gifts. But especially with gifts.

You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe. We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled...all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up.

The stocking for the child born in a manger. It's his birthday we are celebrating. Don't ever let us forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most... and then let each put in his share. Loving-kindness, warm hearts and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.”

Today, amid all the hustle and bustle, I will remember to fill a stocking in my heart with the most important gift of all. I will eagerly welcome The Wonderful.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Advent and the Gift of Waiting

“At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God's own love and concern.”  ~ Mother Teresa

Advent begins next Sunday.  The Hallmark Channel is providing continuous Christmas movies, people are hanging up calendars to mark the days until Christmas, while decorations abound in stores, homes and on lighted streets. Holiday music is playing on the radio.  But Advent is about waiting for Christmas.  This is a different kind of waiting than the annoying kind we experience so frequently like hours sitting in doctors offices, and long lines for at airports.   Advent is about joyful anticipation.

The kind of waiting that we are called to experience during Advent is both focused and alert.  It is being present in the moment and deliberate in our actions.  We are asked to participate during this holy time by being more attentive to the people in our lives, actively listening to our families, taking extra measures to be kind and considerate, and by being unselfish as we touch the lives of strangers.  This is challenging and can only be done if we slow down and take our steps thoughtfully. For hidden in these days of Advent,amid planning, rushing and overdoing, is the gentle spirit of peace.