Christmas - are you too busy ending the year?

I wonder whether we miss out on the potential spiritual vitality of the advent season because we are too busy ending the year.  The traditional Christian Advent season begins near the start of December and builds to a climax at Christmas time.  But I think sometimes we can get caught up with end of year concerts, breakups, and parties that we leave little time for a spiritual build up.  We slog our way through all our diary events then on the 24th December quickly switch in to God mode before we rush off to summer holidays.

Now I am not expecting we will make wholesale changes, but I think there are some simple things that we could do that would make a difference:

- How about sitting down now and making a list of all the activities that you will be involved in that have some overt Christmas content between now and 25th December.  This might include getting out the Christmas decorations, various carol services, listening to Christmas carols as you walk around shopping centres, or even watching Carols on TV.  Then simply ask God to prompt you to use those activities to focus your attention more fully on the remarkable events of Christmas - God becoming human, entering into our broken world, to restore our relationship to God, and free us from sin and death. 
- If you don't normally use an advent calendar, maybe you might like to purchase one or even make one.  
- Set aside half and hour to read through the accounts of Jesus birth in the Gospels - it will only take you half an hour!!!

They don't have to be big changes but with a bit of prayer and inspiration, they will go a long way to making Christmas the meaningful Christian Festival it has the potential to be.