It seems the older I get, the more the Advent season becomes a blur. Lately, I feel I turn around and another week has gone by. At this point, there’s no way I can get through all my Christmas movies and specials before December 25.

If I make Christmas into a single day, I will be disappointed. If I make the season about trying to make the reality of December match my nostalgic view of what Advent should be, then I won’t be living in reality.

But if I remember that Christmas means that Messiah has come, then I can relax and rest. I can celebrate Christmas as a new way of seeing and thinking and living instead of 24 hours on a calendar that comes around every 365 days.

Jesus doesn’t just live in our hearts one day out of the year but all the days of the year. I can be like old Scrooge and keep Christmas in my heart and carry it with me all through the seasons until the next December 25 rolls around again.