As I think about how I will celebrate Christmas this year,
I feel the weight of expectation and spending pressures.

It is meant to be a holy day—
Your Nativity.

And yet I ask myself:
Is it necessary to host a party,
to gather with family,
to exchange gifts?

I struggle with this tension.

To step away from it all
feels odd—
perhaps even lonely.

And the thought of spending Christmas Eve alone
feels heavy,
almost unsettling.

But Christmas is an opportunity to welcome the other,
even the unexpected guest.

Is there room in my heart
to make space for others—
for family and friends,
for sharing what I have,
and for giving of myself?

Saturday, 3rd Eeek of Advent