Children are busily writing letters to Santa and making lists for their parents– “I want…” We’re listening to “Christmas Classics” on the radio– “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “I’ll be home for Christmas…Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree…” “Christmas, Christmas time is here; time for toys and time for cheer. We’ve been good but we can’t last– Hurry, Christmas. Hurry fast!”

Advent is a time of expectation and hope. But it can also be a time of selfishness and greed. “I want…” “I’m dreaming…” Even if the things we want and wish for are not ‘bad’ things, we can get so caught up in the wanting and wishing, that we forget the deeper meaning and purpose– not just of Christmas, but of life! Life isn’t about getting things– even good or nice things. And Christmas, while it is a season of gifts, is primarily a season of giving.

Turning the radio to a Christian station, I can hear old familiar carols reminding me of the real reason for this season. “O Come, O Come, Emanuel!” “Joy to the World!” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing–Glory to the Newborn King!” “What Can I Give Him, Poor As I Am?” “Yet In Thy Dark Streets Shineth the Everlasting Light…” “This, this is Christ the King; whom shepherds guard and angels sing.”

Even so, it is tempting to spend time this Advent season thinking and praying about all the things we want– noble things like Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men, and good things like health and happiness for our loved ones, and even selfish things, like a new toaster or a new pair of gloves. But what about what GOD wants this Christmas?

God wants us to enjoy the blessings He sends our way. But He also wants us to be grateful for the blessings we already have; the ones we have enjoyed (and even taken for granted) all year long. He wants us to take time in this busy season to reach out, not just with gifts and cookies and lights and greeting cards, but with compassion, warmth of heart, a willingness to listen, an invitation to share tears as well as joys, and efforts to heal old wounds and make peace right in our own families and neighborhoods. Christmas isn’t just about the baby in the manger– it’s about the Christ of the Cross, and the Return of Christ the Triumphant. And this is Our Advent season– awaiting and preparing for His Return!

There are many good things to “want” this Christmas. But all I really want is to be ready for His Coming– ready to receive His Grace, His Hope, His Joy, and to point others to “Thy Glorious Light!”