And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth

Luke 1:14

It’s beginning. The contractions have started. Close together, robbing her of breath. The world has contracted into just this space, just this time. This body, this moment, this labor. The Christ Child is on his way.

But here is another truth. YOU are not in labor. YOU are not giving birth. It is not your task to accomplish. Instead, we get to be the family and friends in the waiting room. Giddy and breathless with anticipation to witness this new miracle, wrinkled and curled in a ball and sweet smelling and perfect.

The labor of Advent is not ours. The hope of Christmas is coming, whether we are ‘ready’ or not. It’s not our responsibility to have everything in place. It’s our task to witness. To marvel. To fall hopelessly in love with the new life before us. To watch the world change forever as the moment draws near.

There is nothing you have to DO to celebrate Christmas right. All the minutia and tradition of an American Christmas is manufactured. It’s a to do list added to each year by the spinning gears of Pinterest. All that we need to do is wait. Watch. Witness, and be made new. Believe in the hope that we have, the forgiveness that was brought to us. Accept the Gift, and feel the love.

Allow yourself to get excited today, no matter how much the shoulds in your head are screaming. You are out of time. It’s here. Put down your spinning wheels and exhale. It’s time.