Catch up on Season 13 episodes
As children most of us wrote to Santa Claus to ask for particular Christmas gifts. I’m not sure all of us asked our parents for the Jem doll, a 1980s version of Barbie except that her neck was extra thick to accommodate the double A batteries that made her ears light up. But we all…
My upbringing wasn’t exactly traditional, especially come December. My Dad is (if I may say so) the expert on Christmas. He received his Ph.D. in History from King’s College, London, and is the author of Christmas in the Crosshairs, Santa Claus: A Biography, and The World Encyclopedia of Christmas. He has published works on topics ranging from Renaissance…
Christmas is all about togetherness and no one understands that more than the Hallmark Channel. As everyone who is also tracking the Countdown to Christmas with the Hallmark Christmas app knows (please don’t tell anyone), nothing complicated is ever supposed to happen. In a movie that could be called “Christmas, Christmas Back Again,” travelers may…
Zach helped me light the first candle of Advent on Sunday. The Advent Wreath is a tradition created by a German pastor in the 19th century as a way to teach kids about the coming of Christ. Candles are lit on the Sundays of Advent; three are purple for penitence, a fourth is pink for joy,…
Advent is preparation for the great inversion: God coming to Earth in the form of a human baby; the ruler of the cosmos trapped in a squalling package of helpless flesh. But this Christmas, it’s not enough.
Humans have survived because we are tribal and, man, am I grateful for mine. This season of true miracles is a love letter to my tribe.
People often remark on how well-loved I am. But the truth is, I am not unique. These good people love me well, yes. But these good hearts would do the same for anyone in need. They’re not going to let anyone be eaten by the saber-toothed tiger lurking beyond the fire circle. And that is why I love them.
One of my favorite things about Christmas parties was that they helped me say something a little louder than usual: that I was so effing glad to be alive. Hope springs up in the gloom. Not everything is lost. Even if every horrible thing about empire and injustice and cancer cells is true, a little baby is still about to be born who will crack open the world.
The season of joy and cheer runs on two things: sugar and torture. We cram as much as possible into days that sprint by. When you are in the season of terrible, you hold on to every second.
We might not all achieve ram-a-stranger’s-car-into-a-pole stress levels, but holidays have a way of making us feel frantic. Let’s take a minute to realize that we are entering what the church deems Pretty Special Time (PST, sometimes confused with Pacific Standard Time.) CHRISTMAS IS COMING, people. Everyone get ready!
Explore our Advent devotionals designed for every journey—whether you’re reflecting on your own, gathering with a group, or diving deeper in a Bible study or Sunday school setting.
