Advent Is a Time for Contemplation

December can feel like a tangled string of lights stuck on a maniacal strobe setting: shopping, rehearsals, parties, the “busy” time at work. Whatever else it may be, the oft-maligned commercialization of Christmas is a temporal phenomenon. It intensifies the hustle and bustle of daily life. You search for an elusive parking spot so you can search for an elusive gift. You grit your teeth beneath a forced smile of holiday cheer. The whole experience is more Sisyphus than St. Nicholas.