First Sunday Of Advent

This Sunday is when our church starts preparing for Christmas.  Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of Christ.  It is to be a season of meditation and self-examination.  A season of quiet, not a season of conspicuous consumption. 
For us personally, it is a time of preparation, and is often more hectic than it should be.
The seasonal decorations trickle out over the four weeks of Advent here at our house.  The tree will usually come out in the second week.  The lights in the windows and some of the smaller decorations will come out sooner. 
This year, I do not think we are going to be doing a lot of shopping.  Our gifts to each other we have pretty much already exchanged, in the form of a trip we both enjoyed, and special things purchased when the opportunity was available.  Mostly, this season for us is a time to remember loved ones and the gift of joy that we have shared over the years.  Even our traditional foods will have to be modified a bit, since we are both more conscious of our health these days. Oh, there will be some excesses, but not as many as usual.
As this season progresses, I pray for our whole world that we find more peace and less violence, more love and less hate, more forgiveness, and less seeking for revenge.

May the Peace of the season be upon us all.