Advent 28

Saturday, Fourth Week of Advent
24 December 2022
 
To this day, my brother and sisters refer to Christmas Eve as “Nervy Night.” It comes from our childhood when I would literally shake with excitement as we hung our stockings and talked about what might be in them, or under the tree, the next morning. I’ve always had a thing for Christmas, and more than the day itself Christmas Eve held a power of its own. It still does.

What I love most about Christmas Eve is the potential. Christmas is so close you can feel (touch, taste, hear, and smell) it. The magical bank account is full, and no check has been written. The energy is palpable, and it’s as if its Christmas in some way even though there’s one more day to go.

In that way, Christmas Eve holds a spiritual lesson onto which I try to cling throughout the year. “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror,” it says in 1Corinthians, “then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully.” Christmas Eve, like our lives on this side of the grave, is a here-but-not-yet moment. It contains the spirit of Christmas, the hope of God coming and being with us, and yet it’s only a partial glimpse, a foretaste, and that is what I celebrate most on Christmas Eve.

Chip Bristol ’82