It’s time to stop crying in our soup about the consumeristic commercialization of Christmas. Instead of bashing the culture for making Black Friday bigger than Thanksgiving, let’ do something different this year. Let’s do Advent. Instead of quibbling over saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas, ” let’s recover what it means to celebrate Holy Days. Instead of our cheesy slogans about the “reason for the season, ” let’s practice a sacred season for the sake of the reason. Let’s joyfully embrace the fact that we will do Advent in the midst of a culture that loves Christmas but doesn’t really understand it. When the church reclaims Advent, the culture will behold Christmas.

This twenty-five-day reader offers an opportunity for individuals, groups, and communities to get on the same page in preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Here you will find the trusted texts that have guided the church for centuries combined with daily insight and prayers composed by some of the best Christian poets of our time.