by Jennifer Haynie @JenniferHaynie1

These past few weeks have been hard. It’s been difficult to hear the negativity awash in the news and on social media, to attempt to prepare a Thanksgiving that was both safe and enjoyable for family. It got so bad at one point that I seriously considered not decorating for Christmas. Like what was there to celebrate? After all, we’re in the midst of a pandemic. But then, as Thanksgiving drew closer and closer, something awakened in me. I began anticipating the season of Christmas.

That got me to thinking. With Christmas comes Advent, which started yesterday. And, if you observe Advent as part of the Christmas season, you enter into a season of anticipation. Webster’s defines anticipation in two ways:

• A prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action
• The act of looking forward

Over the next three weeks of advent, I’ll be talking about one way we put the first definition into play and two ways we put the second definition into play. Here’s how that works.

• Anticipation allows us to look back on the year (first definition).
• Anticipation allows us to look forward to the upcoming year (second definition).
• Anticipation allows us to look forward to our Savior’s birth (second definition).
• And finally, anticipation allows us to look forward to the Christmas season in general (first definition).

As Thanksgiving wound down, excitement filled me. I could feel it deep in my bones. Christmas was coming regardless of a pandemic. Friday morning, after we’d had our morning lazing around the den, I made my request to Steve.

Time to pull down the Christmas bins. That afternoon, I put on the Christmas music and got to work.

This year, something special happened. Rather than rush to get it all put up in one or two days, I’ve stretched out the decorating. Savored it. Enjoyed the brightness of the lights, the music, the downtime where I didn’t have to rush. Boxes still remain everywhere and we’ll get our tree this week, but we’re getting close.

This year? I’m ready to celebrate and anticipate doing so in whatever manner I can.

Question: What do you anticipate this Christmas season?