The “Holidays” are a season of rush and anxiety. We endure “three days only” sales, overspending, overeating, worry about whether more stuff will make us happy, parking problems, and sappy specials about elves and talking reindeer, occasionally relieved by football.

Advent is a season of light and hope. We read God’s promises to visit us and save us from sin, evil, and death; we contemplate images of light in the darkness, and we prepare ourselves for Christmas, when God’s promises will be fulfilled, and we occasionally watch football.

Compare and contrast.