🦃 First, Thanksgiving

There’s a proper sequence here.

Most of the time I’m a Thanksgiving purist, saving all my Christmas music until Black Friday at the soonest. Then I crank “Joy to the World” for 28 days or so til Christmas, go to an evening church service, and call it a holiday.

Halloween.

Thanksgiving.

THEN Christmas.

Right?

But for me, having spent so much time in Advent this year through books and music, it’s vividly clear how easy it is to lose sight of where Christmas actually exists in the larger Gospel story. There’s an aching, a waiting, a yearning that’s crucial to understand Christmas and the arrival of Christ our King.

So what if my timing is actually still too early? What if my zeal for Christmas music like “Joy to the World” needs to be contextualized by songs like “The Promised King” and “And So We Wait”? The Advent season is one of hope, yes, but hope requires longing.

Christmas without Advent is like playing Christmas music in October.

This Advent I invite you into the waiting.

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For what it’s worth, I also love “Joy to the World” and can listen to it all year round. Especially my friend Paul Demer’s new arrangement. Check it out.