Many Christians don’t sing Christmas carols till December 24th. Not because we are Scrooges, but because we are in a church season known as Advent: from the mid-6th century, the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas were kept as a time of expectation, often as a mini-Lent. What are we expecting during Advent? The birth of a baby, yes. The advent calendars I had growing up opened little doors toward the expectation of Christmas morning—baby Jesus, sure, but mainly presents! But Advent as it has been understood, for example in the great Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” has...

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