Advent Ins

• Wearing the same emotional-support sweater three days in a row.

• Hanging a stocking for someone who’s gone. (Love lingers.)

• A nativity scene with missing characters. (It’s okay—we know how the story ends.)

• Fake candles in the Advent wreath.(Safety first!)

• Crying during O Holy Night.

• Saying, “That’s enough for today,” and meaning it.

Advent Outs

• Perfect Christmas cards with perfect smiles. (One cannot have it all.)

• Performing peace instead of practicing it.

• Guilt-based generosity. (If it comes with resentment or a receipt, it’s not a gift.)

• Inflatable yard decorations. (I said what I said.)

• Matching pajamas as a moral imperative.

• Stressing about “keeping up” with the Advent guide. (Skim, skip, breathe. You’re doing great.)