Advent is “the coming of a notable person or thing.” It is the expectation of something spectacular, and spectacularly the world is transformed. Lights, lights, and more lights mark the expectation. Quiet suburban streets are transfigured into something resembling a Tokyo business district, a world of incandescent glory.
But what is the great expectation for? Is Black Friday a term packed with more meaning than first meets the eye? Is it a season bereft of any spirit other than hype?
Yet, in our churches, the very place where the true “Light of the World” is proclaimed, a ring of four simple candles, one lit anew each week marks the coming of “a notable person,” one whose arrival was first marked by a single star.
Padre
Padre's Ramblings 
Thank you so much for linking your very lovely post to our Advent challenge at Weekly Prompts. You are of course correct, the true meaning of Christmas is often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of busy lives and the competition of oneupmanship.
I have noticed that in America, Advent appears to be known as the holiday season. Here in England it is simply Advent and we do things on a smaller less colourful scale, though I think here too the true meaning is often lost.
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