It was a mid-October night — maybe dark and stormy, maybe not. Some children were still deciding on what kind of costume to wear during Halloween. Others were watching Garfield say “candy, candy, candy.” Still others were Googling “bobbing for apples” and trying to learn why it’s a Halloween party staple.

This is all apocryphal, of course, but play along with me here.

As people went into various stores to shop for their various October 31 wares, products for another upcoming holiday were already filling the shelves.

Thanksgiving, right? The one coming up in November? No, Christmas.

The candy had not even been handed out yet, or even purchased by some neighbors, and it was already beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go.

I get it, I totally do.

This hurry-up attitude to get to Christmas, which was probably already present (no pun intended) in September, is just a sign that we want to embrace and welcome Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, into our hearts as soon as we can and just can’t wait until December 25.

We want candy canes, specially packaged Coca-Cola, and Perry Como (Mariah who?) right away because we are empty inside and need, need, need Christmas right now.

Yes and no?

Christmas lights, Christmas trees, and all of the Christmas et cetera used to start being seen after Santa Claus showed up at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — an unofficial start to an unofficial season (to the average consumer, there is a difference between Advent and whatever the pre-Christmas Christmas is).

Then someone had the idea to creep up the sights and sounds of the season to before people even started researching Black Friday deals.

Buying egg nog and a tree when they won’t last until December 25 seems odd to me, but I shouldn’t judge anyone when it comes to odd.

And now, Halloween wasn’t over yet, and it was time for Christmas.

Like the fellow said, waiting is . . .

The ‘hardest part’

Are we better than anyone born in a year with “B.C.” after it?

There were thousands of years of waiting before the arrival of the Messiah, the Savior, the Son (in human incarnate form).

They didn’t have the luxury of getting the eggnog or Christmas tree in early November.

They didn’t even have the luxury of a calendar to know what was coming.

How different would life have been if they knew what year “B.C.” it was?

Imagine if our calendars had “B.E.T.” (“Before the End Times”) on them following a year designation, but I digress.

As part of our Faith, Advent comes before Christmas, and Advent is all about waiting, hoping, and anticipating.

It’s about preparing our hearts (or better yet, re-preparing them or strengthening them) for the coming of the Lord.

It can also serve as an anticipation of said end times, us not knowing the day nor the hour when He’s coming again.

The waiting thereof for Christmas teaches children the virtue of patience, or at least it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Has humanity lost its patience, or is it just a new area of consumer culture talking?

If it’s November 15, and you’ve already watched Rudolph, eaten like 50 of those Reese’s that are kind of in the shape of trees, and gone ice skating in your new scarf (conditions permitting), what will you have to look forward to on December 25?

How can you be ready to wait for the Lord if you can’t wait to take the tree down?

It’ll be worth it

While being distracted literally by shiny lights and happy music, it’s easy to fall into the “Christmas spirit” way too early.

If you want to indulge in some chocolate candies that resemble handbells on TV for some reason, go ahead, but be sure to discover the blessings and graces that can come from the season of Advent leading up to Christmas.

Read stories of the Nativity and reflect upon the humble birth of our Lord in the stable (or cave?) where he was placed in a manger among the shepherds and the animals of the fields.

Treat Advent like a shorter Lent (it’ll go fast!) and “give up” something that’s good, but its absence will allow you to give more of yourself to the Almighty.

In the Spirit of giving, add some charities or other people or organizations in need to your Christmas shopping lists. Some parishes in our diocese have “giving trees” or similar projects in which you can give to someone who needs a little help.

If you spend a lot of your Advent giving your time, talent, and treasure to others, you’ll be ready to humbly receive once Christmas Day arrives.

You might not receive anything equitable to what you’ve given, but that’s the point.

The weeks leading up to Christmas are such an incredible opportunity to give, grow, and love ahead of celebrating the birth of Jesus.

It would be a shame and many missed chances, to spend too much time, money, and efforts on the “spoils” of the season.

If nothing else seems to work, pray for patience. Just be patient for when the Lord will bless you with more patience.

Think of all of the times He has been patient with us or when others have been patient with us.

Think about who else we can extend that generosity to.

Oh, and take it easy on the food and drink.

Put more emphasis on the “be merry” versus the “eat” and “drink”.

Aren’t you just going to try to “lose” a lot of what you gained come January 1?

Thank you for reading.

I’m praying for you.