Christmas Eve is a unique day because it's about anticipation. We have holidays about gratitude, we have holidays about looking forward, we have holidays about looking backwards. But this is uniquely about anticipation. Now in our lives, anticipation is often tinged with anxiety. Oh, I can't wait for this to happen, but I hope it works out right.
I can't wait for her to show up, but I hope she doesn't get in an accident on the way. I can't wait for that promotion, but I hope I don't screw things up and get fired first. The thing about Christmas Eve, and Advent in general, is we know how the story ends. We know what happens at the end of the five weeks of Advent.
We know what happens after Christmas Eve. Christmas will come the next day. We can be absolutely confident that, and thus we can comfortably and safely anticipate that outcome. What if we brought that into every part of our lives? What if we brought that anxiety free, confident, full of faith sense of anticipation into all aspects of our lives?
What if we were like children on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa to come, as we think about what will happen in our business, opportunities in our career, opportunities in our family, our futures? What if we took that faith, that we have, knowing that, That Christmas follows Christmas Eve into every part of our lives.
Will we sometimes be disappointed? Sure. But the trick is, get disappointed, move on, don't think about it, anticipate the next thing. If you're old enough, you probably had a disappointing Christmas at some point. Christmas Eve led into Christmas, but maybe you were traveling or away from home or away from family or something else made your Christmas not what you hoped it would be, but you still had faith that the next Christmas would be better.
What you were dreaming of. Why not do that everywhere? Why not anticipate the joy and the happiness and the excitement of Santa Claus and presents under the trees in everything you do in your life? Because in everything in your life there are gifts coming yet to be unwrapped. There are opportunities.
There are beautiful things under the proverbial tree every day, every week, every month of your life. So as you enjoy this Christmas Eve Anticipate the exciting things that will come tomorrow. Hold on to that feeling. Anchor that feeling. So next time you go into your life and you say, Oh, I can't wait for this, but I hope it works out.
Let that go. Just trust Santa's gonna deliver whatever it is you're looking forward to. Merry Christmas, everyone.
