So: do you listen to Christmas music in Advent? Or is that cheating?
Advent, for some of you less church-ritual-inclined folks, is the season of preparation before Christmas. Historically, it's something of a "mild fasting time", which is rather oxymoronic. It's a time of preparation, like preparing a room for a guest, or tending a seed, or watching the sun rise--those are some of the traditional images. So each year, we all have the annual debate: is it cheating to listen to Christmas music in Advent?
Given the commercial nature of the Christmas season these days, if you walk into any public space, you will hear Christmas music whether you like it or not. All the contemporary stuff, though, is strangely heartless. It's grown increasingly formulaic, thoughtless, and depressing--like much of pop music, really. The moldy oldie stuff seems strangely disconnected and hollow. White Christmas? Really? That's what we dream of? How about no more wars overseas? Or: Santa Claus is coming to town? That's why we better watch out? What about a broken economic system? That seems like a better reason to watch out--Adam Smith's invisible hand might just punch us smack in the face.
But aside from that awful fluff, that cultural snow, we all have Christmas songs that speak to us, and that's the real heart of the question. Do we best prepare for Christ's coming by fasting from that music? Does listening to Christmas music too early count as cheating, like opening presents too early?
Increasingly, I think it takes an odd mental gymnastics to put off listening to Christmas music. Sure, I love Advent music--probably more than your average bear, and that music is very appropriate for the time of year. But could we really prepare for Christ without knowing what that sounds like? Can we truly clean up our hearts and minds without a vision in front of us, of humanity reconciled to God, of angels singing? The Guest who comes at Christmas is a stranger, but that Guest is also a friend. Listening to no Christmas music ahead of time reminds me too much of false piety. Fasting is important, but Advent is about not much about fasting--when we arrive in Lent we can speak of fasting. Advent is about a light in darkness, about clarity of vision, about refocusing, about letting the unimportant fall away. And Christmas music, for me, is of paramount importance. Nothing speaks in my heart like those old carols. And so nothing inspires my preparation like a taste of what we will celebrate soon.
So keep Advent, I say, by keeping a vision of the Holy before us, knowing what we prepare for, what we will celebrate for 12 days. Something has to fight off all of this soulless wandering in a winter wonderland.
And, in that spirit, I offer you my annual tradition: what may well be my own favorite Christmas hymn. Just click the play button a little down the page. This is tradition. O night divine, indeed.
