This year, as I prepare for Advent, the idea that “we need a little Christmas” resonates with me more than ever. It’s been a tough year with health challenges, a job change, an out-of-state move and the noise of political turmoil. And so the classic song from the 1974 film “Mame” has already been playing in the back of my mind for a few weeks. I am a sucker for the comfort of nostalgia, and I remember how fun the song felt in my childhood when my mom showed us the Lucille Ball adaptation.
I love Mame’s explanation for why we need Christmas:
For I’ve grown a little leaner
Grown a little colder
Grown a little sadder
Grown a little older
Is that not the state of my heart this year?! The trials of the year have left me feeling worn and weary — not with a heart prepared to welcome the profound love of God who sent his son into the world for us.
Advent is a gift for moments like these. The Church, in her wisdom, begins the liturgical year with a season of preparation, recognizing our human need to refocus and rekindle our hope and desire for Christ. The Catechism reminds us, “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah” (CCC 524). We are invited to echo that deep longing not just for Christ’s birth but for his promised return.
This season isn’t passive; it’s a call to active anticipation. If I sit around waiting for God to fulfill his promise of sending a savior, I might not make it! That little glimmer of hope would be at risk of fading during these darkest days of winter.
Instead, I welcome the call to prepare as a sign of my desire for God’s presence in our world. I don’t want a cold, sad, lean heart on Christmas Day. Each week, I want to work inwardly and outwardly on preparing my heart and home for the full celebration.
Let the hope, peace, joy and love of Advent be our sign of the Christmas we need this year. And if decorating with lights, caroling and fruitcake is your outward reminder of the inner work we are called to, then embrace it.
For we need a little music
Need a little laughter
Need a little singing
Ringing through the rafter
And we need a little snappy
‘Happy ever after’
Not just waiting but also wassailing until we celebrate Christmas Day.
Because we need a little Christmas now.
