Yesterday began the first day of Advent. Similar to Lent, this is the time Christians use to prepare themselves for the Christmas season, usually by deprivations from their normal life. One of the most common ways is to give something up, but some also vie for adding items they would not usually do, like extended devotions or adding additional charitable tasks to their life. In our family, we start every dinner in this season with the lighting of the Advent candles and chant "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". While it's hectic with five kids to do much in terms of traditions, we manage.
In ancient times, there was a pronounced "famine, then feast" mentality that permeated the calendar. Whenever there was a celebration, beforehand there would be a preparation period. People would intentionally deprive themselves of some luxuries, and then when the day came, get back those luxuries and then more. You can see this in old Lenten and Advent fasting disciplines, which the Orthodox still do but Catholics have become criminally lax in. Just look at this calendar.
Pretty intense. I did this a few years back ,and it wasn't as bad as I thought. This was with fewer kids and my wife had to cook special meals for me, so I can't justify the burden on others. Eventually I want to make it a part of my yearly habit though.
It used to go even beyond this also. While we don't do the fasting regimen, our family tries to keep the Advent spirit alive by not doing celebratory things until the 25th comes. This includes not lighting the Christmas Tree and the outside lights. It's strange walking outside and seeing the massive decorations out, many of which have been here since before Thanksgiving. What's even odder is how many take them down before Christmas season has actually ended, some of them taking them down before New Years. We always have the problem of getting a decent Christmas tree closer to Christmas, then disposing the tree after the full Christmas season has ended, usually a couple weeks after everyone else already put theirs to the curb. It's like a big, month long celebration that leaves one bored and exhausted by the time Christmas actually comes along.
Now, imagine if everyone did their prayer, fasting, and penance for a full month before Christmas came. Imagine being a week away and salivating at the thought of the ham you are going to eat on the 25th, the candy you are going to indulge in, and the hobbies you can finally restart. It sounds a lot more special, and that's the point. Instead of the "feast, normal time, feast" that leads to exhaustion and a weak will, everyone partakes in a ritual cleansing to clean up their lives. "Famine, feast, normal time, famine, feast", etc. creates a much more pronounced and engaging way of living. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor either, especially in the United States. Everyone has things they can give up that allows for gratitude.
The family aspect is also forgotten. The common theme of modernity is to create bonding experiences by having fun to the point of decadence. There are vacations to be had, toys to be bought, and the idea that unless everyone is smiling, people are not bonding. The truth is, while that's fine, there needs to be sacrifice for others. You need to be fasting together. You need to be sacrificing your current wants for the family needs. You need to be present when everyone else is tired and hungry. There will come days of famine in the family, and this is the opportunity to create the traditions and bonds that go beyond the current emotion, and into the spiritual realm of understanding who you are. The cycle of the season, and your family’s traditions, becomes part of your identity.
When it is always feasts, you don't have that. Life is just a party and waiting for the next party. Consume product and wait for next product. There's a reason for the modern weariness of holidays, and consumerism is only one of the effects, not the cause. We've lost the communal rhythm of life in a world where many think skipping a single meal is insurmountable. While we can't transform the world, we can at least transform our house, and branch off from there.
* FYI: I added paid subscriptions, though I don’t have any plans to create paywall only articles for any recent writing. Also, I changed the stack name and am planning on going a slightly different direction. I looked at my previous articles and found them a little, well, boring.*