by Father Mark Goldasich
Gaudete? You’ve got to be kidding! How in the world can it be time already to light the pink candle on this Third Sunday of Advent? With all the things that I’ve yet to get done before Christmas, how unrealistic of the church to expect me to “rejoice.”
But that’s precisely the point. It’s so easy in these final days of Advent to let worry, stress and busyness dominate our lives. As we furiously write our Christmas cards, engage in a marathon of baking, labor to get the house spic and span for visitors or forage for those last-minute “perfect” gifts, we can lose sight of why we’re doing all these things. Gaudete Sunday calls us to stop, take a deep breath (or several hundred) and focus on Jesus, the reason for the season.
The fact that Christmas is so near should fill us with great joy rather than dread. And we’re called in these final days of Advent to let that joy shine out from us as we engage in our baking, cleaning and shopping.
First and foremost, let’s concentrate on slowing down, not speeding up. Can we be thankful that we have family and friends that we want to greet in these days, people who love us and make our lives enjoyable? Can we be thankful that we can taste all the delicious treats found during the holidays? Can we be thankful that we have a house to clean and decorate? Can we be thankful to have the means to purchase gifts or the health to go out shopping?
Secondly, let’s cultivate a spirit of playfulness and laughter as we meet others in these days, especially folks who might be impatient or rude. The best way I know to do that is to load up my heart on things that make me happy so that I can reflect that happiness in my words and actions.
I don’t care how many times I watch “Christmas Vacation,” “Home Alone” or “Elf,” I still laugh until my eyes water. While I can’t show you any of those movies here in my column, I can get your joy and laughter started (I hope) by sharing some of these seasonal riddles:
• What do you call an elf wearing earmuffs? Whatever you want. He can’t hear you anyway.
• What do you get when you mix a vampire with a snowman? Frostbite.
• What did the snowwoman do to the snowman when she was upset with him? She gave him the cold shoulder.
• What do you call it after all the Christmas gifts have been opened? Christmess.
• What do gingerbread men use when they break their legs? Candy canes.
• What did one cranberry say to the other at Christmas? ’Tis the season to be jelly.
• What did the icy road say to the sleigh? “Want to go for a spin?”
• Why do you go to bed on Christmas Eve? Because the bed won’t come to you.
• What’s it called with a snowman has a temper tantrum? A meltdown.
• Did you hear what happened to the guy who stole an Advent calendar? He got 25 days.
• How many letters are in the Christmas alphabet? 25 — there’s noel.
• What do you call cutting down a Christmas tree? Christmas chopping.
• What did the gingerbread man put on his bed? A cookie sheet.
• What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? Tinsel-itis.
And finally — if you’re still reading and haven’t hurled this paper across the room at these “groaners” — What’s the best Christmas gift you can give someone? A broken drum . . . because it can’t be beat.
Hey, is that Santa saying, “HA, HA, HA?”
