“Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like the wine Advent calendars available at Costco this year. Each pack includes two dozen 375 milliliter bottles of wine from class areas such as France and Italy, as well as from lesser-known regions all over the world, such as Bulgaria and Moldova”. That’s what the article in the most recent “Costco Connection” magazine I received from the big box store Costco read. If it didn’t hit so dad gum close to home it would be too funny to ponder. But funny it isn’t and “yes, it sure does hit close to home”.
Advent is supposed to be one of the most important and holy seasons of the year for Christians. Advent is not a “commercial season” for buying and selling, and certainly not alcohol, but a religious season with a religious focus and purpose. It is meant to focus on the upcoming celebration of the birth of the Savior and to help Christians get ready to receive the birth of the Lord in a fresh and newly relevant way this year and every year. Advent is a season of preparation. It is a season of spiritual focus and being ready to receive the birth of the Christ child once again.
I always like the way a native Christian in New Guinea once put it. “Advent is a time to try the key to our heart’s door. It may have gathered rust. If so, this is the time to oil it, in order that the door may open more easily when the Lord Jesus wants to enter.”
Advent is not about cute little cut outs of angels or snowmen or reindeer or cherubs. It’s about getting ourselves properly prepared to celebrate the true meaning of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and that’s called Christmas. With no apologies to Costco or any of the other big, small or in-between commercial enterprises that want to steal Christmas and diminish the true meaning of Christmas, it’s not the “Countdown to Christmas Wine Advent Calendars at all. It’s personal with me; Christmas is not about spending huge sums of money we don’t have or bedazzling our yards with blow up Santas or Reindeer or overindulging our kids with more toys than they could ever use. It isn’t about what we mostly make it about either. And it darn sure isn’t about buying “24 Advent Bottles of Wine”. That’s going way too far. As bad as the commercialization of Christmas is, turning Advent into a wine version of “99 bottles of beer on the wall” is downright repugnant.
The article (page 93, November 2020 Costco Connection) ends by saying “Advent-ure” is a program of they are proud of and we will enjoy. I say, “Hold your horses Charlie Costco, stay away from mangling, confusing, diluting, messing with one of the holy seasons of the year to Christians”. It’s about time we started taking stands on spiritual things that matter to us!