The birthday gifts have overlapped the Christmas gifts. Any wonder I love this time of year? It definitely brings out the kid in me.

I still have not decorated our tree, but today I'm in the mood. Maybe it will get done. And I have to finish Christmas shopping. I was waiting for a cool rainy day, my favorite Christmas shopping weather, but when we had that on Monday, it was one of those "morning after the night before" days and I was too tired. It's a good thing our Christmas doesn't really start until the 24th. I've never waited until Christmas Eve to decorate the tree, but some people do. It would put us more in synch with the 12 days that run until Epiphany.

Advent is not something I was accustomed to celebrating until I became an Episcopalian, but I like it. The four weeks preceding Christmas are focused on inward preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child, not the frantic search for one more trinket to add to our ever-enlarging collection of frivolous trinkets.

The adult in me deplores the excess and greed represented in American consumerism, and would gladly swap the gift giving among family and friends for giving to others who need it a lot worse than any of us do. The kid in me recoils at the mere suggestion, though, so I indulge her and the kids who seem to control us all during this season. But is this really honoring the Christ Child? I struggle with this every year.