God Has Made a Bethlehem

"What does Christmas mean to you?"

Growing up, December was my favorite month of the year. Every year, right after Thanksgiving, my family started to prepare for the Advent season and the birth of Christ. Looking back, I remember my parents' dedication to every detail, big and small. They always made it special; as a kid, everything felt like it had a little bit of magic. As I got older and started to help them to prepare everything for Christmas, I realized that the magic I felt as a kid came both from the love my parents had for my siblings and me, but also the love they held for our Lord. 

When I started to do daily prayer, and the Advent season came around, it was hard at first to pray. I knew I wanted to prepare for the season, but I did not know how to do it. The first time I took it seriously, I went to my mom and asked her what she was doing for her Advent prayer. To this day, her idea has been my favorite, and of course, it has always helped  me to prepare in the best way for the coming of our Lord. 

First, I would like to explain a little bit about the Advent season. Advent is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. Though Christ has already come into the world, the Church invites Catholics to renew our desire for the Lord more deeply into our lives. My mom’s prayer idea helped me to do just that. She told me first contemplate the whole Nativity scene and then choose a person and put yourself in their shoes. She used to tell me that instead of trying to understand every role, it is better to choose one every year. This unique way of praying deepened my meditation of the Nativity before and after our Lord's birth, but it also helped me understand that putting ourselves in other people's shoes is harder than we might think. This prayer encouraged me to closely live the preparation for Christmas closely and understand the people around me. 
            
Every year my sister and I read the book “God Has Made a Bethlehem” by Enrique Monasterio, and the plot of the book is related to my mom's prayer method. It is an easy and short fiction story about the Nativity that provides many ideas of how the Nativity was realistically lived the first time. For example, Zabulon is the youngest son of the shepherd that had the stable in which Christ was born. Zabulon is a funny kid who plays around and talks to baby Jesus every day so baby Jesus would never be alone while Mary and Joseph rest. Through our prayer and preparation, we can be like that kid during the Advent season. There is also the shepherd's wife that helps Mary to clean Jesus' diaper every day. We can also observe St. Joseph's humility and generosity in living out the mission God had for him. We can all use these examples to learn how to live better in preparation for Christ’s birth, and hence open our hearts to help the people around us do the same.
            
Christmas for me means everything. As we would await the birth of our little brother or a close cousin, we should await the birth of Jesus, who came to the world just for us, with the same eagerness. One of my favorite traditions we have at home is singing “Happy Birthday” at midnight on the morning of December 25. My mom always makes her famous and most delicious vanilla cake. I also love to do the Advent wreath every Sunday in the family before Christmas. My point is that there are so many ways to prepare for Christmas, but  the most important lesson is that YOU find YOUR way to prepare for the coming of your Savior during the Advent season. Do not forget to live closely and deeply in the sacraments of the Church this Advent, as they are the most significant tools we have to help us grow closer to our Lord. Merry Christmas y’all!