25 Days to Christmas, Sunday, Nov 30, 2025

“The Best Day Ever!”

The 2025 rush to the Best Day Ever has officially begun on this first Sunday of Advent.  Sure, for most of us, the Christmas season began a few days ago on Black Friday.  But actually, since Christmas is a Christian Holiday, the first Sunday of Advent is the official start of the countdown.

This year, you’ll notice that I’m referring to Christmas as the “Best Day Ever.”  This is intentional for two primary reasons.  First, many people reading this are already thinking of reasons why Christmas won’t be the Best Day Ever.  Second, some people doubt that they have any influence on any giver day, let alone an entire season.

If you are among those who’ve begun to think of specific reasons why this year can’t be the Best, consider the possibility that you could be wrong.  None of us can foresee everything that will happen these next 25 days but deciding ahead of time that we will experience an “un-best” event isn’t helpful.  We’ve learned from years of experience, encountering one blah day after another, how expecting the worst only leads us down an unhealthy road of expectations.  Most of the time, our pessimism never materializes as bad as we thought.  Or, even if we were right, the situation didn’t stop us completely.  We are still breathing, which for most of us, is a minor miracle.  The Best is indeed possible, but we’ll need to clear our hearts and minds from the negative influences that pull us backwards.

Next, some of us don’t believe that we have influence over one day or another.  Again, consider the possibility that we could be wrong.  Who knows what this season holds?  Only God!  If we start thinking that we don’t have something to do with God’s work in our lives, then we are putting limits on God’s work.  God wants us to be happy and joyful this Holiday Season!  if we don’t put some effort into it, then the season is already limited.  We have much more influence than we think.

So, in honor of our desire to avoid pessimism, let’s begin with a challenge for the Holiday Season.  Let’s seek to make this Christmas the “Best Day Ever”, forgoing whatever reasons that are telling us otherwise. 

It is possible.  The Best Day Ever could very easily be on our horizon, so take some time to talk to God about it.  Who knows what gift we’ll receive!

“Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”  (Proverbs 23:18, NRSVCE)