It's all yours. How like human beings. We have free will. We may build as we like. But in the end, we receive what we've built ourselves, and we have to live with it.
Advent is a getting-ready time.
A time of preparation for Christmas, and what an immense amount of preparation that requires. There's the cake to be made, the pudding to be stirred, the presents to be bought and wrapped, the cards to be written and posted, the turkey to be ordered, the decorations to be assembled, and the Christmas tree to be dressed. Then there's the invitations to be sent out and answered, the new clothes to be bought, the entertainment to be arranged, and the relatives to be contacted. Throughout all this, for those with families, the children get higher and higher with excitement until they're nearly ready to burst and the parents are definitely at screaming pitch. Advent is a busy time for most people, a time when there seems to be little space and few moments for reflection.