Many of us will try to have a magical Christmas this year. So why won't we? The holidays exaggerate the false belief that we can curate our lives. We want to know our lives are headed in the right direction, and the holidays become a time for us to confirm that they are. But what if they aren't? The Advent of Christ relieves us of the burden of trying to manufacture our lives to produce results that will make us feel ok about ourselves. Instead, if we can use the Advent season to face our life (and our powerlessness over it) as it really is, we will find the Incarnate Christ waiting for us in love and mercy.