Finding the Sacred in the Delights of Christmas More than a season of good cheer, the holiday asks believers to think about reality itself in new ways. By James Matthew Wilson Dec. 24, 2020 1:57 pm ET Christmas came early to my town this year. Even before the children made their socially distanced way from house to house for trick-or-treating, the storefronts and houses of Berwyn, Pa., were decorated in long coils of Christmas lights. On our local online discussion board, one woman said that she wished everyone could have just waited until after Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent. Seasonal decorations, after all, are properly reserved for the season.