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Why I Joined the Advent Conspiracy

By Steve Dunham

November 16, 2022.

Christmas didn’t mean much to me about 25 years ago. It was a holiday with obligations, somewhat enjoyable but not, to me, very meaningful. Then a pastor at church told us to get serious about Advent and save Christmas—all of it—until the 12 days of Christmas, which begin on December 25 (actually, on the evening of December 24). Don’t put up a tree or decorations until Christmas Eve, he said, and send cards and give gifts and have parties during the 12 days of Christmas.

I followed his advice, to the extent that my family cooperated. And once I started seriously observing Advent, I was prepared for a holy Christmas—and that’s what Advent is about: preparing for Christmas.

Some years later, I heard about the Advent Conspiracy. The concept was simple—observe Advent in four ways: worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all. As best I can remember, that was it. Do those four things and you’re part of the conspiracy.

Nowadays the website asks you to sign up for emails and offers books and videos for sale. I haven’t signed up or bought anything, but as far as I am concerned, I’m part of the conspiracy.

Here are the original Advent Conspiracy logo (with the shopper and the wise man) and the current, abstract logo. I prefer the old one because it sets up a question: will the shopper turn and follow the wise man toward Jesus? Will you and I?

Long after I joined the conspiracy, I married a Filipina. In the Philippines, Christmas season runs approximately September through January. This for me is a bit too much Christmas. But in the Philippines, and among Filipino-Americans, Advent is taken seriously, particularly with a devotion called Simbang Gabi, which includes Mass on the nine days preceding Christmas.

The text below is from the Advent Conspiracy website, combined into five paragraphs:

Advent Conspiracy was founded on the radical idea that we can celebrate Christmas humbly, beautifully, and generously. Advent is the story of a wondrous moment when God entered our world to make things right. It is the greatest story ever told and it changes everything—including the way we celebrate Christmas.

Worship fully: Christmas begins and ends with Jesus. Nearly every character in the Christmas story that encountered our King responded in the same way: worship. Let’s make the conscious effort to reorient our hearts toward Christ. Christmas began with worship, may it end with worship.

Spend less: Free up your resources to support things that truly matter. In our hearts we know mindless consumption is not the way to celebrate Jesus. But spending less does not mean spending nothing. Rather we will thoughtfully evaluate what companies and causes we support through our purchases.

Give more: Give more intentionally and relationally. The best gifts celebrate a relationship and most often they require our time and energy. Relational giving means that we think about the other person—who they are and what they care about. We focus more on giving our undivided presence and less on a pile of presents under the tree.

Love all: Radically love others like Jesus did. Christmas is a chance to move closer to those in crisis. We will love others as Jesus has loved us. The poor and hurting of our world can be reached by God through the way we choose to celebrate Christmas.