I didn't grow up celebrating Advent, I didn't even really know what it was. In fact, I looked up the word just to see exactly what it meant, this is what I found:
Advent: The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important.
Yesterday I was reading Psalm 18:30, a verse that wasn't really very Christmasy, but somehow it seemed like the perfect reminder at the beginning of Advent.
This God–his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.