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O n a famous episode of the TV comedy Seinfeld, George Costanza follows this advice: "Do the oppo- site." His life decisions have turned out disastrously in work, romance, finance and more. He has always trusted his instincts, but he has been wrong every time. Now, he will "Do the opposite." If every instinct he has is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right, right? He introduces himself to a beautiful woman, saying, "My name is George. I'm unemployed and I live with my parents." She is impressed and agrees to go out with him. This Advent, what if we give it a try? "Do the opposite." In recent years, we've been caught in an impossible struggle. Each December, we try to enter the quiet of Advent, while simul- taneously sprinting around like a lunatic to prepare for Christmas. At an Advent Sunday Mass, we sing, "O come, O come, Emmanuel!" After Mass, we gorge ourselves on nachos and nutmeg-infused beverages while watching hours of football. Then we dash into Walmart for a doorbuster sale, shoving aside our neighbors to get to the half-price electronics sale. Wait — it gets worse. After a long Monday at work, interrupted by online shopping, we stumble into a children's Nativit y pageant in subzero tem- peratures. Slouching into a folding chair in a frigid gymnasium, a favorite nephew shuf- f les onstage wearing his dad's blue bathrobe. He is St. Joseph. A f lock of kindergarten sheep crawls around the stage wearing white pajamas. "Baaah," humbug? It's early December, and we're already wondering, "Will I survive until Christmas?" Ho ho, no? Maybe the monks are right. Go into a monastery or a cave for December. Pray. Be quiet. Don't come out until Christmas Day. Emerge as the sun rises over newly fallen snow and celebrate the birth of Christ. But what if you have a job? Or children? Or both? A monk 's life may look like paradise amidst the tacky consumerism of our Amer- ican holidays. Do we skip the kids' Christmas play? Ignore the office party? Don't buy a gift for grandma this year? Or should we "Do the opposite?" Go all-in like Will Ferrell in Elf ? Drink the eggnog, eat the cookies, buy things online, and then head to the store to buy more. Applaud the nephew, go home and watch Elf again. Eat fistfuls of jellybeans and wash them down with a nutmeg espresso. If every instinct we have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right. Right? 6 DECEMBER 2025 - JANUARY 2026 | DENVER CATHOLIC I nstead of Seinfeld, let's turn to St. Paul for advice. He writes that if we are weeping, act as though we were "not weeping; and those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully" (1 Corinthians 7:30-32). He continues, "For the world in its present form is passing away. I should like you to be free of anxieties." We all want to be "free of anxieties." What is he proposing? Do the things we need to do, but don't get wrapped up in them. He calls us to a thoughtful detachment from many of the things of this passing world. We are not in control. We cannot create a per- fect Advent of smiling children and classy adults in matching sweaters. We live on planet earth, amidst other sinners. Cars don't start. Macy's