We sang, “Hope is a Star” yesterday in church, and lit the first candle to mark the start of another Advent season. Wikipedia says the term comes from the Latin word adventus which means coming, and that Advent is “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas.”
Not just “waiting”, but “expectant waiting”. Not a passive sit-back-and-wait-until-it-gets-here kind of waiting, but a time of active participation that gives meaning to our Christian hope.
In my last two novels there are scenes that take place at Christmas. For one character it is a time of anticipation, for the other, despair. While I was writing I had to remind myself that life is like that – different for different people. Not everyone approaches the Christmas season with the same joy that I experience.
But most have hope.
What do your characters hope for? As you enter this Advent season, what do you hope for?
MUSINGS 
I love the advent season.
My characters are currently hoping to keep their pasts a secret. 🙂
The hope of advent and the fact of Christ are my only salvation from winter. I have been plagued by seasonal affective disorder since I was quite young. Then beginning in October, there are reminders of sadness everywhere. Multiple sad anniversaries make this a most difficult season for me personally. I haven’t written a Christmas season into any of my fiction. Perhaps I didn’t think of it, or it might just be a subconscious denial of the season itself. Interesting point you brought up here.
My MC right now is just hoping to be able to live what he thinks of as a normal life, which involves being treated like a normal human being.
My current MC hopes for… home.
My characters are hoping their faith will carry them through difficult times. I’m hoping this season will bring good health, comfort, and jobs for the people I love.
I’m hoping for Jesus’ second advent, but not before my loved ones come into His sheepfold.
Bless you!
Jen
“Hope springs eternal” may be a cliche, but your comments confirm it, whether the hope is yours or your characters’. Thanks for sharing.