Every December, our family watches the Saturday Night Live Christmas Special — the one with Jane Curtin, Jan Hooks, and Dana Carvey. One of our favorite skits is a parody commercial that begins, “It’s that time of year, when families get together to reopen old feelings. And Silver Bell Records is proud to present A Dysfunctional Family Christmas.”

The Skit That Hits Home

Then come the “hits,” like The Almost Perfect Christmas: “Dinner is perfect, the presents are perfect, the tree in the parlor’s a perfect one. Then your brother yells at your mother. Christmas is ruined for everyone.”

Our Favorite Lines

Other favorites include Can’t You Let It Drop? It’s Christmas! and Why Am I the Only One Who Knows What Christmas Really Means?

When Christmas Exposes Our Humanity

It’s a hilarious skit — mostly because it hits a little close to home. Christmas, for all its beauty, can bring out our quirks and tensions. If you’ve ever been in charge of any part of a Christmas celebration, you know the pressure: getting everything done on time, seeing everyone you love, making the calls, sending the cards — all while staying “merry and bright.”

When Life Interrupts

And just when you think you’ve got it together, life happens. The stomach bug hits your house, the cat knocks over the tree, you drop a jar of pickles on your toe, and then your brother yells at your mother — and suddenly “Christmas is ruined for everyone.”

Starting the Ripple of Peace

And yet… this is the season of peace and good will. As best I can tell, peace starts in the heart and moves outward — rippling like a stone dropped into still water. Advent is our time to start the ripple.

How Peace Begins

If you’ve visited Well, you already know how to begin: a quiet walk on a crisp day, a deep breath, a pause, a whispered prayer. Each moment we choose gentleness over frustration, kindness over control, the circle widens.

The Heart of Advent

Advent reminds us that peace doesn’t depend on perfect plans or unbroken ornaments; it’s born quietly, in ordinary hearts making room for extraordinary love. So during this sacred season, may we let go of what must be perfect — and welcome instead the One whose light still ripples through us and into our weary world.

Lea Slaton
Executive Director