Joe Queenan, writer for the New York Times and GQ, criticizes what he calls our culture's "inability to accept the ordinary." Queenan says that we insist that "every experience be a watershed, every meal extraordinary, every friendship epochal, every concert superb, every sunset meta-celestial … nothing can ever again be exactly what it was in the first place … ordinary."

Christian author Michael Horton responds to Queenan's quote:

Today we feel the pressure to have our weddings look like the cover of a bridal magazine or movie set. Our marriages have to be made in heaven, even though we're very much on earth. Our presentations at work have to dazzle. Our kids have to make the dean's list and get into the best graduate schools … nothing short of "brilliant" and "groundbreaking" will satisfy if you want a good job. When we do stop and smell the roses, it has to be an unforgettable package at an amazing resort. It's not enough to enjoy recreation at the public park, but extreme sports are what really interest us.

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Contentment; Discontentment; Satisfaction; (2) Christmas; Holidays—The Holidays might be too stressful because we put too much pressure on ourselves and on other people to make them so utterly fantastic. It's okay to have just an "ordinary" holiday season.