Preparing for the Lord's coming

I have been thinking about the preparations that Mary and Joseph must have been making before the birth of Jesus. Joseph surely would have made a crib for the infant; Mary would have seen to the swaddling clothes and some covers for her yet unborn baby. And then came the census and Mary wanted to be with Joseph even if he had to travel to Bethlehem. Now, I know that we do not need to take the infancy narratives literally, but I think they are in the Luke and Matthew for us to pray over and enter into the mystery of the Incarnation. I like to think of Mary and Joseph on that slow trip down dusty roads and their faith that all would be well. 
We are all making that same journey now in anticipation of the birth of Christ. What kindles our desire? How are we making room in our hearts? Do not let the pressure of Christmas preparation, parties, shopping, etc. to crowd out the most important part of our preparation. We need to prepare our hearts, make room for the coming of Jesus and take time to be with Mary.