Remember the Magi

Between today and the 6th of January, Christians everywhere will mark their doorways with the signs 20 + C + M + B + 16.  Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar, the traditional names of three mad kings who went away and were never the same.  Don't take my word for it.  Hear it from T.S. Eliot:

I love this poem for its brutal honesty.  Cause sometimes searching for God isn't all angels-on-high and rocks crying out.  It's hard work.  It's uncomfortable.  It means tears and sleepless nights.  It means traveling in the wilderness (waste land).  We think of the wise men following the star like a lighthouse in a storm, but Scripture doesn't say anything about the star leading the way.  They tell Herod, "We saw his star when it rose. . ."  The next thing we hear in Matthew,

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  (NIV)

The magi saw the star as a summons, not a safety net.  They embarked on an arduous journey knowing neither when nor where the destination.  There is no mention of the star until it appears again over Bethlehem.  Between those two times, they made their way in darkness.

Remembering that they had seen the star, believing it, that's the epiphany.  That is faith.

Liturgical Lifestyle | Prepare the Way

1 & 2 // waiting for baby Jesus

3 // retro poster snagged at church, via Knights of Saint Columba

4 // the stockings were hung by the (chimney?) with care

5 // snowy scene

6 // Christmas clementines laid out for drying

7 // gift-wrapping

8 // there was plenty on the tree already, then I saw this red tinsel reminiscent of my childhood. . .

9 // the clay star Afon made in school functions as the Star of Bethlehem for our little creche

10 // embellished with a stick of cinnamon

11 // greenery

12 // almost full!

13 & 14 // cheeky!

And for those who are interested, my Christmas Eve dinner menu:

Chinese takeout.

Be merry, ya'll!  Nadolig llawen!  (That's "Happy Christmas" in two languages!)  ;)

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter.

My Week in #7QT

My second godchild was baptized on Saturday.  John watched both Afon and Roan and let me slip away with just the family to a hidden Capuchin monastery in the Welsh hills that I didn't even know existed.  Our godson is the fifth son of friends of my husband's family.  Now I have two godchildren to pray for!

Safe to say Afon ate all of the chocolate coins Saint Nicholas brought and left the oranges.  The ceramic birdy and tea bag holder are for Mama and Daddy, respectively.  ;)

Wrote out most of my Christmas cards.  Now I just have to mail them (and therein lies the rub!).

An mid-week Advent visit to the church.

We attended Afon's Christmas pageant (in British speak, a pantomime), in which he played a star.  He was supposed to sing "Twinkle Twinkle" with the other stars, but he was too busy looking around.  Then he clapped when the audience applauded.  Yep, that's my special boy!

His is not a Catholic school, so I was surprised at the explicit appearance of baby Jesus and the other characters from the Christmas story, wise men and the like.  Goes to show how "the war on Christmas" is nonexistent in this country.  People say "happy Christmas," and no one is offended at the mention of it instead of the generic holidays.  State religion for the win?  (I kid!)  But somewhere, somehow, they're on to something.  Americans just like to feel entitled and/or offended by EVERYTHING.

After the pantomime, we were informed Afon had head lice.  Joy.

So, fun times.  (Fortunately, we were able to nip that in the bud before it became our fourth household epidemic.)

I was traveling along the shore and saw these birds soaring over the roof of the abandoned pier.  They glided just like a school of fish.

Rolling with the Takers at Written by the Finger of God.

12 days of Christmas {a Comprehensive List to Help You Make Merry}

I wanted to throw down some ideas in ink about how we would celebrate Christmastide well ahead of time.  I'd like to grow traditions every year, and I adore making each of the twelve days distinct according to the liturgical calendar.  There's no way one family could accomplish all these things, but in order to decide what was more important and what was possible when, I wanted to have all the ideas spread out before me.

I hit up resources like A Knotted Life, Catholic Culture, and Catholic All Year for inspiration.  This is the list I came up with, starting on Christmas Eve and ending on Epiphany.  Maybe you can make use of it, too!

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Dec. 24 | Christmas Eve

• decorate the Christmas tree
• bake Christmas cookies for Santa
• attend Christmas vigil

Dec. 25 | Christmas Day

• go Christmas caroling
• put on a Christmas mystery play
• start reading The Nutcracker (one or both versions)

Dec. 26 | St. Stephen's Day, 2nd Day of Christmas

• visit a hospital, homeless shelter, or soup kitchen
• take the money your children tithed throughout Advent and give to a charity of their choice
• open the Sparkle Box
• sing "Good King Wenceslas" and learn about Saint Wenceslas

Dec. 27 | Feast of the Holy Family, 3rd Day of Christmas

• bake bread
• put out/decorate the creche
• have a family day at home with seasonally themed movies and books

Dec. 28 | Feast of the Holy Innocents, 4th Day of Christmas

• offer Mass or say a Rosary for aborted and unborn babies
• volunteer at a Catholic Charities or adoption center

Dec. 29 | 5th Day of Christmas

• s'mores and hot chocolate around the fireplace or bonfire

Dec. 30 | 6th Day of Christmas

• go ice skating, see a light display, or some other outdoor activity

Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve, 7th Day of Christmas

• fireworks and cocktails!!!!
• read "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen

Jan. 1 | Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and New Year's Day, 8th Day of Christmas

• have an open house--practice the traditional New Year's Day art of hospitality
• attend Mass for the Solemnity

Jan. 2 | St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory, 9th Day of Christmas

• visit godparents and/or give them special gifts or write them letters
• visit with friends

Jan. 3 | 10th Day of Christmas

• visit the library or bookstore
• hit up shops for discount Christmas decorations!

Jan. 4 | 11th Day of Christmas

• make candles for the coming year
• make homemade wreaths or bring in greenery to brighten up the winter house

Jan. 5 | 12th Day of Christmas

• have a Shakespearian gathering or read-through of Twelfth Night
• put on the play or watch it on film

Jan. 6 | Epiphany

• Little Christmas--give gifts and feast, throw an Epiphany party!
• make a king cake and have an Epiphany king or queen in your family or community

∆∆∆

Do you celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas?  What does your family do to keep Christmastide?  Have anything else to add to the list above?

Liturgical Lifestyle | TMI Advent

1 // an Advent calendar (not made by me and not currently in use)

2 + 3 // DIY wreath/crown of greenery

4 // simple lights

5 // winter wreath from Aldi, with pine cone missing

6 + 7 // the Advent imp

8 + 9 // adapted Advent wreath

In the first week of Advent, we have:

• decked the halls with greenery and wintry things
• prayed the St. Andrew Christmas novena 
• lit and prayed the Advent wreath
• talked about Jesus's birthday
• ordered Christmas cards
• took a "Chrismtas photo"
• listened to Haley's playlist
• cast on for a Christmas stocking for Roan

I didn't have plans other than doing the Advent wreath, and even then I didn't have an Advent wreath here, and couldn't find an affordable one on Amazon, Etsy, or available for purchase from our local parish (how I got our original one--a robust and gilded thing, so pretty!).

Lighting the Advent wreath was an important part of prepping for the Christmas season in my childhood; even with all the in-fighting about who would do the readings, who would light the candles, who would blow them out, and who would choose which carol to sing afterwards, I can't imagine not carrying on the beloved tradition in my own family.  Memories of family melt-downs for years to come--you're welcome, boys.

So far, we've kept up with it two nights out of five.

The week of Thanksgiving, I ordered candle clips and candles, waited around, got tired of waiting, bought a pine wreath and put it on the table with a large pillar candle in the middle for an improvised Advent wreath, made a lazy version of this, and finally added the candle clips when they arrived in the mail today from Estonia (neat!).  Will possibly make a second, thicker wreath for the candles and clips, maybe.  I'd like to know where I can buy some grapevine around here (or steal it?).

This is the third year since I've heard of the St. Andrew novena, first year attempting to pray it.  Forgot it last night.

Next week, we might try:

• Saint Nicholas Day
• the Advent wreath with more regularity
• adding some carols
• reading a Christmas book or two
• doing something nice (first thing that comes to mind is visiting a retired person's home, hmmm, not sure how that'd work out with Afon)
• putting together little thank you gifts for Afon's helpers and social workers
• mailing Christmas cards

My expectation of accomplishing any of these things?  I'm keeping it low and happy at around 10%!

I really enjoy seeing how others "prepare the way of the Lord" in Advent.  Each family's tradition is different, and whether I'm rearing to adapt customs as my own or am satisfied to enjoy it from the sidelines, I want to see your Advent, too!  Really!

Belatedly linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter.

48/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Afon:  so expressive!

Roan:  enjoying the Christmas lights, with his little scratched-up nose.

Accomplishing Adventy-things with Afon is still difficult.  So far, he hasn't seemed impressed with the candies in his Advent calendar garland, and his favorite part of praying the Advent wreath (a single candle in the middle of a wreath of greenery, for now) is blowing out the flame.

I'm aiming to say one prayer of Saint Andrew's Christmas novena with him as well.