After reading posts on the advent season from two very talented bloggers, Tongue in Cheek and Plant Whatever Brings You Joy, I am inspired to share some of the Red Dirt Hacienda’s holiday traditions over the next few days. Just don’t expect mine to be as erudite or classy. Exhibit A: our over-the-top advent wreath. No evergreen or pottery wreath for our family. Ours is rugged to survive three children who joyfully light the candles at every opportunity and nearly set their hair on fire while trying to blow them out. Still, I don’t know what we would do without our wreath and our calendar of small books to start dinner conversation and share about the meaning of Christmas for our family.
Every Thursday, the kids’ school has mass, and last week, the children sang a Yiddish folk song titled “Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah.” The tune always makes me think of a menorah and the connection we share with the Jewish people as part of our Judeo/Christian heritage. As the children sweetly sang, I reflected on how light, especially candlelight, is symbolic of God’s presence and hope in darkness, both visual and spiritual.
One of my friends said she always feels so pressured by the shopping and partying of Christmas that she doesn’t have time to enjoy advent. I think a lot of us feel that way. We want everyone to have a wonder filled Christmas, but I can’t do that, or be attuned to my family without our time together at the dinner table. We light the candle, read our scriptures for the day and join Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem.
So, in this season of hurrying up and waiting, what can we do to light our own candles and to replenish the light of others when theirs sputters?
For me, our family advent time helps, as do other things like:
- Christmas Music. I play it whenever I’m in the car, and I’m in the car a lot. I like Jewel, Kathy Mattea, and of course, Bing Crosby.
- Old Christmas Movies. I watch these while I wrap gifts. Personal favorites are: Come to the Stable, Holiday Inn, Miracle on
- Helping a Family in Need. There are plenty of people who need food and presents during this season. How about sharing some of your light while spreading some hope and Christmas cheer? Oh, yeah, didn’t Charles Dickens write a book about that? We have tickets for the territorial version of A Christmas Carol in Guthrie next weekend. It runs from Wednesday thru Sunday at The Pollard Theatre.
- Christmas Stories. We have two shelves devoted to Christmas books for both children and adults. My favorite children’s story is The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski. My favorite adult series is Christmas in My Heart, compiled and edited by Joe Wheeler. I think there are several in the series. I like them all.
Here’s hoping that during this advent season, you find a candle of your own and nourish your small light while helping others who don’t have one. Happy Advent everyone.
Corey, I really enjoy reading your blog. I’m a bit of a Francophile. I took years of college French and hope to visit someday.
Debra, What a lovely tradition your church has to remember Christ’s birth. Thank you for sharing it. xoxoxo
Curtiss Ann, There’s a reason we’re such good friends. We are soulmates.
Aimee, Excellent meditation on paring down for Christmas.
Kathryn, I hope you like the movie. Let me know.
Watching old movies! Like “Its a wonderful Life!” it is my favorite! I also like to watch Prancer. Music too, there is nothing like good old American Chrismtas Carols to set the mood.
Thanks for the nod, and thanks for sharing your tradtions with us.
Hi Dee, thanks for the sweet reminder of the spirit of Christmas. Last night, my son Alex and I began what may become an annual Advent tradition for our family. We joined more than 100 people at our church to “perform” as villagers in a restaging of the Bethlehem Experience. Alex and I dressed as villagers who were selling (what else?) flowers in our stall. More than 500 cars drove through this village (aka the church parking lot!) to witness the modern-day recreation of the town where Jesus was born. The arrival of a REAL camel (named ‘Noah’), plus goats, a donkey and sheep, made for major excitement. We shouted ‘fresh flowers for Bethlehem…one denari’ and bartered for spices, fish and grain with other shopkeepers. A wonderful way to engage with the Christmas story. xoxoxdkp
I did not realize until I read your article, but we do all of those things, too. Even though I don’t bake as much as I used to do, I plan to do a little bit this year. The music is going, the movies, too, and I picked up a new Christmas book the other day. This year I have finally reached a place where I don’t have to do anything at all to celebrate Christmas, except worship in my heart. I do not feel pressured, I just feel happy in the season.
For me, each year is a little different. I have tried the, “be everything for everybody,” Martha Stewart approach. I always ended up in my bedroom for a much needed cry on Christmas day with this approach. I have since, had years where I was able to keep the focus and the only way this works is by doing more with less. By that I mean simplifying. I have rummaged through our books and movies to pick out the ones we have always loved. I don’t even look for new ones anymore. I have a nice selection of Christmas CD’s that I now put in one place at the end of Epiphany, like our Advent wreath, that I can access immediately to start the advent season more smoothly. A couple years ago, someone shared the idea of giving 3 gifts, like the Magi did for Jesus, to our kids. I loved this idea, but it is not easily done, given expectations of my kids and husband. But the years I did it, I shopped less, had more time at home and was able to really focus on good gifts, not junk and “gift fillers”. You know, the gifts you buy because you are balancing the number of packages? Those filler gifts always end up under the couch, barely unwrapped and not worth the time wrapping. I love to bake, but even the sweet treats were not worth the mind-numbing back pain at the end of the baking marathon. I have decided this year to give a loaf of my homemade bread, (except for my Gluten-free friends who I am more sensitive to, thanks to Dee), to be shared on a regular night with a good meal. Everyone looks a little queasy about by December 20th even if it is Aunt Dottie’s best Christmas cookie. I guess what this all means is that real love in the simplest form is the gift of the Christmas season. As much as I love the sparkle of Christmas decorations, Jesus’ simple birth is the best example.
Hi, Dee! Totally inspirational! I’m on my way
to look for Jewel on Amazon and “The Bells of
St. Mary’s” on Netflix! Thanks! Kathryn