Have We Lost It?

[nikkan_hanil]

OK, lemme put it in simple terms...we lost it. :P

[marielapin]

It is really not hard to make adjustments once you make up your mind to do so.

THat is the hard part.

You simply go on with your normal life.

You light your Advent Candles and pray, you go to Advent penance service and confession.

You put your ornaments on your Jesse Tree.

If you are forced (and I mean forced) to attend a Christmas party buy the present right after thanksgiving, wrap it and put it away.

After the 4th Sunday of Advent you do your Christmas shopping. Each child gets one main present and several smaller ones. You open a bottle of wine and have a wrapping party.

You decorate during the 4th week and do any advance cooking that needs done. If you are a Christmas baker you do your baking every Saturday during Advent. Pick out to  reciepes, bake and freeze.

You go to Midnight Mass and celebrate.

Christmas in my house lasts until Candlemas.

Yes this takes an attitude adjustment. You do not have to buy a present for every single person you know, or send a card to every person in town. You do not have to fill up peoples houses with useless presents to show them you love them. Grandma does not need another statue, knickknack etc.

Give her a gift certificate for a spa day or a good restaurant You do NOT have to participate in the insanity if you don't want to.

You can choose how to live your Catholic life.

PS I have done this this way for over 20 years and do have children, and inlaws and friends who are finally seeing the light. I also have a party every Christmas eve after Mass for everybody's  family and friends.

Cmom - you've got some great ideas. We are already doing most of those things.

When is Candlemas?

And for what I do about office parties/Christmas parties - there are THREE different office parties I will be invited to this year - at least. I will pick just one.

As for your Jesse Tree, is that similar to a Christmon tree? I haven't heard of anyone doing a Jesse Tree before.

I find that the best gifts for friends and relatives are things you make. So I cook up lots of fudge for office workers, and bring it in during the last week of Advent. I make a Christmas ornament each year for my mom, grandmom, aunt, mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law, etc. The simplest things are the best.

Jared and I pick out what we want for Christmas and then get it. We put up our Christmas tree in the week or so before Christmas.

I like the idea of one big present and several small ones for the kids.

By the way, when do you open your Christmas gifts Cmom? I've heard of people opening them on the Epiphany before.

[cmotherofpirl]

Christmas starts Dec 24. You can eat Christmas cookies until Feb 2nd and enjoy your tree until then. THE whole point is to due things in their proper season.

I really prefer to live in Church time, in the reality of God's time, than in what the TV and advertisers determine is best for their agenda.

Do you eat dessert first?

ADvent is a time of reflection and penance and hopeful waiting.

Christmas means so much more if you have waited and anticipated it. Sort of like your wedding night. :D

Sounds silly, but it is the same principle.

With a Jesse Tree you relive the whole history of humanity and wait with the prophets for the Coming of the Messiah.

We have lost the gift of hope and anticipation of the Lord.

Comfort ye, Comfort ye my people!

Patience is a virtue. :)

[cmotherofpirl]

Cmom - you've got some great ideas. We are already doing most of those things.

When is Candlemas?

And for what I do about office parties/Christmas parties - there are THREE different office parties I will be invited to this year - at least.  I will pick just one.

As for your Jesse Tree, is that similar to a Christmon tree?  I haven't heard of anyone doing a Jesse Tree before.

I find that the best gifts for friends and relatives are things you make.  So I cook up lots of fudge for office workers, and bring it in during the last week of Advent.  I make a Christmas ornament each year for my mom, grandmom, aunt, mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law, etc.  The simplest things are the best.

Jared and I pick out what we want for Christmas and then get it.  We put up our Christmas tree in the week or so before Christmas. 

I like the idea of one big present and several small ones for the kids.

By the way, when do you open your Christmas gifts Cmom?  I've heard of people opening them on the Epiphany before.

jesse tree:

http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC...DGE/FRIDGE1.HTM

http://www.rca.org/worship/material/advent.../makingtree.php

here is the book:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0806625244/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/002-0305135-8852801?v=glance&s=books

I used the symbols here and made them in plastic canvas because we wore out.

On Christmas eve morning I put up the tree and put ornaments on it all day long and we finally put on Christmas music. I cook the ham, chill the wine. We go to midnight Mass, and everybody shows up at my house about midnight and party until about 3A. THe only rule is that you have to have attended your Church for services that night or are going the next day. My kids usually go and take all their friends or dates with them.

Remember my youngest child is 16, so there are no children present.

Presents are opened when everybody can be dragged out of bed the next day

I didn't start having a party until the kids were old enough to attend it. Before that we attended the choir party after midnight Mass.

[Donna]

Paladin, it might not be possible for you to observe Advent like Cmom can (w/ you at home and all).

But I can say w/out doubt, from experience, that when we began observing Advent, graces did flow and Christmas really really meant what it should.

There is no way I would go back to following the world's time.

It's a completely magical time of the year.

You could recive great graces for yourself and for your family by observing as best you can.

You can be sure Jesus would be pleased with your being willing to observe the Church's liturgical season of Advent. :)

[cmotherofpirl]

Hey Pal do a jesse tree in your Room. Check the sites I listed and it has the symbols you can copy and color. Turn your room into an Advent room :)

[Paladin D]

Thanks!

Question, Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. So from there to the 25th is Advent. This means no Christmas lights, decorations, or anything?

And Christmas starts from the 24th and ends on Feb 2nd?

This sounds quite different from what I grew up with, but I'm willing to try it out. Just curious, is this what the Church encourages?

[marielapin]

bump

Cmom, is Feb 2nd Candlemas?

[nikkan_hanil]

We HAVE lost it. I've seen various homes with large Santa light up statuettes. >_<

[BLAZEr]

Paladin, know that the church does not require any of this, but she fondly encourages it. Certainly in our spiritual life in the Church it is not Christmas until Christ is born.

My family was not nearly as counter-cultural as C-Mom . . that's amesome if you can be, but we weren't.

However we did not start decorating for Christmas until Dec. 12th, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (we're mexican's so it just feels right) . . . and we only move the evergreen into the house. We put up green wreaths on the door and we put up evergreen all around the living room. We also put the manger up. just the Manger. and we put all the different pieces in different parts of the house. The following Sunday we put up white lights . . . to prepare for the Light of the World . . . and we start to move the manger piecese closer to the manger, of course Mary and Joseph start in mom and dads room and they are going to be the last to arrive, not until Dec. 24th.

Meanwhile we start to put a few more things up, littl eby little we decorate the tree, the rest of the house and we prepare waiting for the King.

See my mom always figured that since we knew who we were waiting for and when he would arrive, that we could begin to prepare for him slowly.

On Christmas eve we would put the angel on the tree and the Star over the Manger. After Midnight Mass we would put Christ in the manger . . . it was sweet. I loved it.

For us, Christmas ended at the Epiphany . . . but Candlemas was the more official end. At the epiphany we would stop turning on our outdoor christmas lights and start to take down the tree

[Lil Red]

I found this in a booklet entitled: Keeping Advent and Christmastime.

"We need Advent. Without it we stop being what we are: a people who are waiting. We need the gospel's terrifying announcement of the end of time. We need the prophet's consolations and threats. We learn who we are in the uneasy raving of John the Baptist and in the gentle strength of Mary."

"Of course, Advent cannot exist if we jump the gun on Christmas. And Christmastime cannot exist if we are already tired of it by December 25. These two seasons require each other. Only after the silence of Advent can the carols of Christmastime spring. Only after Advent's darkness can a single star give so much cheer. Only after Advent's terror can an angel be heard, once again, telling us to 'fear not'. Year after years, we so genuinely need these seasons as rehearsal for heaven."

Cool, huh? It was printed by LTP, if you cared to know. Pax.

[track2004]

As hard as it seems to just live your own personal life knowing that Christmas does not start until December 24th, I think sometimes we are forced into the secular belief that the Christmas season starts the Friday after Thanksgiving. Personally I have been struggeling with what I ought to do if my employer asks me to begin the season this coming Friday. I am torn because this is part of my job, and I can't just wear a sticker that says, "I'm Catholic; Christmas starts Dec. 24." (Gee I wish I could, that'd be great). On the other hand, I believe that Advent is very important to fully apperciate the joyful season that follows. So basically I am stuck in between what society tells me and what I believe, and neither side can have a total victory, which is unfortunate.

On another note, my family has always put the tree up the weekend before Christmas. This was mostly due to the fact that my parents had to be there. I like that fine, but my mother's family, when they were all young, would decorate their tree on Christmas Eve just prior to Mass. I wish my family could continue that tradition.

[karissa]

I think this thread is amesome!! Almost everyone I know is focused on what they will receive or give to others for Christmas. Even the pastor at my parish seems more focused on gifts rather than anything else...

[jasJis]

Don't worry too much about what other people are doing or not doing for Christmas. Worry about what you are doing. The Church has a wonderful way to keep yourself focused. Don't just change what you normally do with your family. Add God to. Try reading the Scriptures for Advent before Sunday. You'll get much more out of the Liturgy of the Word during Mass.

I've posted the readings for the First Sunday of Advent in the "Word up!" phorum.

The reflection that goes with the readings is "The Necessity of Advent".

Check it out.

[Katt1227]

Schmandi-

I totally agree with you. Our society bombards us with Christmas and totally overlooks Advent. And Advent is such a beautiful time of reflection and anticipation that is truly sad to watch it get overlooked. As far as ways to be more "adventy", I'm not really sure. Our parish staff at school of which I'm sort of part of, being a student leader has an "Advent Angel" program in which we draw names at the beginning of the season and keep this person in our prayers as well as leave them small gifts to let them know they are being prayed for during this season. Then later in December, we hold a staff "Christmas" Party (yes we hold it during advent, but only because many of the students go home for Chrsitmas break so we have the party during finals week) in which our angels are revealed and gifts are exchanged. I have personally found it to be more rewarding than the typical gift exchange knowing that someone extra is praying for me during this busy season. (Yes, I'm aware that Advent hasn't relaly started yet, but it's really close).

So, that's one way that helps bring the focus of Advent back to prayer rather than the materialistic Christmas preparation that society tends to harp on us.

[cmotherofpirl]

Nothing was done until all the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve in any household.

Christmas reallly started on Christmas.

After I went to bed, the tree and all the decorating was done by my parents, aunts and uncles. When I got bigger and found out about Santa, I got to join in the fun. We would start at my uncle Paul's house and put all the toys together, and do all the decorating, then moved on to Uncle Eldy's house and repeat the process. We would finish up with all the stuff around 5 am and wearily trot off to bed.

Christmas was really Christmas back then.