Christmas is..

The meaning of Christmas is not family. (Nope, it really isn't.)

The meaning of Christmas is not Santa Claus and gifts.

The meaning of Christmas is, in the (paraphrased) words of the Grinch, "something a bit more".

So while you gather round the tree to open those gifts (from Santa or others) tomorrow morning, remember that this simply wouldn't be, if it weren't for the plan that God set in motion at the beginning of Time when we Fell from grace.

Christmas wouldn't exist, and we would still be a "people crying out in darkness" and waiting desperately for God's promise of a Savior to be fulfilled.

Yes, Christmas is a season of joy for most, but even amongst all those cups of eggnog and all those roasted chestnuts and every single scrap of paper and ribbon, never forget the reason for which that blessed baby boy was born as one of us.

We cannot have Christmas without Good Friday and Easter, because without the cross and the empty tomb, Christ's birth means nothing.



For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Christmas is God for us, forever. It is one of the central moments in all of human history, and so it is fitting that we celebrate the birth of our most precious Savior with festivities and gift giving and lots of twinkling lights. But let us remember why He became man, and as we gather around Word and Sacrament tonight and tomorrow morning in our brightly light churches, that we receive Him, God with us, Immanuel.

Christmas traditions

"When a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, you don't just turn it off one day."

Chinua Achebe

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Growing up, my family had a tradition of getting out the Christmas decorations on or around my birthday, November 29th, as that was near enough to Advent and also I have a history of being obsessed with Christmas, so it worked out well. There were certain things I did literally every year, such as dragging out the really old artificial tree and setting it up on the freezing cold front porch, lights, ornaments, and tinsel included. It was a closed porch, so there was no wind, but it was still super cold!

In my own house now, the decorating still begins around my birthday, but we our main tree is a real tree, from one of the places nearby, since that's what Nate's family has always done. With our wedding anniversary being on the 3rd, we try to structure going to pick out our tree around then. And then it's home to wrestle with the lights, which is my father's job back home but I definitely do it now because dear hubby doesn't want to deal with it, heehee. I do not mind, since Dad taught me how to get lights on nearly every inch of evergreen. Our tree positively glows with multi-colored Christmas cheer.

Christmas traditions can be fun, sentimental, or downright obnoxious, depending on you and your family. Over the month of December, I will share with you the history behind various Christmas traditions, such as the evergreen tree, the poinsettia, Santa Claus/Father Christmas, and others.

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One thing I love about Christmas music is that it has a tradition of warmth.

Zooey Deschanel

You're most likely not "keeping Christ in Christmas".

Happy December and blessed Advent to everyone! To kick off the month of December, I am calling attention to a meme that has been viral for many years now, even before memes were memes and the internet was prominent. I'm talking about the phrase" Keep Christ in Christmas" that everyone shares around this time of year. Sounds harmless enough, but there are many reasons why it is not.

• When you say things like "keep Christ in Christmas" you are actually turning the sentiment back upon yourself, (there's an understood "you/I" at the beginning of that phrase; grammar FTW) turning it into a work. We cannot by any means "keep Christ" in anything, because we are poor, miserable sinners who will find every little detour to keep Him out.

• If you profess to be a child of God through Jesus Christ, then why does family trump Christ? I'm serious about this one. I have known far too many churches to cancel their services if Christmas falls on a Sunday, in the name of family. Sorry, but that's not right. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are not about family, or parties, or alcohol and food, or gifts. They are about the birth of our precious Savior, the greatest gift we will ever receive. So please don't tell me you are keeping Christ in Christmas or that "Jesus is the reason for the season" if you do not go to church and gather around the Word and Sacrament on these Holy Days.

• The absolute most important thing you can even do during this, the reflective season of Advent, is to attend a church that focuses on Christ and how He was long foretold. Truly confessional churches structure their services around the coming of Christ, all leading up to His humble birth.

That being said, I am not a scrooge. (See my most recent post!) Of course spend time with family, go to Christmas parties, and enjoy the food, drink, and gifts. But I challenge my readers to remember why we even celebrate during this festive season. Gather the family on Christmas Eve and find a traditional candelight church service nearby. If you truly want Jesus Christ to remain the center of our celebration, as you are implying with the sharing of that meme, then remember the reason He was even brought down to earth to be born and live as one of us.

This one is MUCH better.

                                     

O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, King of kings, and Lord of lords, the Son of the living God and Son of David, come. Come now to Your Church that you have purchased with Your blood. Come with Your gracious presence, that we may rejoice in You. Come and rule over us, that we may serve and follow You. Come with Your love, humility, and perfect obedience, and let Your lowliness become our glory. Come into the midst of Your people and bless us, for we are Your heritage. Forgive us our sin, and do not angrily cast away Your servants, for You are meek and gracious. Clothe us with the garment of Your righteousness, for You are the only righteous one and our helper. Satisfy us with the abundance of Your mercy, for You did become poor for our sakes, that by Your poverty we might be made rich. Hear us, Lord Jesus, for the sake of Your holy name. Amen.

~prayer for Advent, Lutheran Book of Prayer (CPH), page 120

The holidays are upon us.

It's the final week in November. There is lots of rain, soon to become snow. Yesterday was the Sunday of the Fulfillment, which is the last Sunday in the church year. What this means is that Advent is upon us, along with many other celebrations. Thursday is Thanksgiving, Saturday is my birthday, and next Wednesday is our 3rd wedding anniversary. Time flies.

Always be thankful. It is fitting that Thanksgiving takes place so close to the beginning of Advent, because we reflect on our blessings around the family table, overloaded with food and laughter, and then begin the all too short journey of reflection towards the celebration one of the greatest events in the history of the universe: Christmas Day.

Never mind that the world begins to celebrate Christmas as soon as All Hallow's Eve comes to a close and All Saints' Day dawns; we Christians have a blessed freedom in Christ to enjoy the secular merriment and reflect during Advent. Plus, we know that the season of Christmas doesn't end on December 25th! The Christmas season in the church year culminates with Epiphany, the celebration of the visit of the Magi, on January 6th.

Life is short, and it's silly to get all grouchy when the Christmas music begins playing in mid-November. In fact, I welcome it, because within all the fun (and strange, yes) secular holiday music playing, the message of Jesus' birth will come through. It's there, my friends. Rejoice in that. Don't refuse to listen to Christmas music. At least don't refuse to listen to it once December rolls around. Enjoy this season of family, merriment, and fun, which also remembering that Jesus came for us and why He came.

The holidays are upon us, and my family in particular has a few extra special days between Thanksgiving and Epiphany, some I did not specifically name. I am sure other families have special days in this time too.

Enjoy it, my friends. The freedom we have in Christ does not equal being a scrooge about all things secular.

With that being said, I'm going to dig out my stash of construction paper, put on some Christmas music, and craft some snowflakes and maybe a paper chain or two. And figure out where the heck our Christmas tree is going to go.

The Legend of Holly Claus

When Christmastime rolls around, I break out what have become my favorite books and movies. I don't know about you, but those old movies get me every time. So good. And then there are those books that I adore reading at this time of year, as well. For obvious reasons, I read the Holy Bible; can't forget the Reason for the season, Jesus Christ.

But beyond that, my two favorites are A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittany Ryan. The first one is for obvious reasons, the second is a book that I discovered while working at the library and I fell in love with it.

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In the land of Forever, Santa and Mrs. Claus have no children. After all, this is the land of the Immortals. No children have ever been born there. But then, in Victorian New York, a young boy writes a letter to Santa that changes everything. Soon, Holly is born. A huge celebration ensues. But, alas, not all is joyful. An evil magician/warlock puts a curse on Holly. She, of course, once she learns of this curse, is determined to break it, and to do a good deed that will once and for all earn her her place in the land of Forever.
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Okay, so that last bit smacks of works-righteousness. But it's a story. And the land of Forever isn't heaven, no matter what anyone might try to say. The point is that this is a gorgeous book that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside and really want to do good. And that's certainly a good thing. Helping others is a wonderful thing to do.

I re-read this book every single December. Not only do I love the story, but it's set in the Victorian Era, and what with that, Christmas, and magic...well, the only thing that would make this book more perfect would be if part of it took place in London instead of New York City. :)

December Classics Club Meme

The Classics Club monthly meme is another way to bring members of The Classics Club together. The post for the month will go up on the main page of this blog on the 2nd of the month, and you’ll have all month to respond over at your blog.

Q: What is your favorite memory of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Have you ever read it? If not, will you? Why should others read it rather than relying on the film adaptions?


A: I suppose I ought to say that my favorite memory of A Christmas Carol is actually from many years ago when my aunt and uncle took my sister and me to see the play adaptation in downtown Milwaukee. That is the first big memory I have of the story, at any rate. Since then, I have watched multiple film adaptations and read the book at least once every Christmas. I have also listened to the audiobook. 
Everyone should read the book rather than relying on the film adaptations because the essence of what Charles Dickens is saying tends to be lost on film, especially in the more recent adaptations. Christmas is more than consumerism and stress; it is a time to celebrate family and friends. And of course, the real Reason for the season should never be forgotten.

So this my first time linking up to The Classics Club. I hope it won't be my last and that this helps get more traffic on this blog! :)

musings no. 3

Salvete!
If you spend your "free" time memorizing Latin declensions, you're either a student or crazy. Or both.
I am most certainly both.
The end.

It is getting to that time of year when I have an extremely difficult time playing the organ -- or doing anything that involves moving my finger, for that matter. Darn cold hands! I can't type, write, play music...oh, and texting is almost out of the question!

The wind we had over the last few days was insane.
I was kind of scared when I realized I could feel the building I live in moving.

Here I am complaining about the cold, yet I have my window open because there is no other way to get my room to not smell stuffy and blehh. Yep. Blehh, that's it.

I am indeed already listening to Christmas music.
Yes, yes I am quite aware that Halloween hasn't happened yet, thank you very much.