I just want to make sure we have OUR Christmas. I’ve said it to my friends and my friends have said it to me. Somewhere between college graduation and thirtieth birthdays Christmas becomes super, super busy. And we feel like it’s all about other people. All about extended relatives. All about work parties or neighborhood parties […]
How We Advent (And Advent Music)
When I was about ten my dad first introduced us to the old custom of Adventing before Christmas and Christmasing until Epiphany. At first, it was quite difficult for me to accept. My dad and I had many debates about how early was too early to turn on the real Christmas songs and all the […]
My Advent CD
Properly celebrating Advent can be tough in a society that typically starts Christmasing around Thanksgiving and promptly ceases merriment on December 26th. One thing that has always been particularly bothersome to me is the general lack of Advent music. I’ve got an Advent playlist I add to every year, but this year I wanted to do […]
Let’s Fall in Love with Christmas Again
It’s a common misconception that Christmas is only for children. But Christmas is for everybody. Children are just better at celebrating it. As adults, we can get so focused on the preparations and the subsequent return to normalcy that we forget to savor the very point of it all. We cook and clean and then […]
How to participate in gift-giving without participating in materialism
Materialism is an obvious problem in America and it is made more obvious during the holiday season. Many people blame Christmas, or at least Christmas gift-giving, for this materialism. But materialism can happen with or without gifts. Whether it be iPads or beach trips or going out to bars, we become materialistic when we are […]
When Christmas Goes Away
Every January I go through a mini depression as Christmas comes to an end. I try to make it fun and positive. I try to find things to divert my attention away from the lack-of-Christmas. This year we have a baby coming in eleven weeks so I have much of that practical preparation to look forward to. My […]
