http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/2072 A Rare Bird, A Strange Duck, One Funky Blog Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:37:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/2072#comment-3978 stuff Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/wordpress/archive/2093#comment-3978 Praise the Lord!!<br />We are so glad to have you with us!! For the past several years our family has been getting stronger and stronger in our boycott of celebrating Christmas before Christmas. We have always done the traditional Advent wreath practice and have a wonderful book of Advent meditations by Fr. Groeschel that we read after dinner every night by the light of our candles. We also learn an Advent song every year (so far we've done "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" and "Prepare the Way of the Lord"). This year we are going to try to make our house a little church by hanging purple ribbons in each room and we hope to use the old barn wood to build a stable and manger in the yard. There is a wealth of Advent specific practices for families with children that emphasize this as a season of watchful waiting and sober preparation not just of the birth of Christ, but also of the day He comes in Glory as judge. Now that our oldest is 4, he gets excited about Advent itself, separate from Christmas, and when the actual Christmas season comes, he enjoys every last day of it and is not itchimg to tear down a tree that has been in the house for a month and a half (incidentally, in my parents' day, families wouldn't get a tree until Christmas Eve - sometimes parents would even wait until the kids were in bed to cut it, bring it in and decorate it so that Christmas morning was really something absolutely magical and sacred).<br />If you need ideas or resources, we are more than happy to help you out!<br /><br />Veni, Veni Emmanuel! We are so glad to have you with us!! For the past several years our family has been getting stronger and stronger in our boycott of celebrating Christmas before Christmas. We have always done the traditional Advent wreath practice and have a wonderful book of Advent meditations by Fr. Groeschel that we read after dinner every night by the light of our candles. We also learn an Advent song every year (so far we've done "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" and "Prepare the Way of the Lord"). This year we are going to try to make our house a little church by hanging purple ribbons in each room and we hope to use the old barn wood to build a stable and manger in the yard. There is a wealth of Advent specific practices for families with children that emphasize this as a season of watchful waiting and sober preparation not just of the birth of Christ, but also of the day He comes in Glory as judge. Now that our oldest is 4, he gets excited about Advent itself, separate from Christmas, and when the actual Christmas season comes, he enjoys every last day of it and is not itchimg to tear down a tree that has been in the house for a month and a half (incidentally, in my parents' day, families wouldn't get a tree until Christmas Eve - sometimes parents would even wait until the kids were in bed to cut it, bring it in and decorate it so that Christmas morning was really something absolutely magical and sacred).
If you need ideas or resources, we are more than happy to help you out!

Veni, Veni Emmanuel!]]> http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/2072#comment-3979 Jerry Nora Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/wordpress/archive/2093#comment-3979 Good post and response, Stuff. I've been working on reforming my appreciation of Advent for one or two years now, so it's interesting to see how people are practicing it themselves. http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/2072#comment-3980 stuff Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/wordpress/archive/2093#comment-3980 The Jesse Tree is a great Advent practice, too, and can be combined with the Christmas tree tradition for those who like getting a tree earlier in the season.