Dearly Beloved 1036,
Among my earliest memories is the Advent wreath on our dining room table. I recall two different wreaths.
One year on Nativity Day, we were seated in the dining room for breakfast. The sun was shining brightly through the windows. The wreath had five round shapes in which would sit small tea light candles. Mom lit each of the colored ones that corresponded to the purple and pink Sundays of Advent and then came to the white one for Nativity/Christmas Day, remarking, "We made it to Christmas."
How wonderful that the cycle of the liturgical candle takes us through the Advent journey each year on the four Sundays before Nativity/Christmas Day and then we rejoice to once again arrive at December 25.
It was wonderful to see that progression unfold with the Advent wreath in our home.
We added a special custom to our Advent journey 25 years ago: Mom attended a gathering with Jack and Kathy Stockman, who created The Advent Book, a splendid artistic book that progresses through the Nativity narratives of Christ with a door for each day from December 1-25. I have it with me, and when I opened it during this past Advent season, I looked at the date written by the authors near the cover and was reminded we acquired it in 2000.
Along the way through Advent, it was great to prepare for Christmas/Nativity Day by gathering before the TV to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. It's a true classic, and after watching it a few times, I realized that its power lies in the scene when Linus proclaims the true meaning of Christmas. Indeed, it remains popular even now in 2025, when it marked its 60th anniversary of its debut.
This past week, I was reminded of another custom leading us from Advent to Christmas. Eric went on a Europe trip during his summer break in 2010, spending much of his time in the UK, since they stayed and studied in London. One of the group's side strips, as far as I remember, was to Cambridge where he learned about the storied liturgical event of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols that happens at the King's College Chapel annually December 24. Months after his return, on the morning of December 24, he intently turned on the radio to WFMT for the live broadcast of the Lessons and Carols. I was intrigued to listen to it myself. And I continued to enjoy listening to it in subsequent years, even so far as keeping a handheld radio up to my ear while shopping with Mom at Fair Share.
After a hiatus, I realized this year was a good time to tune in again to this cherished tradition, and it was splendid as ever an opportunity to raise our hearts and minds to praise Christ on the celebration of His birth.
Every year, we progress through Advent to Nativity Day and then through the Christmas Season, followed by the other liturgical seasons. Then we cycle back to the same seasons. Yet, in accordance with an idea presented in the Little Colored Books I have used for many years as a prayer resource, we're not just going in circles. It's like we're going up a spiral staircase that stays in the same circular space, yet goes upward, striving in the way of holiness to God Himself.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The big idea of this Feast is that we continue celebrating the Incarnation by reflecting on how God entered into our humanity, into a family, to show us how we can grow in holiness within the family. When Father Bob invited us at Mass this morning to reflect on our parents, I was immediately aware of how my memories of them are deeply tied to you, 1036. In you, we experienced these Advent Season customs that guided us toward the Christmas Season, inviting us to grow in holiness along the way.
So I give thanks to God for you. And I declare that you shall not fade into the background but remain deeply in my heart as that dearly beloved place.
We remain ever connected:
All my relations.
Praise to the Incarnate Lord, who is Emmanuel, God with us!
God's blessings,
With the Joy of Christmas,
Paul
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