Great conversation! I hear a lot of people criticizing others for starting Christmas decorating, shopping, music, etc., too early. But I really look at it as a sign of people longing for God and Jesus. Why would we criticize that? They may not realize that is what they’re longing for. They may be caught up in the commercializing and materialistic attitudes but underneath it is a search for the baby Jesus and the magic that brings. I will never criticize anybody searching for that. They need to do it on their own timeline and in their own way. My prayer is that beneath all of those activities people are being drawn to God and wanting more for their life. I think we need to get away from criticizing people for searching for answers. I also love how when Christmas music is on, suddenly it is OK for music about Jesus to be all over the radio stations when normally it is completely excluded from any conversation in the secular media. I think this is just one more sign of what the world is longing for and I will always welcome that! Thank you so much for the beautiful music too.
Leaving my 2 cents about Christmas in Australia for the entirety of my life… I love it! Although the cold, snowy, cozy scenes look lovely, I once went to the UK for Christmas and it just didn’t feel the same. I love our big family lunches with cold meats and seafood, spending all day in the pool, going to the beach in the mornings, and going to Carols by Candlelight. It lines up with our school summer holidays perfectly and almost all professional workplaces shutdown for a couple of weeks so it becomes a very slow and meandering time for everyone. It doesn’t really start up again until the end of January… it’s my favourite time of year!
Excellent conversation all the way around! Heartwarming to listen to. I love celebrating all the "Days of Christmas." In another life- many years ago- I hosted Epiphany Parties. It was the easiest/ laziest party to host. The Christmas decor is up, only "necessary" cleaning- swept floors/ mostly clean bathrooms, and a pot of soup and bread. Friends were invited to bring "whatever" and throw it on the kitchen counter. The food (and beverages) always worked themselves out. 50-60 people flowing through the kitchen/dining room and living areas. Kids everywhere. It made me look like a "smart hostess"- little did people know 😉
The coffee convo gives short shrift to the Italians and Cubans 😂 I would not consider them delicate people but they make the best coffee in my opinion. We have an Italian guy at the FSSP church I grew up attending who roasts his own beans and everything, and even my very picky European husband approves. My family is Cuban, so we're picky on the coffee front too.
I love how this podcast always has such balanced conversations! I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with twin boys and thus looking at advent differently (perhaps more realistically) this year. I think getting the decorations up and the home prepared during advent makes perfect sense! All the nesting hormones hit before the baby comes and you exhaust yourself with all the preparations. Nobody wants to be putting up a cradle the night before they go into labor!! Advent is the time for cleaning and decorating and preparing and working -like a mother preparing for a child. You create a beautiful space to bring the child into, then the baby is born and you sit and enjoy and hopefully do nothing.
Would love a link to the Narnia book and/or podcast that was mentioned!
Fr. Dwight Longnecker has 2 great little Christmasy books - one on the Bethlehem Shepherds & another on the Magi. Apparently there is a specific breed of Bethlehem sheep that lamb in winter, & the Magi book had all kinds of fascinating info on the stars & the wise men’s geographic origins, & even a potential tie-in with St. Paul & the Essenes at Qumran! The astrology convo reminded me of those 2 books.
Great conversation! I hear a lot of people criticizing others for starting Christmas decorating, shopping, music, etc., too early. But I really look at it as a sign of people longing for God and Jesus. Why would we criticize that? They may not realize that is what they’re longing for. They may be caught up in the commercializing and materialistic attitudes but underneath it is a search for the baby Jesus and the magic that brings. I will never criticize anybody searching for that. They need to do it on their own timeline and in their own way. My prayer is that beneath all of those activities people are being drawn to God and wanting more for their life. I think we need to get away from criticizing people for searching for answers. I also love how when Christmas music is on, suddenly it is OK for music about Jesus to be all over the radio stations when normally it is completely excluded from any conversation in the secular media. I think this is just one more sign of what the world is longing for and I will always welcome that! Thank you so much for the beautiful music too.
Leaving my 2 cents about Christmas in Australia for the entirety of my life… I love it! Although the cold, snowy, cozy scenes look lovely, I once went to the UK for Christmas and it just didn’t feel the same. I love our big family lunches with cold meats and seafood, spending all day in the pool, going to the beach in the mornings, and going to Carols by Candlelight. It lines up with our school summer holidays perfectly and almost all professional workplaces shutdown for a couple of weeks so it becomes a very slow and meandering time for everyone. It doesn’t really start up again until the end of January… it’s my favourite time of year!
Excellent conversation all the way around! Heartwarming to listen to. I love celebrating all the "Days of Christmas." In another life- many years ago- I hosted Epiphany Parties. It was the easiest/ laziest party to host. The Christmas decor is up, only "necessary" cleaning- swept floors/ mostly clean bathrooms, and a pot of soup and bread. Friends were invited to bring "whatever" and throw it on the kitchen counter. The food (and beverages) always worked themselves out. 50-60 people flowing through the kitchen/dining room and living areas. Kids everywhere. It made me look like a "smart hostess"- little did people know 😉
The coffee convo gives short shrift to the Italians and Cubans 😂 I would not consider them delicate people but they make the best coffee in my opinion. We have an Italian guy at the FSSP church I grew up attending who roasts his own beans and everything, and even my very picky European husband approves. My family is Cuban, so we're picky on the coffee front too.
And as the media recently discovered in the last few elections, Cubans tend to be very conservative 🤣
I love how this podcast always has such balanced conversations! I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with twin boys and thus looking at advent differently (perhaps more realistically) this year. I think getting the decorations up and the home prepared during advent makes perfect sense! All the nesting hormones hit before the baby comes and you exhaust yourself with all the preparations. Nobody wants to be putting up a cradle the night before they go into labor!! Advent is the time for cleaning and decorating and preparing and working -like a mother preparing for a child. You create a beautiful space to bring the child into, then the baby is born and you sit and enjoy and hopefully do nothing.
Ummm, ok! The Stapleton’s version of What Child Is This is unmatched. I’m going to get ready for Christmas by listening to that on repeat.
Would love a link to the Narnia book and/or podcast that was mentioned!
Fr. Dwight Longnecker has 2 great little Christmasy books - one on the Bethlehem Shepherds & another on the Magi. Apparently there is a specific breed of Bethlehem sheep that lamb in winter, & the Magi book had all kinds of fascinating info on the stars & the wise men’s geographic origins, & even a potential tie-in with St. Paul & the Essenes at Qumran! The astrology convo reminded me of those 2 books.
https://sophiainstitute.com/product/secret-of-bethlehem-shepherds/
Here’s a link to the other one: https://dwightlongenecker.com/the-mystery-of-the-magi-the-quest-for-the-true-identity-of-the-three-wise-men/
Here you go! Missed that one!
https://amzn.to/4f5wXoi