The Seasons of Christmas

 

THE S E A S O N S of C H R I S T M A S

Marking the Days

    There are many ways to observe the passage of the days of the Holiday Season - to somehow "mark" them as special and "set apart" from ordinary days. Each method has its own unique value. Included in the next few pages are brief discussions of three of these "tools" --- Holiday Journaling, Advent Calendars, and the Advent Wreath.

    I - HOLIDAY JOURNALING - Advent is a time for waiting in the Lord's presence - a time to be still and know God (Psalms 46:10). Set aside a time each day to sit in His presence, remembering what He has done for you. Praise Him. Thank Him. Invite Him into the lonely, empty, bored, frightened, cynical places in your life if you have them (and we ALL do). Confess your sin. Ponder, change and reaffirm your belief system, your faith, your personal theology. Let His peace fill your life as you relax in the Everlasting Arms of a loving God.

    Keeping a journal is an excellent way to record your activities, thoughts, feelings, insights, prayers, hopes, disappointments, expectations and the like. Entries may be of any length, written in any style you may choose. You may wish to keep mementos of the season as part of your journal --- a holly leaf, mistletoe from a special moment, a program from a special service at your church, a treasured Christmas photo or greeting card. Let this be a place of expression of your feelings, your spiritual wishes and desires, your hopes and expectations, your reflections on the symbols of the season, etc. Grammar and spelling DON'T matter. What is important is that you genuinely and honestly record ALL your feelings --- joy and despair, hope and disappointment, connection and loneliness, doubt and faith, insight and the lack thereof, certainty and skepticism, sadness and joy...

    No one else need see the contents of your journal unless you invite them to share it with you. It is NOT a test of writing ability. It will tell you a lot about who you are in your heart of hearts. It will show you what you value, what you find frustrating, what you deem unacceptable, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry. You will discover whom you are and whom you may become, as well as to WHOM you belong. Scripture tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Let your journal be your confessional.

    Why write? You may or may not realize the value of writing, but journaling is a part of many therapy programs, self-help groups, etc. Dr. Gabrielle Rico, Ph.D., is a professor of English and Creative Arts at San Jose State University. She has written two wonderful books about the value of writing, the creative process, and writing as a means of healing and self-impowerment. I commend both of her books to you for further reading.

    She writes in Pain and Possibility : Writing your Way Through Personal Crisis, "Writing gives shape and form to your feelings for exploration, and the emerging patterns in your writing lead to gradual insights, occasional life-changing epiphanies, but mostly to a wary grace."

    On the subject of "what to write", she says, "Trust your natural inner voice, and it will find its way into the --- feelings of your consciousness."

    Writing is one way of "connecting" , and all of us hunger for connection with others and with God. Try writing. Extend the habit beyond the holidays. You'll be amazed at what you learn about yourself and others in the process. View the time you spend writing, whether moments or hours, as an exercise in strengthening spiritual awareness and self-discipline.

    II - ADVENT CALENDARS - Advent calendars are another way of marking the passage of the days between December 1st and December 25th. They are beloved by adults and children alike. The opening of a little window for each day helps keep the focus on the "reason for the season". The development of a bit of a ritual surrounding the moment of opening the window each day can provide a moment out of a busy day in which each family member can do as scripture directs in the passage from Psalms (46:10).

    Advent calendars are available for purchase in bookstores, gift shops, card shops, department stores, and mail order, to name only a few sources. There are many formats, all of them designed to have one window or door or box opened each day in sequence. Sometimes little pictures of the symbols of the Christmas season are revealed. Some are three-dimensional and have gifts, candy, ornaments, etc., hidden behind the doors. Almost always, opening the door for Christmas Eve reveals some depiction, gift or ornament in which the central figure is the Christ Child in the manger. Make the opening of the day's door a part of your personal celebration of the Advent portion of the Seasons of Christmas.

    III - THE ADVENT WREATH - An Advent Wreath need not be elaborate, expensive or complicated to construct in order to be useful and quite meaningful. Advent wreaths can be purchased from Christian bookstores, through Mail Order from places like Abbey Press and Current, Inc., or assembled at home with simple materials (my favorite!).

    Your wreath should have evergreens (fresh or silk) and five candles. One candle should be white and placed above the other four in the arrangement (center is the usual placement). This candle represents Christ and is lighted on Christmas Day. The white stands for the purity of Christ, the Light of the World. The remaining four candles have traditionally been purple, the color connoting royalty, while in contemporary practice blue, symbolic of penitence, is being used more and more and has become quite popular. (Blue is used in Jewish families around Hanukkah, which coincides with our Christmas celebration, to symbolize penitence and obedience and deliverance.)

    A pink, or rose-colored, candle is often included for use on the third Sunday of Advent. This is used both to remind us of the Second Coming of Christ, and to provide a "break" in the somberness of Advent. In the early church, Advent, like Lent, was a more somber and introspective season of reflection and self-examination. It was marked by long periods of fasting to promote spiritual self-discipline. A brief period of "relief" was provided at the mid-point of the season and a pink candle was chosen to represent this period and to symbolize Christ's passion.

    Five votive candles in holders are safest when using live greens and can be replaced easily when they burn down. Many votive candles will burn for 15 hours without replacement, and are quite inexpensive (I have seen some two-inch diameter votives at Kroger for $.99 each. I'm not sure, however, if there were any purple ones!) Another option is to bore five candle holes in a thick, round board, decorating between the candles with holly and fir or other evergreens. I often try to use the large "pillar" style candles (available at Cokesbury while supplies last --- purple gets hard to find the later in the season it gets) because I like to light the candles on my wreath everyday rather than only on Sundays.

    A personal worship center can be developed with the Advent Wreath occupying a central location, surrounded, perhaps, by the figures of a nativity set with an EMPTY manger, with the Christ Child and the Christ Candle added on Christmas morning. It can, in fact, be quite meaningful, especially with children participating, to begin the Advent Season with only the wreath and the empty stable. Figures are added all during the days of Advent --- first the stable animals, followed by the Shepherds, then Mary and Joseph and the donkey, then the Holy Child, then the angels and finally the camels and the Wise Men. The sense of anticipation builds and the celebration culminates either on Christmas Day or around Epiphany (preferable).

    The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent and daily in the following week. Scriptures are read, hymns may be sung, a devotional or meditation read, and a prayer offered.

    The second candle, along with the first, is lit on the second Sunday and succeeding days in the following week, as are the third and fourth candles in due course. The Christ Candle is added on Christmas Day.

    The use of any or all of these "tools" can greatly enhance your holiday season and bring you more JOY than you know exactly what to do with. Try one or more and watch what happens. I commend journaling, especially, to you if you desire to get to know yourself more fully.