To follow Houself's excellent notion earlier this week, I am going to post the questions this morning up to today's question.
How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas?
In our family, while we do a lot of secular and fun activities, we do a lot of things that are more spiritual as well.
DD always wants to go see the "Live Crib" which is run by the Farmer's Association outside the Lord Mayor's house in the capital city. It is mostly made up of animals (1-2 each of sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and a cow) - but the baby in his crib in the manger are at the end of the line. It raises money for a children's charity too.
I always try to go to a carol service (some years we get to the open air one outside the Lord Mayor's House, but there are lots of lovely ones in the various churches locally too).
On Christmas Eve, the youngest (DD) lights the Christmas Candle, which is put in the window to let weary travelers know that there is a place for them here even if no room at the Inn. When we do this ceremony, we always spend some time thinking and talking about all the blessings we've had the past year, and remembering relatives who are no longer with us, and say a decade of the rosary. That is followed by putting out DD's stocking for Santa, and food for Santa and the Reindeers - so a mix of secular and religious.
We go to Mass on Christmas morning without fail. And spend time afterwards looking at the crib in the church and talking about Baby Jesus' birthday. There are various services we attend over the whole season as well.
And it is not all overtly religious either - partly about the spirit of the season. So we work together on preparations - both to work together and share, and avoid any 1 person getting overloaded. We donate clothes and toys that are still good but no longer needed by us to family or charity, we give a lot of food to charity too (a number of collections done locally, school do hampers for families they know in need, and I give 2 hampers to the local St Vincent De Paul to distribute as well). And we usually find a local "Giving Tree" that DD can go and buy a present for another child who may not get one - we give the money, but DD does the choosing for a child so it does bring it home to her.
But it is not all spiritual - we still do lots of things that are the more modern commercial meaning of Christmas too.
How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas?
In our family, while we do a lot of secular and fun activities, we do a lot of things that are more spiritual as well.
DD always wants to go see the "Live Crib" which is run by the Farmer's Association outside the Lord Mayor's house in the capital city. It is mostly made up of animals (1-2 each of sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and a cow) - but the baby in his crib in the manger are at the end of the line. It raises money for a children's charity too.
I always try to go to a carol service (some years we get to the open air one outside the Lord Mayor's House, but there are lots of lovely ones in the various churches locally too).
On Christmas Eve, the youngest (DD) lights the Christmas Candle, which is put in the window to let weary travelers know that there is a place for them here even if no room at the Inn. When we do this ceremony, we always spend some time thinking and talking about all the blessings we've had the past year, and remembering relatives who are no longer with us, and say a decade of the rosary. That is followed by putting out DD's stocking for Santa, and food for Santa and the Reindeers - so a mix of secular and religious.
We go to Mass on Christmas morning without fail. And spend time afterwards looking at the crib in the church and talking about Baby Jesus' birthday. There are various services we attend over the whole season as well.
And it is not all overtly religious either - partly about the spirit of the season. So we work together on preparations - both to work together and share, and avoid any 1 person getting overloaded. We donate clothes and toys that are still good but no longer needed by us to family or charity, we give a lot of food to charity too (a number of collections done locally, school do hampers for families they know in need, and I give 2 hampers to the local St Vincent De Paul to distribute as well). And we usually find a local "Giving Tree" that DD can go and buy a present for another child who may not get one - we give the money, but DD does the choosing for a child so it does bring it home to her.
But it is not all spiritual - we still do lots of things that are the more modern commercial meaning of Christmas too.
