And then there are the unrelenting commercials ... anyone seen this year’s Joe Boxer commercial? Sigh ...
I have a friend who does store decoration at one of the better department stores, (okay it is Macy’s) and she told me that it takes the entire staff at least a month working late into the evening to prepare the store for the day after Thanksgiving sale. That is considered the first day of Christmas in retail. They actually put the stuff out at night like elves. But, they have to do it in layers. That is why there seems to be Christmas stuff all over the place in early November.
Christmas dinner and leftovers are going to be big with me.
informative post...!!!
It seems to me if someone wanted to choose light over darkness, they would study the Scriptures to see the time of year when Christ was actually born. Hint: it could not have been in winter. And I’m pretty sure it would not have coincided with pagan traditions and celebrations.
That dude Jesus was in town early so it seemed like the best time ti throw him a surprise party.
It appears the author believes no decoration, or celebration should occur until after advent. It is wise to consider advent a time for preparation rather than celebration but I believe such a cut and dried, dogmatic approach is not the proper way to judge. In fact it seems the Friar has more trouble with the manner in which people celebrate, by esteeming the festivities themselves higher than the reason to be festive; the rushing of Christmas being only a symptom.
“....On the 29th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.....”
I’m not sure I agree with this. We didn’t realize it when we were children, but all the grownups began to become joyful around Christmastime and there were no bad moods or anger at the kids—i.e., they became the people they should have been all year around. It was contagious, so we felt it too. Only later did I realize it was deep in their culture and tradition and was shared by many Christian cultures. It’s called the Christmas spirit.
The silly practice of getting gifts for everyone becomes so much more than shopping, because people are smiling and their eyes are merry for no reason—except that December 25th is coming. It’s a slow buildup, until finally the shyest cousin is wearing foam rubber antlers and holding her hands in front of her like hooves and hopping around.
Christmas is a man-made holiday not discussed or required in the Bible.
There was a high class private club called, I think, The Jockey Club, something like a Playboy Club, which celebrated Christmas in July.
We have the “charismatic” uncle (actually my father’s cousin) in from FLA for a half year now and he drove my Dad and I absolutely nuts since mid Nov with almost demanding the Hallmark Channel be on, such my Dad had to finally get the expanded channel format put on the tv in the bedroom he’s in on the first floor so he could hole himself up in there. get a load of this:
http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/schedule/
Half the shows are chick flicks dressed in red & green ribbons.
He also drove us batty trying to get us to shop before T’Giving. Its a very long story but he’s youngest of a family of five and only surviving member. Eldest child, a female, died unmarried at about 40. 2nd eldest was a Dominican priest. 3rd was a Dominican nun who left sisterhood behind to become a phd of psychology and a hypnotist. She passed on a year ago. He lived with her in the family home in FLA. They obviously did ALL the “newchurch” stuff. Our guest speaks so-called tongues and garnered a “dispensation” not to attend Sunday service from the priest brother about 3 years ago, a year before the priest died (apparently not going through local ordinary) and our guest apparently did not make Easter Duty since this. He won’t say if he’s made his ‘duty’ but, despite being with one leg and in a wheelchair, he now has ample opportunity to make his Sunday Obligation. He goes out in the car with my parents practically every other day.
I maintain I have complete right to “test” him because he claims “the gift of tongues”. As he is 82 we’ve had out “words”.
My parents 87 and 90 (thank God doing OK) traditionally put up the tree on Xmas eve and had a regular 12th night party indeed to ‘go the other way’. I am the eldest of 11 children and helping here.
The 4th child suddenly died of a stroke 2 weeks short of ordination into the Dominican priesthood. I think God took him to avoid this madness.
The family produced no children. The family name is given on page 25 of the newest book on Whitey Bulger, that by Kevin Cullen & Shelley Murphy. They lived across ‘the way’ from the Bulgers and are made out to be ‘royalty’ by/to the Bulgers because of the clerical composition.
The fahter was a all too typical Irish drunk but here we go: when they retired to FLA and got “the spirit” he stopped drinking and went around the neighborhood knocking on doors and leafletting that he was “born again”.
On top of all this, the family moved into the modest enough FLA home coming out of South Boston mid 1960’s. It had a pool but its no great shakes, the neighborhood close to the city center and now almost all black. Bank has started foreclosure proceedings a year ago. I have a sister who is into yoga taichi etc coming out of 2nd divorce a couple years ago who moved in there from TX to help out and saw out the ex-nun in her last days. She’s pushing to get a couple MORE years out of foreclosure by I THINK (nobody’s talking to me) paying off an equity loan. There was an aggregate $75K / yr coming into that house via pensions between this one uncle here and his beloved ex-nun sister (she was c counselor into the state prison system- had $60K pension we only found after she died).
They went to Disneyland a lot and my uncle built a very large toy village taking up a full bedroom.
Your ‘Concilliar Church’ in action.
The uncle is actually very charming with the toys and all- in one of our arguments he said he was raised to treat every day as Christmas. He actually pled with one of my sisters on the phone to accept a gift he shouldn’t be buying because, among other things, of his weird finances...he asserted she should accept it because “its from Jesus” (your personal “Jesus” of the “charismatics”, you know). I lit into him after the call that he gives as any in commemoration and he answers he is expressing thanks for his health holding on etc. I said he should express as everyone in such position has done before in giving from ONESELF in spirit of Xmas.
I answered too a day later by passing a simple paper on thanking God in Holy Mass.
He is an unabashed hyper-isolated MSNBC-watching Obamaton (actually the Hallmark Channel is a relief).
He nearly ruined our watching our dear Red Sox winning the World Series etc by cheering more than a couple times that his praying for a home run at a particular time was ...well...I asked him why the Bruins lost so often to the dreadful Canadians and he said : “I wasn’t here”. I asked him why the stinkin’ money-loaded Yankees won so under Torre and he said Torre’s sister was a nun.
When Whitey was on the false-prompt run 1995, he saw the priest in New Orleans on the sidewalk, told him to wait 15 minutes, ran out of the car to give him $20K in a paper bag and ran back to the car. I ran up to Billy Bulger the following St. Patrick’s day parade and told him and I’ll never forget to look on his face.
The ex-nun told me of the gift summer 1995 and every bit of her tone was that of the ‘Whitey is Robin Hood’ vein.
The visiting uncle read a short article I gave to him on Billy’s complicity and he wroye quietly “BS” on it next to a cross he nearly always puts on notes he writes or articles he’s read.
here is the article:
CARR: RECALLING THOSE BRAVE FEW WHO STOOD UP TO WHITEY BULGER
Thursday, August 8, 2013 http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/howie_carr/2013/08/carr_recalling_those_brave_few_who_stood_up_to_whitey
By: Howie Carr
Oh, I’m getting the long story out. Must Stop.
Guess I picked on this thread.
Thanks for prayers.
Pray the Rosary daily.
I am always ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is never to early and never too late. There are several songs we only see around Christmas time that would be great to sing all year long. The world doesn’t need any joy in July. On the commercial side I like peppermint ice cream and would love to eat it on a hot august afternoon. Don’t think that single guys would like mistletoe year round? I think that jolly oldish guys with whitish beards should be honored year round.
I say expand the celebration to 9 mos b4...after all...baby Jesus really arrived on the scene then
Advent was always meant to be a solemn time of penance and recollection similar to lent. The Church in the past forbid all turbulet amusements, weddings, dancing and concerts. The traditional religious orders still practice this in order to be pure for the Lord’s first coming.
I personally hate the pre Christmas festivities - it just feels wrong to celebrate early.
Liturgically Christmas is correct to be celebrated on December 25th, or the winter solstice.
John 8:12 - I am the light of the world.
Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. To them that dwell in the region of the shadow of death, a great light is risen.
Revelation 22:5 And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun,for the Lord God shall be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Of course Jesus the light of the world is born on the darkest and longest night.
ALSO:
Luke 1:5-13 - Zechariah (a Jewish priest) was in the Holy of Holies, the Day of Atonement when he learned that John the Baptist would be born. The day of Atonement occurs at the vernal equinox, and John the Baptist was born nine months later on the summer solstice. John decreases (the light and days shorten)his influence, preaching etc., to make way for Christ who increases - the light and days lengthen after the winter solstice. Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant (Luke 1:36) at the time of the annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel, which puts Jesus conception at the vernal equinox - March 25th, 9 months before the birth of Christ.
As far as the sheep in Bethlehem, to this day in Isreal shepherds are seen with their sheep any month of the year looking for winter pasture; winter pasture is to be found in the eastern hills of Bethlehem. Sheepfolds are still located there. The rainy season is ending by the end of December.
Jesus would never have been born during a Jewish feast because he is the new wine and Christianity replaces Judaism.
So we can all be at peace that Christmas truly does take place on the longest night when we welcome the light of the world.
I wouldn't call all this commercial stuff 'celebrating' Christmas so much as using Christmas for their crass purposes.