O Night Divine

Gifts 'n Stuff

After my annual pre-Christmas toy purging, I indulged in my annual pre-Christmas rant regarding our excess of Stuff.  My mother is the long-suffering recipient of my rants.  I shared with her how all of our Stuff cannot be good for our souls.  I went on about the children’s lack of appreciation and organization as a result of our Stuff.  I voiced frustration over storing our Stuff.  I expounded on my fear of new Stuff coming into our home at Christmas.

My mother patiently mentioned that when her ten children were young she could remember about twenty things we had for toys.  That was it.  Stuff was not a problem for her because we didn’t have Stuff.

“But Mom!  What about all the Stuff that came in for Christmas?!”  I wailed, desperate for an answer to the dilemma.

“Oh, there wasn’t much money for gifts, so they were simple things that added to something you already played with.  I always made skirts for you girls or new doll clothes.  I made pajamas for everyone. The boys got another model car or dinosaur for their collection.  Everyone always got a book. That was it.  Three simple gifts.”

I was stunned.  I remember Christmas having all the magic of childhood.  I remember great excitement Christmas morning and wrapping paper flying everywhere.  I remember our happiness with our gifts.

There was never any question back then, or now in my own family, that the incarnation, Jesus Christ, is the central focus of this holy season.  But do you mean to tell me it can be celebrated with minimal Stuff?!

Apparently so. 

For many years my parents did not have a fancy nativity set.  They made one out of cardboard and paint.  We loved that little set!  Most of the tree ornaments were homemade.  With little money for extra baking, there was one kind of cookie we children always made and mom baked sweet breads for friends and neighbors.  Only one kind of cookie!  We thought they were the most beautiful, delicious cookies in the world.

Christmas dinner was a feast and there was always company around the table.  Now I know how hard my mother worked, carefully planning and purchasing over the month of December to make it all work out.  Everything from scratch, Dad even made the wine.

After that conversation and the flood of memories, I am resolved once again to limit Stuff.  Not just limit, but change our attitudes a little.  More joy, less Stuff.  More people, less Stuff.  More holiness, less Stuff.

The Holy Family surely did not have Stuff.  No family could have more joy than they did.  The way to follow them is straight and simple, and it’s not littered with Stuff.

In Joyful Hope

Did you know that Christmas begins the day after Halloween?  Wait . . . what?  Haven't you seen the stores?  It's Christmas - apparently.  Except it's not.  Actually it's not even Advent yet but by looking around you'd think that Christmas was just one week away instead of six.   

I'll admit it, it bugs me.  Why do we have to start all this so soon? Don't get me wrong, I'm no Scrooge - really I'm not.  I love Christmas - AT Christmas that is.  But what can you do?  Short of staying out of the stores (NOT a bad idea mind you but just not always feasible) how can you avoid all this -in your face- holiday cheer? 

Well, you can't - at least I can't so I have decided to embrace it. No, we don't decorate before Christmas (as close we can get that is) and I'm still a bit of a stickler for not having Christmas parties in Advent but I have decided that I will enjoy the beauty of this -money machine imposed time (you do realize it's all about the stores getting your money sooner right?)- and use it as a reminder of what's to come and where I am headed.  Because after all that really is what it's all about.

Very soon a new year will be upon us.  No, I'm not talking about the "New Year" but rather the real new year - the liturgical year. The year around which everything we do is based.  Each year through feasts and memorials, holy days and solemnities we relive the events of Christ's life.  Events that are not definitively "passed" but that live on and continue to bless us and give us grace.

And so it begins with Advent.  OK it's early - Advent doesn't begin until Dec. 2nd and yet any day, every day is the perfect time to set our eyes towards Heaven and turn our hearts toward Jesus. Looking around us at the trappings of Christmas we are continually reminded to prepare.  Prepare for Christmas and thus prepare our heart for Christ's coming. 

If I am honest about it I should be grateful for all the "extra early" preparations.  At least I can't claim that Christmas snuck up on me - it's pretty hard to miss at this point.  But you know, I think that's OK.  I need the reminders because I can so easily get caught up in things and lose sight of what's coming.  Doing that for Christmas is bad enough but doing that in life has eternal consequences. 

So maybe the better way to approach the onslaught of advertising is to see it as a gift - a mercy even.  An insistent reminder not to become lazy or complacent. A reminder to pray with more passion, be more generous in our acts of charity and ever more attentive to Christ's call on our lives.

Yes, a gift of  mercy and a constant reminder to turn our hearts toward God as we "wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ."

Advent

So where is your advent wreath?  Do you have candles? I had the experience one year of getting the wreath out of the box and finding a bunch of broken candles.  Would not have been a big deal but for the fact that I had the whole family gathered around the table waiting to pray and light the candles.  Yup, I waited until after dinner on the first Sunday to get the wreath out. 

Don't make that mistake. 

Order candles from Candles 4 Less or The Catholic Company. Or go to your local religous goods store in the next week or so.

Advent calendars are also something that can sneak up on you. I have had to settle for an ugly one from the dollar store on December 2nd more than once.  It is really important to me to have an Advent calendar with a religous image.  The secular ones are cute and very festive and I don't think there is anything wrong with having one in the house but I don't think it should be the only one in the house.  I myself have used the candy countdown method to encourage good behavior (yes, I do occasionally bribe my children - it's a family tradition).

    This is the one I have. It was a little more money but it does last forever.  Catholic Child carries it along with a bunch of other cool things for Advent.

Whatever you decide - get going on it soon there are only 89 days left.

While thinking about Advent calendars why not give some thought to the really nice tradition of setting up a nativity scene and having the kings and shepherds traveling around the room toward the creche. As each day unfolds everyone gets a little closer to the stable in Bethlehem. It is a wonderful visual for children.  Older children can read aloud Old Testament verses telling of the coming of the Messiah.

Just an idea....let me know your ideas.

Getting Organized

So it is October 2nd and what have you done to get ready for Christmas?  Now you may still be figuring out what Halloween costumes to make but now is really the time to figure out how your season is going to be celebrated.  Which feast days will you celebrate with the children?  Will you need special items from the craft store?  Special ingredients from the grocery store?  Will you need to pick up a different cake pan or cookie cutters?

Now is the time to plan for these special days so that you will be free to really enjoy the time and traditions with your family, rather than running around frantically at the last minute trying to make a Currier and Ives moment happen.  Trust me it won't.

So how do you plan?  What do you decide now and what do you leave until later?  You don't want to be so organized that you approach the season as if it were a military exercise and your family are the troops in your little yuletide army.  You want to be relaxed and organized enough so that spontaneity can happen without disrupting your whole life.  You want to be welcoming to guests and not frantically tossing dishes into the oven and spraying Lemon Pledge around the living room to make people think it's clean (I've done this).

There a couple of great resources out there to help you get a handle on all of this.  We all know (although some of people hate to hear it)  that the best way to get organized is to first de-clutter.   You are going to need space to keep any gifts that you buy or make and you are going to need space to keep any craft or decorating items you buy for use later.  You will also need some extra room in your pantry for more baking and cooking supplies than you would normally buy.  Believe me it will reduce a lot of stress if you clear out and area now to keep things in rather than trying to cram a closet door shut while little people are coming into the room demanding to know what is in that bag you are wrestling into the closet.

I highly recommed that you make up a Christmas notebook.  Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight has a wonderful post (that was the whole inspiration for this blog - thank you dear Dawn) about her Christmas prep and her lovely Christmas journal.  Read this post. You will be singing carols and looking up your favorite eggnog recipe as soon as you are finished.

Next I recommend one of two great resources.  Flylady has a Christmas Control Journal.  Alice recommended that I check this out and it really is worth the time.  It istotally free and very comprehensive.  You print it out and put it in three-ring binder and there you go, you are on the way to organization.Flylady's theme is "Cruising Your Way Through The Holidays" She gives lots of good advice about getting your home ready for the holidays and many pages that help you customize the journal to your celebrations. There are pages to plan menus, budget for gifts, plan any travel you may be doing and just lots of good advice.  Flylady breaks everything down into 15 minute increments so nothing is terribly overwhelming. If you spent only fifteen minutes a day getting ready for Christmas that would be many, many hours (don't ask me how many - I'm a writer not a math person) of prep in a relatively painless way. 

Another great resource is Organized Christmas. This website is an offshoot of Organized Home and the author brings the same common sense to her Christmas prep as she does to her everyday website. There are many free pages to print out and include in your notebook.  Christmas countdown planner pages, week by week checklists, Christmas card pages, cleaning checklists, and many more.  You can even print a cover for a three ring binder.

Once you get the bare bones of your notebook printed out it is time to customize or Catholicize.  Print out a calendar and write in all of the liturgical days you wish to celebrate.  Do yourself a favor and don't try to do it all.  Not everyday will require a big craft or cooking  extravaganza. Sometimes a story or a short explanation of the day is all that you will have time for. That's fine.  It is important not to wear yourself to a frazzle trying to be  "Saint I Can Do Everything Christmas".

For each day that you wish your celebration to be more elaborate make a list of activites you'll do and the supplies you'll need.  Make a note on the calendar for about a week before to make sure you remember what you need. It might even be easier to make all of your lists out and then make one big shopping excursion to pick up everything you need. I would also do the same for any homemade gifts you plan to make.  Make a list of the gifts, make a list of the supplies and then head out for a few hours to get everything all at once.  If necessary trade babysitting with a friend to get out of the house alone and get more accomplished.

Once you've got your lists and celebrations planned you can pretty up your notebook and make it your own. Print out a favorite prayer or devotion and put it right in front. Remember why you are doing all of this work, and it is work.  You are preparing to welcome the Saviour into your home. He is coming to save the world and it is the happiest of occasions. Make each chore a prayer for the world and for your family. For every hour you spend working on your Christmas preparation make it an offering for those who need the salvation Jesus came to give. You can find a way to make each thing you do this season a Act of Hope and that will do more to make this the best Christmas than anything you'll place under the tree.

I hope you enjoy planning your notebook and putting it together. It can be a resource you refer to for years to come so make sure it is something you find pleasant to work with.  Encourage your children to make their own Christmas notebooks.  When they leave home to raise their own families these can become treasured keepsakes and a new family tradition.

If you are feeling really organized why not make a notebook as a gift? If you are a scrapbooker I am sure you could make a beautiful presentation and if you are not there are lots of kits and pretty papers in the stores now that may inspire you.

So, this week's assignment; begin your decluttering and get your notebook together.  Enjoy!