Signs and Wonders

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas eve, the tree is all  alight and the presents and waiting. NIck and Anna are checking them out, you know, "just to make sure you haven't forgotten any one mum."

Christmas morn arrives and the children patiently wait for Josh and Chris to get back from Mass before ripping into all those presents.

Josh and Dad open their pressies

Anthony hooks in, don't you love the excitement of small children?

Paddy was a little more sedate but no less excited he was very impressed with his sword and shield

Chris, Nick and Luke

Amiee received a camera, to say that she loves it would be an understatement (hopefully she will now leave mine alone)

Erin opening her parcel

Sonja thinks she knows what her present is but is pleasantly surprised.

Damian wasn't sure what to make of it all.

 

Anna and her puppet theatre

Nick and Luke with new bows

Ready, aim, fire

Lunch is served
 
   

Praying that this Christmas season is full of the hope, the peace and the joy of Christ for each and every one.

 
 

We're Ready

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and we're ready!

 

We are ready to start the St.Andrew Christmas Novena tomorrow

 
The advent wreath is ready

The Advent calender is ready.

Our Advent tree is all dressed up in purple, this tree will come down on Christmas eve and be replaced by a large Christmas tree which will be lovingly decorated with Christmas ornaments 

The Jessi tree is ready and waiting

Immaculate Conception Novena and candle prepared
  

Our advent read aloud waiting and ready to go.

O Come,  O Come, Emmanuel
  
 
  

The Feast of St Nicholas

Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara.

“His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.” .... Read more here

 

Prayer: 

Ant: Nicholas, the friend of God, adorned by a priestly mitre, showed himself loving to all.

V: Pray for us, blessed Nicholas.

R: That we be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayer:
O God, who adorned the blessed Nicholas thy priest with innumerable miracles, grant to us, we beseech, that by his favours and prayers we be freed from the fires of hell. Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, O God, world without end. Amen.

from The Book of Hours, 1524, France
Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, Library of Congress
translated from the original Latin

 

The feast of St Nicholas must be one of our favourites, a day full of family tradition, a day to create memories and a day to draw closer to God. The excitement and suspense starts on December 5th as the "stockings are hung from the chimney with care.

 

 

In the hopes that St Nick would soon be there." In our house St Nicholas always puts in an appearance some time in the wee hours of the morning. For Good girls and boys he leaves chocolate money and a book while naughty children receive straw in their stocking.

 

 

Here's one of our stockings filled with gold coins, the coins are given in imitation of St Nicholas who according to legend saved three sisters from a life of ill repute by providing on three separate occasions bags of gold coins. It is said that the bags of gold were thrown through a window and landed in the girls shoes or stockings having been left by the fire to dry. From this story we get the tradition of leaving shoes or hanging stocking by the chimney.

 

 

 

What St Nicholas day would be complete without the traditional speculatius cookies. We bake these each year decorate them with icing and have them for desert with ice cream, yum. This year we used this recipe and were really happy with the results. Praying that you all had a blessed day.

 

 

A Novel Idea for Advent.

While shopping today I came across this novel idea to count down the days until Christmas, I guess it's an advent calender of sorts. I just couldn't resist buying it, I know this will become a family favorite, something to be looked forward to year after year.

The whole thing opens out to reveal twenty five mini books all with a Christmas theme. The books include stories, poems and carols and the highlight of coarse is revealed on December 25th in the 'Greatest Gift of All" The story of how a little babe brought light to the world on that first Christmas morn.

  Here's a sample of the mini books the larger one on the bottom is to be read on Christmas day appropriately titled "the greatest Gift of All" It is slightly larger then the rest and the cover illustrated to look like a gift which of coarse is exactly what the Christ Child is to us. The illustrations are beautiful and the stories and poems are diverse ranging from classics like "A Christmas Carol" and the "Twelve days of Christmas"  to a Christmas in many lands and stories about Santa Claus. All in all it quite delightful very sweet and a wonderful addition to our Advent traditions.

The First Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of advent and the feast of St. Andrew the day in which we start the following "Christmas Novena" Unlike other novenas which are usually prayed for nine days the St Andrew Christmas novena is prayed from November 30th until Christmas day.  It is piously believed that whoever recites this prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew that is the 30th of November until Christmas day will obtain what is asked for.

HAIL, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin Mary
In a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,O my God
To hear my prayers and grant my desires
(mention request[s] here).

Through the meriys of our Saviour Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother.

Amen.

How are we preparing for advent you might well ask... and we will tell you that we have been busy. It has become a tradition in our home to put an "advent tree" up on the first Sunday of advent. This tree is an imitation Christmas tree that we decorate  in purple the liturgical colour for advent. This year the tree has been placed in our learning area along side our advent book basket and is surrounded by many of our much loved advent reads. On Christmas eve this will be replaced with a real tree and decorated in traditional Christmas fare. I love this tradition the waiting and anticipation builds through out advent and the changing of the tree in our home has become an integral part of heralding in the the birth of the Christ child and a symbol of the passing of one season and beginning of another, "the Babe" is here let the celebrations begin.

In addition to the advent tree our family alter has been prepared, the green cloth of ordinary time has been replaced with the purple of advent and purple candle holders have replaced the clear glass ones that we usually use. 

 

I brought this cute felt advent calendar and were really looking forward to building the stable scene as advent progresses. The children are all vying for a turn, fighting over choosing which figures to place  on the felt back ground when it's their turn. There is one figure for the each day of December up until the 24th.

 The Jesse tree is ready to go last year I  brought this table top tree

and these decorative frames

 

which the children draw the Jesse tree symbols on.

 

Each night we will read the appropriate scripture verse and place the corresponding ornament on the tree.

Advent wouldn't be complete with out an advent wreath, the circle is a symbol of the eternity and the never endingness of God and the evergreen that is traditionally used is a symbol of eternal life. The three purple candles represent the penitential nature of advent while the one rose candle lit on the third Sunday,Gaudete or rejoicing Sunday is a reminder to "rejoice in the Lord always" We have placed a white candle in the middle of the wreath to be lit on Christmas morn it symbolizes the light and purity of the Christ child.

  As you can see we haven't used evergreens on our wreath in past years I have used flowering wattle which makes a beautiful wreath with the gold wattle blossoms and green foliage but unfortunately is rather messy as the wattle blossoms die. This year I opted out of the mess and went for an artificial wreath, not as nice as the real thing but I still think it looks ok.