The Ballad of Nikolaus
THE BALLAD OF NIKOLAUS By Manuaelmelwie Word count: 317 Rating: G Summary: Dedicated to St. Nicholas A very long time ago In a land very far away All the heat had since departed And winter was…
Latest Blog
“There’ll Be Whales Here!”: Star Trek IV-The Voyage Home-30 Years Later
Star Trek IV-The Voyage Home was the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed of the first six Star Trek movies upon its November 26, 1986 release. It grossed $36,000,000 within the first five…
The Holly Bears a Berry: On the Celtic Spirit at Christmas
Midwinter… Midwinter night. Clear, high air. Stillness and distant sounds echoing around our valley like tin. Crescent moon shines and a chill catches the gaps in my winter clothes, tapping at me like the spindly…
On the Edge of Waiting
Shhh. Come away a moment, my friend. Come away from the lights, and the crowds, and the shops, and the noise, and the pressure, and the worrries, and the old wounds that winter us before…
A Journey of Virtues: Reflections of Advent Ideas in The Lord of the Rings
Quite a lot has been written on the symbolism of the duration of Frodo’s journey from Rivendell to Mount Doom taking place between December 25 and March 25 - dates which in Christian…
The Coming of the King
Come, oh come, oh great and mighty King And relieve us of our suffering Take us to your kingdom up above And surround us in your glorious love Let no evil stand in our way…
Lux Fulgebat Super Nos: a Tolkienian Blessing for Christmas
The adventus Redemptoris is the beginning of the Christian liturgical year, the season of spiritual preparation for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Although it precedes the Nativity, its purpose is to prepare the…
An Ordinary Christmas: Reflections on the Gospel of Luke's Nativity Narrative
One of the things that strikes me most about Luke’s account of the birth of Christ, and events surrounding it, are the ordinary aspects of the story. A poor couple on a road trip.…
Give Me the Words: A Bardic Rhapsody of Winter Feasts
Give me the words, let them form. The stories that course through my mind, weaving like star-light knotted into pitchers, pouring out the Milky Way across the onyx sky. Give me the words that…
Evergreen: The Origins of the Modern Christmas Tree
It is difficult to imagine Christmas without a Christmas tree. It is one of the most vivid and recognisable symbols of this festive time of year. Although the origins of this tradition are very…