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…
Tag: Advent & Christmas
Letters from Bidbid
When Colleen first opened her son’s latest letter, she had been ecstatic. It had been six months since he’d been writing from his outpost in Oman. Most of them came from Bidbid. It surprised…
Born in Your Heart: Mary's "Yes" and Why It's Relevant Today
The Christmas Season has been my favorite time of year ever since I can remember. When I was a young child, and even as a teenager, it was mostly a fascination with the presents and…
First Yule: A Lord of the Rings Story
Sam rose late from his afternoon nap to find the smial entirely dark, except as he walked closer to the parlor he saw two candles burning with another set a bit apart. Then as he watched, more…
Those Pretty Little Christmas Songs: A Caroler's Overview
As our Christmas caroling quartet strolls around the upscale shopping center in our Charles Dickens era attire, complete with top hats for the men and capes and muffs for the ladies, the shopping center…
The Perfect Christmas: A Star Trek Story
It all began when Spock was sitting opposite his captain in the recreation room, enjoying a cup of coffee and an evening meal before their scheduled chess game in Kirk’s cabin. It was…
Advent Rosary
Dark Advent is a silent waiting time When autumn chills into pale, year-end days And joy seems smothered by hard-frosting rime: Cold is the debt that spring to winter pays The seasons link to…
And Thy Word Broke Their Swords: The Empowering Depth and Dimension of Christmas
There is more to Christmas than just Christ's birth. It serves as the beginning of epic, and Advent is the prologue whereby we prepare for the first spellbinding chapter. There's a thread running…
On Mermaids and Witches: Fairy Tales and the Gospel
I discovered this one windy December day when a friend called and insisted that I go see the annual Christmas display at Lyndhurst, the historic mansion overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York.…