Happy First Sunday in Advent!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

This was always one of my favorite seasons of the church year when I was a kid.

Today I celebrated it as part of a cathedral choir singing a special Advent evensong with the following anthems:

Rorate Caeli--Palestrina
This is the Truth Sent from Above--Vaughan Williams
Laetentur Caeli--Byrd
Orietur Stella--Jacobus Gallus
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree--traditional
People, Look East--(?)
A Spotless Rose--Howells

It all went well, with no one making any mistakes that the congregation could detect. :-)

[tigereye]

1. I always liked Advent

I enjoyed the Advent wreath and what it represented when I was a kid.

[Alpharetta]

3. they lit the 1st candle in church today

I won't go into details, but it was touching because of who they picked to light it. The minister's wife was saying how nice it was growing up when the advent candles were lit on Sunday dinners at home.

My wife starting writing a private note to me on her bulletin

"Do you want ..."

and I felt a rise of emotion thinking what a great tradition that would be for us and our kids.

"to cook hamburgers on the grill tonight?"

and I nearly laughed out loud.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. We lit the Advent candles every night at dinner when I was a kid

Our Advent wreath came with some paper stars that had appropriate Bible verses on them. Before dinner, one of us kids would read the star for the day and hang it on the rim of the wreath. On Sundays, we would add a verse of "O Come O Come Emmanuel."

We also had Advent calendars. My favorite was a popup village, where all the windows and doors were in places where windows and doors would be in real life, and what was behind the windows and doors was also realistic: a Christmas tree, a woman baking cookies, children sleeping, etc. On Christmas Eve, you opened the church door, and there was a nativity scene.

[tigereye]

6. I still buy Advent calendars for my kid

they are a cool tradition. One I bought at a fair trade store even had chocolates in it!

[tigereye]

5. even though I am no longer a practicing Catholic

I did think about an Advent wreath last year. I miss certain ritual aspects of the holidays and what they represent.

[polmaven]

2. Happy Advent to you as well...

And Happy New Year! This is also the first Sunday in the new church year.

I like Advent as well. The meaning is so full of excitement. The anticipation of waiting for the Incarnation of the Christ, the culmination of the season in Christmas. It is invigorating. Since childhood, I have always liked it.

Lent and Easter is still number one, but this season is a very close second.