In England, (and maybe in this country, in some parts,) “merry” refers to being slightly and good-naturedly drunk. It got me to wondering about the drinking habits of emergent women on this blog. Will we all be having a MERRY Christmas….
I’m curious, so here’s the official question: Do you ladies drink? If so, how often, and how much? Think of it as an informal survey.
Happy Holidays!
or Cheers! as the case may be.
Given the sudden drop off in posting here, I’m assuming that most of you are at least as busy as I am. The expectations of the season always seem to take over no matter how hard we try to simplify. When it reaches midnight and one is still dipping peanut butter balls in chocolate the whole sanity thing comes into question. So I wish everyone blessings in the busyness and pose some fun and easy topics for discussion.
What are you making for Christmas? Share those recipes for those dozens and dozens of cookies you are creating. Share the memories of the food. Share your mishaps and funny stories (click here for my chocolate crap adventure from last year…). I wish I could sit down with all of you over spiced wine and appetizers and chat, but we’ll have to settle for a virtual EW holiday party. So let’s be foodal and get to know each other better over food.
And as a reminder – the book discussion for God’s Politics by Jim Wallis starts on Friday. Even if you haven’t finished it yet, you are welcome to join the conversation.
This message is timeless- enjoy!
(From http://www.carols.org.uk/ring-out-loud-bells-tennyson.htm)
Ring out, wild bells – Christmas Poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Miniature Biography_Alfred, Lord Tennyson _Nationality – English _Lifespan – 1809 – 1892_Father – Reverand George Clayton Tennyson, Clergyman_Educated – Trinity College , Cambridge_Career – Poet and dramatist
copied from this website:http://www.carols.org.uk/ring-out-loud-bells-tennyson.htm
As a companion(ish) post to Jemila’s below – I wanted to bring up the issue of the so-called Christmas wars.
I know there are Christians out there who insist that Christmas can only be about the birth of Christ. They wear “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” buttons, get upset when they hear “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” lament the commercialism, and often deny the existence of the historical pagan roots of the holiday.
In response to that sort of person, there are those who make it their calling to inform everyone of those said pagan roots for Christmas. As in – Jesus is not the reason for the season, some other god of light is. The season is about the solstice and the mass of christ was placed in that season. Many of the solstice celebrations were then apprpriated as Christmas celebrations.
Other Christians refuse to even celebrate Christmas because of those pagan roots. In rejection of all things non-christian they choose not to be conformed to the world of christmas.
And of course all of those are very broad stereotypes I just painted. What are your thoughts? Where do you stand on these issues/ideas? Have your opinions changed over time?
Here is a paragraph I wrote in a recent blog post on decorating our tree -
So for a cultural tradition, we go all the way. The tree, the ornaments, the music, the TV shows (the Sesame Street Gift of the Magi with Bert, Ernie, and Mr. Hooper was on today – I had the record of that – fun memories) … Are we a product of our culture, sure. Do I think it cheapen or takes the meaning out of Christmas? Not at all. I embrace Christmas with all its cultural, pagan, and religious roots. It just adds to the richness of the celebration. To celebrate the return of the light, to give gifts, to tell cultural folk tales, to get to decorate with my favorite colors, to listen to happy music, to see family, to remember the birth of Jesus – it is all meaningful in its own way. So Merry Christmas all.
I have come to apply Augustine’s Egyptian gold principle to most of culture – I like to take what is good, and fun, and meaningful and appropiate and redeem it. There are of course issues with that, but to me it is the most joy affirming. So that’s why I’d like to hear what others think on this whole issue.
It’s the season of waiting…and rushing. It’s the season of opening ourselves…but alot of times we just want to shut down, shut the door, throw our Christmas to-do lists on the winds of December. What does it mean to slow down and savor? What does it mean to serve without becoming enslaved to duties and perceived obligations? How do we get in touch with the poor in our communities, the world — or even our families — in healthy, healing ways? What has worked for you? How have you succeeded (even a little bit) in making this season about the Coming of God into the world, in the form of a flesh and blood baby?”
My friend Anne has alerted me to a virtual Posada that will be taking place this Advent. Here is the explanation of the tradition and how it will be translated to the blogging world that she sent to me:
A Posada is the tradition of taking the figures of Mary and Joseph into homes for a night or two during Advent. As the figures are in a home there may be prayers and reflections as they enter and leave and the figures may be an occasion for devotions shared with friends, family and neighbours while they are in that home. They then move on to the next home that has volunteered to put them up for the night or
two, and so on through Advent.A Posada blog is an idea to do something analogous with blogging. So instead of the actual clay or wood or whatever figures of Mary and Joseph we have a picture. Instead of homes we have blogs. Instead of family prayers we have a blog posting.
So the idea is that on Advent Sunday, I would post a picture of Mary and Joseph and offer some reflections and/or prayers for the occasion as my posting.
The next day someone else would post that same picture [either by posting it anew or by linking back to the 'original' image I posted] and offer their reflections and/or prayers, similarly.
They would also mention who is to post the following time and leave a comment on my blog at my Advent Posada posting to give the address of their posting [this would have to be the permalink, not just the blog address].
Then, hopefully, the next day someone else would
1) post the picture and make some prayerful reflection on their blog, and
2) make a mention of who is due to host the holy couple the following day
3) leave a comment at the previous day’s posting with a link to their
new posting, and so on.What should result is a chain of links as Mary and Joseph virtually
move from blog to blog day by day.
I will be participating in this. If you’re interested as well, leave a comment at Nouslife: Posada blog chain for Advent.
(edited for clarity)
