All content available from the Liturgical Press website is protected by copyright and is owned or controlled by Liturgical Press. You may print or download to a local hard disk the e-book content for your personal and non-commercial use only equal to the number of copies purchased. Each reproduction must include the title and full copyright notice as it appears in the content. UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, REPRODUCTION, REPUB- LISHING, UPLOADING, DOWNLOADING, DISTRIBUTION, POSTING, TRANSMITTING OR DUPLICATING ANY OF THE MATERIAL IS PROHIBITED. ISBN: 978-0-8146-3852-1
It s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christ s Mass Marci Alborghetti LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org
Marci Alborghetti is the author of 18 books published internationally. Her most recent titles include The Miracle of the Myrrh and The Christmas Glass. She and her husband, Charlie Duffy, divide their time between New London, Connecticut, and Oakland, California, where they are members of an African American Catholic Church, Saint Columba. She is also a contributor to Daily Guideposts. Cover design by Stefan Killen Design. Cover photo Thinkstock. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2013 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN: 978-0-8146-3852-1
Contents December 1 Of Wreaths and Romans 6 December 2 Living Light 8 December 3 Visions of Sugarplums 10 December 4 Greetings 12 December 5 Meeting at the Manger 14 December 6 Yes, Virginia, There Is... 16 December 7 The Presence in the Presents 18 December 8 Trimming the Tree 20 December 9 Beautiful Baubles 22 December 10 Holy Trumps Hollywood 24 December 11 Sleigh Bells 26 December 12 Vines and Blooms 28 December 13 Lucia and Wenceslas, Light and Heat 30 December 14 Lift Up Your Voice 32 December 15 Jack Frost... and Friends 34 December 16 Everyone Loves a Parade 36 December 17 Peace 38 December 18 Founder of the Feast 40 December 19 Yule Never Believe It 42 December 20 Shepherds and Lambs 44 December 21 Mighty Mistletoe 46 December 22 Charlie Brown Had a Point 48 December 23 Of Fasts and Feasts 50 December 24 Twas the Night Before Christmas 52
December 1 Of Wreaths and Romans It s a bit surprising how many Christmas traditions both secular and religious have origins long before Jesus birth. Druids, pagans, and, perhaps most of all, the Romans, all celebrated midwinter festivals in December, and many had practices that later became associated with Christmas. This idea that pagan cultures contributed to our Christmas traditions can be disconcerting. Until... we realize that it makes perfect sense. Jesus came to end idolatry and to remind us that the One God is so far above the petty creations that people worship including money, food, and other modern idols so as to make them obsolete. Jesus birth revealed that the world exists because of and through the power of Father/Son/Spirit. So it s a divine form of symmetry that ancient customs and festivals were subsumed into the celebration of Christ s birth. Early Christian leaders probably saw the perfect opportunity to demonstrate this when they settled upon December 25, a date marked by Romans as the one sober day after a week of wild revel called Saturnalia, as the official Christmas. For Romans, December 25 was a solemn day to recognize 6
December 1 7 the birthday of the unconquerable sun. Eventually, the Roman birthday of the unconquerable sun became the birthday of the true Unconquerable Son, the day we celebrate Christ s Mass. Today, an early sign of Christmas-coming is an evergreen wreath. This dates back to the Roman Saturnalia, held from December 17 to December 23. During this time of incredible excess, Romans wore wreaths on their heads to symbolize a time of plenty and their tendency to be generous during the festival. Wreaths were also exchanged as good-luck gifts. In the same manner of goodwill, we hang wreaths as a sign that we participate in the joy and hospitality that anticipates Jesus coming. And yes, some wreaths have blossomed beyond the traditional Roman wreath of greens, but whether the wreath is made of evergreens or silly putty, it all means the same: Welcome! Wait with us! Something wondrous is about to happen! PRAY: Jesus, as I hang my wreath I give thanks for the way in which your birth renewed the world and made all good things possible.