(Silly, but still sincere-ish) Good King Wenceslas Trivia: Christmas Daybook, 2
Merry Christmas, friends!
Every year I find myself at Christmastide torn between the lectionary and my desire to have 12 days of carefree fun. Even as the historical church recommended we take twelve whole days for feasting and celebration, the lectionary remains laser-focused on the reality that Jesus’s arrival disrupted the world's systems. The tension continues to form me, and I hope what I offer you here feels like a gift. In Advent, we pace ourselves with the cues of lament, repentance, and longing of the lectionary. On Christmastide, we lift our candles to every spark of light we find in the daily office readings, even as the Scripture passages still forge a trail between the sorrow and joy both alive in the life of Jesus and his followers. Will you walk this pathway with me for twelve whole days? The restful way of Jesus makes a spacious path that welcomes suffering even as we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
You'd think the celebrating part would be easier than the waiting. Like all other spiritual practices, the celebration comes with comforts and challenges. How do we stay present to the feast without our underdeveloped senses dulling too quickly? How do we keep a soft, pliable grasp on the delights of Christmas rather than trying to pin the legs of the thing down into some worn-out wonder?
I don't know. I've only just begun to ask the question.
Because of Christ's first coming, and in anticipation for his second, our waiting -- good, bad, or ugly -- turns to celebration. Between what we've learned about waiting during Advent and anticipating the feasting of Christmastide, we hope to walk through these days thoughtfully, joyfully, and graciously.
This leads to the Great Festival of Christmastide - a prolonged feasting that lasts twelve days.
The layout of the posts will look familiar; you could call them Advent Daybook lite.
Watch: I find myself ready for a bit less contemplation and a bit more lovely entertainment during feast days, so in place of art and song, I’ve curated a sort of “reverse Advent calendar” of video clips. You could pretend each post is a little digital Christmas gift from me to you.
Read & Pray: I'll include with a bit less fanfare the Scripture reading and prayer to help us stay connected to the daily office lectionary.
Do: At the close of each post, I’ll include a list of 12 ways to savor the 12 Days of Christmas. I’ve created a list you could download and print for your refrigerator if you’d like!
In the spirit of Christmastide’s celebration, I welcome you to walk through the 12 days with attention to feasting and joy.
Merry Christmas, friends,
Tamara
p.s. If you enjoy the Christmastide Daybook series, please invite your friends to subscribe too! The Daybook Meditations provide a beautiful experience to share and talk about together.
My Christmas daybook for these 12 days of celebrating. We'll be spending Christmastide with some favorite short films and video clips. Join me, won't you?
Watch: Silly, but still quite sincere!
Today is the Feast of St. Stephen, or Boxing Day.
From the archives of the retired website, Full Homely Divinity: “This day has the additional title "Boxing Day," and it is a holiday in several countries. There are various explanations for this name, but they all boil down to the idea that this is a day to be generous to those less fortunate than yourself. The day celebrates the first person to give his life for the sake of Christ, St. Stephen, who was also one of the first deacons ordained to serve the poor. Another saint closely associated with this day is St. Wenceslas of Bohemia, whose charity to the poor is remembered in John Mason Neale's wonderful carol. The day after Christmas is perfect to put the fabled "spirit of giving" into practice. Take time today to perform an act of charity. If you make end-of-the-year gifts to charities, write the checks today. Remembering St. Stephen and our Lord's sacrifice will be a good day to give blood if the donation center is open. Charity can take many forms. Whatever form you take, sing or whistle "Good King Wenceslaus" while you are doing it!”
Read: AM Psalm 28, 30; 2 Chronicles 24:17-22; Acts 6:1-7
PM Psalm 118; Wisdom 4:7-15*; Acts 7:59-8:8
*The Apocrypha: What Is It? Why do Anglicans Read It?
Pray: Book of Common Prayer, Collect for Feast of St. Stephen
We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Do: Keep giving.
{An excerpt from my post 12 Ways To Savor the 12 Days of Christmas.}
What I’ve read about Boxing Day sounds like a medieval version of Undercover Boss. Or the servant's ball at Downton Abbey. However, you choose to interpret the meaning of this tradition, find a way to notice those you take for granted, give to those who rarely receive, and serve the servers. If you’re out and about today, take along some small gifts to hand out to the clerks, cashiers, attendants, wait staff, baristas, cab drivers, toll booth operators, and others who work in the service industry of your city.
If nothing else, make eye contact with each person you meet today. Smile and say, "Merry Christmas!"
Bonus Playlists for Christmastide
Christmas Eve (for my Momma): The quirky, sometimes kitschy, a little bit emo, and often melancholy playlist I made when we lived so far away from my parents. We live far away from other people we love, but the playlist's title will remain in honor of those first homesick years.
Ring the Bells: A more traditional playlist (but still highlighting the lesser-known music of the season).
All 12 Days: A playlist for a festive and full Christmastide:
*Sunday Scripture readings are taken from Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Daily Scripture readings are taken from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and include Morning and Evening Psalms (Year 1).