A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

a giant list of ideas for you to celebrate the weeks of Epiphany. Pick one or more to share with friends or family in the coming weeks. (I’ll refer back to them again in my Sunday Daybook posts). In much the way the Magi remind us that Christ was given to all peoples, it’s important to recognize that, for much of the world, the Feast of Epiphany is celebrated with much more fanfare than Christmas Day. This is a great time to learn about their traditions.

Read: Psalm 2, 110:1-7; Joshua 1:1-9; Hebrews 11:32-12:2; John 15:1-16

On the Eve of the Epiphany: Psalm 29, 98; Isaiah 66:18-23; Romans 15:7-13

Pray: “We bless you, Abba, Father, for you have visited your people in one like us in all things but sin, and in human fragility you have revealed the face of divinity. Gather into your arms all the peoples of the world, so that in your embrace we may find blessing, peace, and the fullness of our inheritance as your daughters and sons. Amen.”

— Revised Common Lectionary Prayers

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: I basically refuse to watch Christmas commercials until after the gifts have all been purchased and given. I’m too susceptible to manipulation! So, today I’m sitting back and letting my sentimental side fly free. Want to join in?

1. Christmas Jumper Day - Save the Children, 2022 (here’s an adorable news interview with kids who love the tradition of Christmas Jumper Day)

2. Have Your Elf A Merry Christmas - ASDA Christmas Advert, 2022 (Here’s how they made this fun ad!)

3. Kevin the Carrot - Aldi Christmas Ad, 2022

4. The Christmas Party - Tesco Christmas Advert, 2022 (Here’s the Ireland version, and I’m fascinated by the differences!)

5. Morrison’s Farmer Christmas TV Advert, 2022

6. For Those Who Care, Cairngorm Coffee, 2022

7. One-of-a-kindness, Barbour Christmas Advert, 2022

8. Erste Group Christmas Advert, Vienna, 2022

9. Finding Christmas - Spar Christmas Advert, Ireland 2022

10. The Beginner - John Lewis Christmas Advert, 2022

11. The Tree - BBC One Christmas Ident 2022 (See also: The Pudding and a highlight reel of BBC One’s iconic Christmas idents which, in 2022, is celebrating the adaptation of Charlie Mackesy’s “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”)

Read: Psalm 119:1-24; Psalm 12-14; Isaiah 41:1-16; Ephesians 2:1-10; Mark 1:29-45

Pray: A Litany of Thanksgiving, The Book of Common Prayer (TEC, 1979)

Do:  Send New Year’s greetings or thank-you cards.

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: We’ve only had the smallest of snowfalls where I live so far this winter, so I’m making up for it with today’s curation of cute animals playing in the snow. 1-2-3, say “awwwww!”

1. Henry’s Legacy - Vail Avalanche Rescue Dog

2. Jake - Vail’s Newest Patrol Dog

3. Polar Bear Love - Cute Polar Bear Cubs Lovin’ Up Their Mama

4. Polar Bear Cubs Taking Their First Steps

5. Baby Penguin Tries To Make Friends

6. Giant Pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian In the Snow

7. Snow Day for Giant Panda Cub Xiao Qi Ji

8. The Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

9. Zen Snow Monkeys In A Hot Springs, Japan

10. Adorable Animals Playing in the Snow

Read: Psalm 5-6; Psalm 10-11; Isaiah 40:25-31; Ephesians 1:15-23; Mark 1:14-28

Pray: A Liturgy For the First Snow

Do:  Savor warmth.

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: I have a confession. I have never seen the Nutcracker performed (live or on-screen) or even listened to Tchaikovsky’s score in its entirety. I loved sorting through video clips to share this curation with you today. I’ve arranged the clips loosely in order of the score with a few alternative clips thrown in. Enjoy!

1. Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite “Overture” - Dance Theatre of Harlem, 2020

2. Toys Dance in Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker - The Boston Ballet, 2020 (read more here)

3. The Waltz of the Snowflakes - The Royal Ballet, 2015

4. “Waltz of the Snowflakes” in an empty parking lot at the historic Alameda Naval Air Station in Alameda, California - Post: Ballet, 2020 (read more about this event here)

5. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker - “Dance of the Flowers” - New York City Ballet, 2020

6. Grand Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker - Dance Theatre of Harlem, 2020

7. Misty Copeland and Sterling Baca The Nutcracker Pas de Deux , 2014

8. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - National Opera of Ukraine, 2020

9. Final Waltz - Bolshoi Ballet, 2020 (more about Olga Smirnova leaving Russian Ballet to protest the war with Ukraine)

Read: Psalm 1-4, 7; Isaiah 40:12-23; Ephesians 1:1-14; Mark 1:1-13

Pray: A Prayer For Joy

Do:  I dare you to dance today!

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: I’ve been slow to discover the treasure trove of resources at The Bible Project. Here are 8 brief but substantive videos exploring the scripture and themes of today’s lectionary passages. Come, let us adore Jesus!

1. The Book of Exodus - Part 2

2. Character of God - Exodus 34:6-7

3. Covenants

4. Messiah

5. Psalm 8

6. The Last Will Be First

7. Overview Luke 1-9

8. The Birth of Jesus: Luke 1-2

Read: Exodus 34:1-9; Psalm 8; Romans 1:1-7; Luke 2:15-21 

Pray: Book of Common Prayer (2019), Collect for The Circumcision and Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Do: Take a first day of 2023 hike!

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: Listen to six classic Christmas poems and short stories!

1. T.S. Eliot reads “Journey of the Magi”

2. The Old Shoemaker by Leo Tolstoy (here’s an animated version, introduced by Tolstoy’s daughter, Alexandra)

3. A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (one of my personal favorites; here’s a movie version)

4. The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson

5. The Three Kings by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

6. King John’s Christmas by A.A. Milne

Read: Psalm 20, 21:1-14; Psalm 23, 27; Isaiah 25:1-9; Revelation 1:9-20; John 7:53-8:11

Pray: A Prayer for the Sixth Day of Christmas

Do:  Read or listen to a book, poem, or play out loud.

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: Pour a mug of hot tea and wrap up in a blanket in front of the fire for today’s collection of clips featuring the coldest places on earth and the people who live there!

1. Living on Ice (North Pole)

2. A Very Short Guide to Union Glacier Camp (West Antarctica; longer documentary)

3. Warmest Tent on Earth (Siberian Arctic)

4. One Day In the Coldest Village on Earth (Yakutia, Russia; shorter documentary)

5. Snowiest City in the World (Aomari, Japan)

Read: Psalm 18; Isaiah 12:1-6; Revelation 1:1-8; John 7:37-52

Pray: A Blessing of the Hearthfire

Do:  Follow light like the journeying magi.

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: Enjoy classic Christmas animations by illustrator, animator, and editorial cartoonist R.O. Blechman.

1. Simple Gifts: No Room at the Inn (1977)

2. CBS Christmas Message (1966)

3. CBS Season’s Greetings Ad (1966)

4. Simple Gifts: Introduction by Maurice Sendak (1977)

Read: Psalm 28, 30, 118; 2 Chronicles 24:17-22; Acts 6:1-7; Acts 7:59-8:8 

Pray:  Book of Common Prayer, Collect for the Feast of Holy Innocents

Do:  Bless the children in your family, community, and beyond.

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: Junior Garr & The Spirituals perform reimagined traditional Christmas carols! Originally performed in St. Paul’s Cathedral in 2020, this London-based choir brings exciting and rhythmic re-arrangements that go beyond the season.

1. Joy to the World (We Sing Joy) | The Spirituals Choir

2. Hark the Herald (Sing Out Loud) | The Spirituals Choir

3. O Holy Night (Beautiful Saviour) | The Spirituals ft. Kaye-Marie & Niiella

Read: AM Psalm 97, 98; Proverbs 8:22-30; John 13:20-35
PM Psalm 145; Isaiah 44:1-8; 1 John 5:1-12

Pray:  Book of Common Prayer, Collect for Feast of St. John

Do:  Make mulled wine for St. John’s Day and drink a toast to the love of God and to the saint.

A Christmas Daybook meditation for these twelve days of festive celebration.

Watch: Silly, but still quite sincere!

1. A Phineas & Ferb Family Christmas-Good King Wenceslas

2. Sheldon Singing Good King Wenceslas

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

Pray:  Book of Common Prayer, Collect for Feast of St. Stephen

Do:  Keep giving.