Yuletide

Ok, ok, I know....it's not even Thanksgiving! I'm truly not trying to rush through the holidays. In fact, Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. However, if I waited even a couple more weeks, you might think it too late to try to get a copy of a book I received yesterday, Christmas Spirit by George Grant and Gregory Wilbur.

This book addresses so much more about Christmas than most of us have experienced. Yuletide actually encompasses Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. The authors explain..
"The holiday season--what we generally just call Christmastime--is actually a long sequence of holy days, festal revelries, and liturgical rites that are collectively known as Yuletide. Beginning with Advent, a time of preparation and repentance, proceeding to Christmas, a time of celebration and generosity, and concluding with Epiphany, and time of remembrance and thanksgiving, Yuletide traditions enable us to see out the old year with faith and love while ushering in the new year with hope and joy. It is a season fraught with meaning and significance. Unfortunately, it is also such a busy season that its meaning and significance can all too easily be obscured either by well-intended materialistic pursuits--frenzied shopping trips to the mall to find just the right Christmas gift--or by the less benign demands, desires, wants, and needs that are little more than grist for human greed. The traditions of Yuletide were intended to guard us against such things--and thus, are actually more relevant today than ever before."
I'm excited to learn more about Yuletide and begin celebrating the Christmas season in a much deeper way. So, I'll be devouring this little book for ideas and see what I can begin using this year. I'm sure it will be a process, but I'm amazed I have never understood all that "Christmastime" encompasses.

One new idea we'll be trying this year, which I haven't noticed mentioned in this book, yet, is "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Our friends, the Allisons, did this with their family last year and really enjoyed it. Instead of giving all the gifts on Christmas Day, you would give the larger gift on Christmas and then a gift each day for the next eleven days. These gifts don't have to be expensive! The idea is to enjoy celebrating the Season on a deeper level and remembering it doesn't just end on Christmas Day.

I was reminded by my sweet friend, Linda, that Amazon sells this book in paperback for less than $9.00. Currently, they are out of stock of the hardback,though, which I was able to buy through a used bookseller for $3.49 total, including shipping. It's like new, too! If you're looking for a used copy, www.bookfinder.com is a great way to see all of your options.

Love,
Queen Mom