December’s posts this year all share the theme of Mindful Christmas. There’ll be short posts each day encouraging us to pause and look at our celebrations in a more measured, mindful way. Every day has a concept heavily tied in to Christmas, and the plan is to look at them individually, examine what role they play in our own Christmas and, if we decide we … Continue reading Realism and Perfection: Mindful Christmas Day 16
River Cottage has always had a reputation for being ecologically aware, country-based and very proud of local food and customs. I know I’ve enjoyed watching the series, because the situation is about as far away from my modern, suburban house as I can imagine. I’m not a gardener, I don’t keep lifestock and I have every shop I need close at hand. That said, the … Continue reading Book Friday: Christmas at River Cottage by Lucy Brazier
It never ceases to amaze me how many ancient feast days and festivals are echoed in or overwritten by Christian ones. Who am I kidding? The Christian church has always had a habit of looking at local customs and adopting, adapting and advancing the new, improved Christian version (not just the Christian church: all religions new to an area tend to absorb local customs and … Continue reading Merry Mabon to my Pagan Friends and Happy Michaelmas to my Christian Buddies: September Small Things Day 22
On December 19th 1843, a small, slim volume of a book was published. With a red cloth cover, gilt edgings and priced at five shillings, the cost of printing had to be born by Dickens himself. His Publishers, shy after the woeful success (or lack of it) of Martin Chuzzlewit, refused to pay for the printing. Only 6,000 copies were printed in that first run. … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: The Spirits of All Three Shall Live Within Me
It’s one of those magical things about Christmas, that sometimes the things you remember most are not the things you’d expect to remember. I mean, I can remember very few presents that I was given as a child, and very little about what anyone else got, but I can remember memories of particular moments. I remember some of the big films that were on on … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020 : Get Board not Bored.
2020 has been the year of the zoom call or the phone, hasn’t it? From schools to work to hospitals to almost any branch of industry, commerce or business you care to mention we have been stuck on phone calls for ages, it seems. From 1876 and his first command of ‘Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you’, the invention of Alexander Graham … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Reach out to an absent friend.
We’re half way there, and definitely living on a prayer this year. Today it’s Monday, and in my childhood was traditionally the day we were allowed to start thinking of Christmas because my younger brother had the misfortune to be born in December (My three brothers organised life well: Eldest born in October, Second in November, Youngest in December. It was like a ready made … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Take a Bon Jovi Moment.
Gaudete….. great Latin word. It simply means Rejoice, and is the name given to this Sunday because it is the first word of the entrance Antiphon ( an interesting word, which literally means an opposite voice) a bible verse recited in Catholic churches at the start of mass, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” Rejoice means to be glad, to find … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Advent 3 Gaudete Sunday
How to Hygge the British Way 