seven years ago–early in the morning, after a day’s long labor–i became a mother to that smiling girl up there. she was born pink and howling into my hands in the birth pool in the kitchen. during those early days, it was like having a wild animal in the house. she was lovely and fine but there was a hint of danger and the unpredictable. that’s still how it feels sometimes!
to celebrate my girl, and the halfway mark of the keeping Advent series, i’d like to give you a copy of To Dance with God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson. more than any other book this one has helped cast a vision of what celebrating the feasts and fasts of the Church year can mean within our family. and i’d like you to share that same sense of vision too!
but wait there’s more! there will be a runner-up prize too: six holy cards from the Faith Keepers Holy Card set to help you begin to celebrate right away. additionally, both winners will receive the Christmas edition of my zine fieldwork.
to enter please leave a comment telling about your favorite Advent tradition or ask a lingering question you might have about the celebrations i’ve described. i’ll announce the winner on our last day together, October 31. comments will be open between now and then, so pass the word along!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
Thanks for the chance! Let’s see. . . I suppose that I really like drawing Christmas out through the Twelve Days, after all the rushing is over. 🙂 And a question–how do you keep momentum with Advent without feeling worn out?
i, too, love that time between Christmas + Epiphany. it’s like time outside of time. but ah, the momentum! long answer coming (late?) next week…short answer: it’s keeping an eye on the rhythm–in breath + out breath.
Things do go so nicely hear when I keep a watch on the breathing in and out. But, I lose it so easily. I look forward to your long answer.
I try to do a devotional online through advent and on occassion we have made an advent wreath for our table. This year I am contemplating The Jesse Tree. Thanks for the giveaway!
so glad you mentioned The Jesse Tree. it’s the spine of our Advent studies…and i can’t believe i still haven’t written about it. next week i promise!
Oh wonderful 🙂 Looking forward to it!
here’s the link to the Jesse Tree post!
http://www.kortneygarrison.com/2013/10/21/hope-springs-the-jesse-tree/
We light a traditional Advent wreath on Sundays with our own little ritual; St. Andrew’s Novena; a special reading each day (from various books), and we feed the “Christmas goats” each Friday at a local Christmas tree nursery, followed by hot chocolate.
(our Joseph is a St Andrew’s Novena baby.)
Thanks for the Advent cheat sheet Kort! Last year our celebration was pretty minimal. We had a wreath and we’d sing a song, say a prayer and then let Jack blow out the candles. I also incessantly played A Classical Kids Christmas to help create that atmosphere you talked about-it can be a difficult task when it still feels like summer outside…I really shouldn’t complain about our weather 🙂 I’m really looking forward to this year’s celebration since Jack can participate so much more. We plan on making a Jesse Tree and if we have the energy I’d like to have a Twelfth Night Party (Jan 5th, right? She doesn’t specify in the book), a tradition I read about in Celebrating Advent: Family Devotions and Activities for the Christmas Season. They invite family and friends over for a potluck, have a pageant, and then a “service” of undecorating the Jesse Tree, reading Scripture and singing songs as they take off each symbol. I think it will provide a chance to reflect and it will also be nice to get together with close friends who we could not see at Christmas because of their family obligations.
that sounds like such a wonderful celebration, Rachael. we used to celebrate with friends on the Solstice, but Twelfth Night is so much better!
glad to see you in this space : ) give those boys a hug from us.
I have just fallen in love with your blog:-) first day here…sent from study in brown. So much of this series speaks to my heart…that earnest desire to slow down, usher in His Presence through worship and reverence. Can’t thank you enough! With all that said:-) ….the Jesse Tree.
ah, thank you for the kind words, Tonya! study in brown is so good, no? i found tonia by accident, and then we figured out that we had met many moons ago! long story; small world : )
I’d love to get a book… is this still going? congratulations! 🙂 we also love the fasts and feasts of the Church… my favorite is Christmas, we usually pray before the nativity scene and go to midnight mass and sing in the choir… we do the Advent Wreath prayers too… and write the Magi’s initials on the door on Jan 6 after we say a prayer to protect and keep the home during the New Year.
Celina, we picked a winner this morning! i’d love to send you a zine if you’d send me your address…you can fiind my email in the *hello there!* page at the top of the page.