oh, and it ain't even Dec. 1 yet

[arethinn]

I have not been anything even approaching a (Catholic) Christian since I was 11 years old (when I did my own Masses in the back yard -- no, rly), but I still love Advent calendars. Pictures only, no chocolate, even. I've even troubled to make my own on a couple of occasions, I love them that much. My mother, who has similarly not been anything approaching Christian for years, appears to have finally cottoned on to the idea of buying secular ones, rather than ones which have Bible verses and reveal a baby Jesus on Christmas. (Yes, I know how ironic it is to say "secular Advent calendar" and complain about Jesus appearing in something so intimately connected to Christmas.)

Really, I should make a "Solstice Advent" kind of thingy. I mean, it's hard to argue with greenery and presents and warm cookies and candles and fires and eggnog and plum pudding and shiny ornaments and all. Who cares why? Not to belittle anything -- though I've done Solstice vigil on more than one occasion, the idea of Midnight Mass is still very attractive to me. It's that Pagan lust for fancy robes, pompous speechin' and candles, I tellya (not that I would dream of trying to take Communion; that's someone else's sacred mystery, not mine).

'Course, on that logic, there should be eggnog year-round.

...Who's with me?! ;)

Comments

[enotsola]

YAY EGGNOG!

[arethinn]

Says you because I buy you rum or whiskey to put in it. ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I have a Lindt advent calendar and I am an atheist (and was raised such). But I like the singing and the shiny robes! I think a longing for ritual is perfectly rational, you take it where it makes sense for you.

[arethinn]

I've had a longing for ritual since "time immemorial" (in a subjective sense). The joke about doing Mass in the back yard when I was 11 wasn't a joke. I mean, it's humorous in retrospect, and Mother Church wouldn't have approved, but there it was, Camp Fire Girl candy box as altar, stolen candles and all.

I was cool with the multiple-times-daily prayer that was recommended. I am a Virgo, I like discipline and routine. The idea of stopping to pray appeals to me. (Islam doesn't, lol.) I firmly believe that in at least one past life, I was "cloistered religious", i.e., a monk, nun, or equivalent, but at age 11, the number of times a day I was supposed to tell God I was bad kind of got to me.

It was like, hang on, God loves me, but hates me? Even at that age that didn't make sense, not for a supposed supreme being, anyway (the attitudes of other humans are something else again).

Er. Not to turn this into a religious debate. I think all I meant was Ritual (Of Some Type) Is Good (in a general sense) for the Human Psyche.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You'll get no debates from me! I have always found religion fascinating but odd. I read a lot of Christian and some Islamic and Jewish texts when I was younger as a way of understanding more of the world (not enough Eastern religions as yet, ask me not about Shinto for the ignorance is embarrassing ...) and the differences between the text and the performance was always fascinating.

Your 11-year-old self sounds very cool. And very practical!

[silussa.livejournal.com]

stock up on the Borden canned eggnog right after Christmas, when it goes on sale; the shelf life makes it back to the season they make it again. :)

[arcanetrivia]

Stock up on the what now? I have never seen what you appear to be talking about. Eggnog is exclusively a refrigerated product here.

[silussa.livejournal.com]

I suspect you can find cheaper, but as an example of what I'm referring to:

http://www.shopfoodex.com/borden-quart-p-1734.html

[arethinn]

Weird! Never seen it at all that I'm aware of. Maybe it's not something distributed in this part of the US.

[ninth-myth.livejournal.com]

i bought myself saucepans last week and included a milk pan purely on the justification that "i will use it for eggnog". now i needs me a good recipe..

[arethinn]

I have an enamel pan (the only one we own; the others are all aluminum) just for mulled cider/wine and hot chocolate made with chocolate shavings.

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

Wee Hob is definitely with you on the year round eggnog. Though I recently bought a quart and he drank it All At Once. I will leave the effect on his Wee Hobgoblinn metabolism and digentive system to your imagination....

I have been a working Church Musician most of my adult life, and I love this season too. I am not particularly devout (and working on the sidelines means I see a lot of things to make me more cynical than is good for me). But the music and the symbols of the season always reach me. no matter how many inappropriate jokes we're cracking in the wings....

[blueeyesblazing.livejournal.com]

Hate eggnog. I'll just put rum in my coffee, thanks.

As to the Advent wreath, you may actually be able to dredge up some Germanic tradition that relates to it. I don't know though. If I find one, I'll let you know by posting it in my journal. If you find one, I'd be very interested in a link or citation. Thanks.

[arethinn]

Advent *wreath*, which I'm familiar with but isn't what I was talking about here, or *calendar* of the sort that involves opening a little door each day to reveal a picture, bit of text, or chocolate?

[blueeyesblazing.livejournal.com]

Not quite sure what you are saying here.

[arcanetrivia]

I'm asking which of these objects you are talking about, because this post mentioned the latter (calendar), but then you posted a comment about the former (wreath), and I just wondered if you were going off on a tangent, or were confused about what I was talking about in the first place.

[blueeyesblazing.livejournal.com]

Oh! My bad. OK. I was talking about the former, wreath.

[heartssdesire.livejournal.com]

Wow, I never heard of secular advent calendars. I think a Solstice one would be cool. You should do that. Because yeah, when I think about Christmas the consumer holiday I feel all cynical and want to puke, but when I think about the parts of Christmas that feel pagan-ish and just natural for a winter holiday, I really enjoy it. Hot drinks and bringing greenery in the house and candlelight and fire in the fireplace and warm rich food and things like that. And really, Solstice vigil kind of includes midnight mass, the way I celebrate it. I mean not so much with the communion eating-the-body-of-the-god thing, because I do more that sort of thing at Samhain, but the midnight ritual featuring the lighting of candles and singing in the darkest night. That kind of thing.