Last night, Bonnie asked me if I was looking forward to singing Christmas carols at church today. My response: Advent starts tomorrow, not Christmas, so we’ll be singing Advent hymns. It also brought up a very sore subject with a lot of clergy which is… [drumroll] the fact that our society starts Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Hate to break it to y’all but… Christmas doesn’t start until December 25th (or if you do Christmas Eve worship, December 24th). We are now in the season of Advent, which is the liturgical time of preparation before Christmas. Therefore, we do NOT start singing Christmas music until the festival of Christmas starts. This festival, by the way, lasts 12 days until January 6th. This means that there are 12 days of celebrations in the church, not just one. Twelve days when it is liturgically appropriate to sing Christmas music. These 12 days do not start until December 24/25, so please do not ask me how the Christmas music at church is. I will likely end up with steam coming out of my ears. 🙂 Getting me started on the pseudo-Christmas music that is piped into most retail establishments will also not serve to endear you to me.
Dave Barry has some words on Christmas music as well. WARNING: You will laugh.
Jen… thank you, thank you, Thank You! It’s so wonderful to hear somebody say what you just said. (I had an upset member of the congregation wondering why we wern’t singing *any* Christmas Carols this morning. I gently went through a similar explanation.
To which they replied, "What about Christmas Sunday?"
"You mean the Sunday following Christmas? Well, we’ll.."
"NO! The Sunday before Christmas. That’s when my family celebrates Christmas, so we’ll be expecting to sing Christmas carols at church that morning."
*sigh*
Thanks for the link. Yes, I did laugh and found myself agreeing with him on many counts. Heard Christmas carols three weeks ago in KMart here.
I grew up in an Anglican church and still pine for at least some recognition of the seasons of the church year. (Actually still crave at times for liturgy, but that’s another story.) Yesterday, we lit the first Advent candle at church. It’s a start. Many had no idea what Advent was.
Jan
Imagine my surprise when I started attending an Anglican church and in December we sang NO christmas songs! I got the explanation from my priest then when I asked. (side note – please don’t be too upset with people when they ask – most of it is just out of ignorance for the great traditions of the church) Anyway, I enjoyed all the great Advent hymns and then enjoyed 12 days of Christmas songs!! (esp. after the big celebration of Christmas ends, etc. which always seemed a bit of a letdown to me growing up, it was nice to keep celebrating Christmas!) There. my 2 cents.
Preach it, Brotha Dave!
I agree with Ellen’s comment on people being ignorant on the traditions of the church… I knew from going to Catholic school that there was something called the season of Advent, but quite honestly, I still don’t know the significance of it. One of my friends made a comment to me the other day when I was running around singing a Christmas song (I think it was God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) and he said to me, "No, the season of Advent is almost upon us, you should be singing an Advent hymn." And I was taken aback…. I didn’t know there was a difference, and he mentioned that O Come O Come Emannuel was an Advent hymn. Just great! I thought it was a Christmas song all this time. Plently of ignorance… I’m just full of it regarding this… So all I can say is this… be patient. So… uh… what are some other Advent hymns?
Can I suggest "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" (Charles Wesley, "Hope is a Star" (Brian Wren), "Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming" (trans. Theodore Baker), "People, Look East" (Eleanor Farjeon), "There’s a Voice in the Wilderness Crying" (James Milligan), "On Jordon’s Bank" (trans. John Chandler), "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending" (John Cennick/C. Wesley), "Herald! Sound the Note of Gladness" (Moir Waters), "Hark the Glad Sound" (Philip Doddridge) and "Hail to God’s Own Anointed" (James Montgomery)
Just a couple. *LOL*
Advent peace – Richard