Advent

A Disclaimer If you introduce the short aria “This Is My Box” from Amahl and the Night Visitors into your children’s lives (yours too, for that matter), the following may result: Disruption of otherwise normal moments by hilarious interjections of “This is my box” or … Read more

Blink. The electricity goes off and we fall into a tizzy. Kids fret over the loss of the Internet, mom worries about the food in the freezer, and someone voices the concern: “How are we gonna charge our phones?” The calmest adult will start looking … Read more

Let’s start with a bit of music, a Noël written by an early 18th-century French composer Louis-Claude Daquin.  Is this what you were expecting to hear? Likely not! The word noël leads most of us to expect voices singing something similar to a familiar … Read more

Have you ever said: “I wish December could be less frantic?” Well, this December will be less frantic—in ways no one would have wished. It’s Advent Lockdown. Depending on where you live, Advent Lockdown could mean specific disappointments like a beloved theatrical performance that will … Read more

Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent 2020. In a year where few things have been normal, the arrival of Advent offers a reassuring manifestation of normalcy and comfort. For those who celebrate Christmas within a liturgical framework, Advent is significant. The Western Christian … Read more

If your Advent wreath has the traditional set of three purple candles plus one rose, then light that rose candle today! We’ve arrived at the third Sunday of Advent. Whoosh, that went quickly, yes? Advent’s third Sunday, known as Rejoicing Sunday, occurs between December 11th … Read more

We’ve featured the Moravian Star more than once in the course of the calendar. I find them irresistible. Last year I reported the excitement of buying a new star to replace the tattered one I’d had since the 1980s. The prospect of getting a new … Read more