It must be within a week before Christmas. The House of Bishops/Deputies list-serve is getting testy. It's almost time to fast from it in order to get through the holiday.
But today someone posted an article by Tom Ehrich about 'Giving them what they want,' and his writing made me cranky. So it must be the time of year.
In his article (which I no longer have), he says that we should give people what they want. If they want to sing Christmas carols before Christmas, why not? Why make them suffer through 'dour Advent hymns'? Why force them to go through this season if it is nothing more than tradition? 'Give them what they want.' There is more but that is the gist of his piece.
I found his commentary is as patronising as it claims we are by 'making' people observe Advent. The people at my parish love Advent for its quiet, its simplicity, it being a place to escape from the craziness of Madison Avenue. One of their favourite services is an Advent Lessons and Carols Evensong (which we will do this Saturday because of last Sunday's bad weather).
Maybe it's because we have Sarum blue vestments, we do not turn Advent into a little Lent but rather a time to reflect on the mystery of Christ's birth. Whatever, we like it here. In fact, there is a woman who shows up only for Advent and Lent.
Call me an aardvark (my euphemism for an old fogey) but Advent very much has its place in our season. If they want to sing Christmas carols, they can go to a non-liturgical church.
Grump.
[I always have an Advent blue ribbon on the wreath on the outside of my house, which I get in time for my open house. Sadly the siding has turned yellow and is filthy. I am not going to photoshop it out.]
5 comments:
If anyone is interested, here is a link to Tom Erlich's article.
Years ago Lessons and Carols came after Christmas because singing Christmas carols before his birth was verboten. That rector apparently did some other things to drive people away as he is blamed for everything. I never knew him.
We also have Advent blue. Our choir robes are Sarum blue. We don't sing Christmas before Christmas except at Lessons and Carols which we managed to stuff into a major snowstorm last Sunday.
Doesn't the Bible say Jesus preached something about valuing the law above people? IMO anything religiously rigid is not helpful and reeks of human control. But there are limits to that.
Hearing the same music over and over and over ad nauseum from public speakers from some time in November (or October) until 25 December at which time it curiously all stops makes me less than enthusiastic about singing Christmas carols. Sad.
So, where are you going? That you want to do Christmas throughout December? I couldn't tell.
I won't go far into the comment since I don't want my crankies about this matter to affect things (the bit about putting the law above people) but it's not as though Advent is some new-fangled thing that we're trying to foist on people.
As long as no one else in the congregation is grumbling about not singing Christmas carols in December, we'll keep on doing. And even if someone does, we'll keep on doing (as long as I am there).
I am Taurus -- call me stubborn ;)
Chalk it up to my finding Christmas exceedingly more difficult to deal with each coming year and just wanting it to be all over yesterday.
I prefer Christmas at Christmas partly because I tend to enjoy the anticipation more than the event. And I love the Advent carols. We use the Sunday after Christmas for carols that haven't been sung in L&C or on Christmas eve.
I'm not going to say the churches that celebrate Christmas all month long are wrong. Just not my taste. I also think it is weird to sing about Christ's birth before he is born and forget about it after tho I'm glad to hear something else on Muzak by then.
I'm with you, Caminante. I love the Advent hymns, I love having a retreat from the world's craziness at this time of year, and I LOVE quietly and joyously celebrating Christmas throughout the Twelve Days when the rest of the world has forgotten about the Incarnation. My ex and I exchanged presents on Epiphany and I loved doing my shopping in late December and early January. No piped in bad arrangements of Christmas music and all those sales. Lovely.
I've been having my own case of the crankies, which I've been sharing throughout Advent on my blog.
And I'm totally with you in spewing out Erlich's proposition. If folks want to sing Christmas carols, let them spend Advent in malls and elevators.
For me, the Episcopal liturgy affords the one balm and solace against all the consumerism and contrived jolity of "Christmas in America."
Hold the line, Caminante! "Stop the war on Advent!" as a friend of mine quoth.
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