wilkes

I wanna know why hope is stylin for my heyzuzz?

I have my kitchen tree up! It only has lights on it right now..but it will look so cute when we are done!

I'd like to write a book about it. Mind you, it's not all cheerful and joyous! Advent was originally a time of fasting and penance. A very dark time kind of like Lent, that led up to the season of Christmas. That's why really old songs like "O Come O Come Emmanuel" sound so somber and imploring.


You can find a good overview of the O Anitphons and 12 Days of Christmas on Wikipedia, and hear a lot of the Anitphons sung on Youtube. But a lot of what I've gotten, I've amassed from books for years, and I keep it all in a binder "The BIG Book of Christmas." wherein I've tried to collect as many Christmas traditions as possible, both sacred and secular from all over the world.

You should do an entire thread on this and provide links for folks that would enjoy some good learning about all the days of Christmas!

I have no idea when we will put ours up this year. We are moving, not sure when, so I don't want to put it up here and then have to take it down when we move there. I never had "my own" tree until I had my daughter and I have NO idea how to even begin to start putting it together. Thank the Lord for brothers who do know!

Thanks Sleepie. There's even more to it than that. There are also the Advent Antiphons. One of the earliest Christian traditions counting down to Christmas. It starts 7 days before Christmas Eve, and is a series of prayers or chants calling forth the Messiah, using 7 names for Him listed in the Old Testament prophecies. They are: Sapientia (wisdom), Adonai, Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse), Clavis David (Key of David), Oriens (Star), Rex Gentium (King of Nations), and Emmanuel. They were written about the 4th century AD, and have been sung ever since at Advent. If you look at the letters that the names start with S,A,R,C, O,R,E it is a backward spelling of the Latin ERO CRAS which means "Tomorrow, I am coming." I think this is a beautiful tradition.

EV that's very nice you get all the days in! I like that, thanks for sharing that comment!

Even learned something!

Thanks again and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas or Seasons Greetings whatever is your pref.

Me I like just the simple old fashioned Merry Christmas and really could careless who that offends.

Oops! There was only one circumcision.lol But it is a very important day, and in ancient times was the greater of the Christmas celebrations on New Years.

I have a Halloween tree up now, too, but it's not a Chirstmas tree, it's a gnalred mountain laurel that doesn't have any leaves on it. It's covered with pumpkin and skull lights, skeletons, some "El Dia De Los Muertos" ornaments, and home made felt ornaments that I've done in witches heads, bats, jack o lanterns and ghosts. It'll come down after today.


I leave my Christmas decorations up until after Epiphany, because I observe all the holy days of Christmas...the Nativity, the Circumcision on New Years, the Feast of St Stephen, the circumcision, Day of the Holy Innocents, etc etc. Epiphany truly ends at Candlemas, which is the 2nd of Februrary and the true end of the season, when the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple took place. It's also called Candlemas. But the decorations are usually gone by then, excpet for anything comemorating the Flight to Egypt. Christmas is a serious business in this house. It is the most Sacred time of the year to me.

If you really wanna make a production out of the birthday angle put party hats on crucifixes and Jesus statues spread throughout your house and dashboards. Maybe a little glitter and confetti for good measure.

You oughta see Hope's El Camino dashboard. Hey-Seuss is STYLIN. There's even a crucifix on the trailer hitch.

We put ours up a few days before Christmas and take it down after Twelfth Night. It seems less commercial this way, more old-fashioned.

I normally do my tree a few days after Thanksgiving, depending on my schedule. But I do try to do my outdoor decorating before that. I pick a few days when the weather is warmer & go for it!!

I don't see how it's disrespectful to anyone what's so ever.

I mean really where does this crap stop?

This is twisted. As a kid we did winter solstice. Always told my ex if it went up at Thanksgiving it was coming down before Christmas one way or the other ... even if it required the dogs AND me peeing on it. Cheapens the Holiday IMO.

Peace...thats a great idea. I am putting up a tree in my kitchen this week sometime..so I may have to do the ThanksGiving tree. Im like you, I love to look at it but come that day after Christmas it comes down. Maybe you can make a link and post it so we all can see it.

I dont understand how putting up a tree early is disrespectful for the troops? What about the ones who will be deployed during Christmas? Maybe their family will have it up early in order to celebrate with that loved one. I also dont think it makes Christmas any cheaper. I actually think you get more in the spirit and look forward to spending time with loved ones and friends. Everyone has their thoughts on the matter. We love Christmastime and all it stands for. We celebrate Jesus through out the year but this special time deserves all the attention it can get. So... we start early and enjoy every bit. We also have special trips to the grandparents to help with their trees and have progressive dinners as the holiday approach. So I like to have my home open and ready for all the friends and family that start coming in. Most people like to have dinners etc at my home because its a "homey" feel. So I like my home to be ready and welcoming. My husband looks the other way when this time of year comes. lol....he would put the tree up much later but I love to enjoy it.

We put our tree up before Halloween. We have a beautiful 9-ft tree that takes 2-3 days to decorate, so instead of enjoying it for only a few weeks, we decorate it for Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas. When I first put it up, I put all the lights on it (with it being a 9-ft tree, you don't want to have to restring it).

For Halloween, we plug in the orange and white lights and hang rubber bats, spiders, skeletons, etc., as ornaments. Then we put jack-o-lanterns underneath the tree.

For Thanksgiving, we plug in the white lights and redecorate it with small scarecrows, leaf garland, and small indian corn.

Then after Thanksgiving, we plug in the multi-colored lights and hang our Christmas ornaments.

Because the decorations are changed with each holiday, we don't get tired of it, but come January 1st, I'm ready for the tree to come down. I wouldn't want it up all year around. If I could figure out a way to attach a photo, I would. The Thanksgiving tree is really vey pretty.

I put up 6 trees of varying size so I have to start early in the bedrooms and mediaroom, probably a week or 2 before Thanksgiving, but I won't decorate them until after Thanksgiving. Of the 2 main trees in the main living area, the artificial will go up the weekend after Thanksgiving (light it on Assemble and light it on Friday and decorate it Saturday afternoon and Sudnay.) The live tree for the family ornaments will probably go up the first weekend of December, because that's the first chance we get to go and cut one.


This year will be even more hectic because I'm doing the tree at church, and not sure when they'll want that one up, but it's 12 feet tall, haven't done one of those in a few years.


There are also trees in my shop, 2 to 4 depending on how much merchandise I get to sell, and how much time I have. These will go up a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. Christmas is a busy time, and the decorating just makes it that much busier, but I love it!

The day after Thanksgiving seems early enough. If you want to do it the old fashioned way it looks like it should be done on the Winter solstice.

http://www.christmastreehis....net/pagan