24 days till Christmas

24 days till Christmas
December 1st
Movie of the day: Home for the Holidays
My family watches this one every year, usually around Thanksgiving. We liked to quote it quite a bit, “Par, par, bogey, bogey, par, par son” and “Do you ever look around and wonder: Who are these people?”

Christmas Carol of the day:
Angels we have heard on high
http://www.christmas-carol-music.org/Lead_Sheets/AngelsWeHaveHeard.html
This song is dear to my heart. When I was very small my mother would take me to the Christmas Eve service at church, the one where we each got a candle. Mom would stand me up on the pew when we sang hymns so I could see. Near the end of the song when we sang Gloria I loved to draw out the O and move my jaw back and forth on each beat. I delighted on making my mother laugh. We thought it was such fun!

Christmas Trivia
(brought to you by howstuffworks.com)
What is an Advent Wreath?
The season of Advent is the beginning of the church year for Christians. It starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve. Meaning "arrival," Advent is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and his eventual return.
Many families celebrate this holy season by lighting an Advent wreath. A circular evergreen wreath is laid flat and adorned with four candles around the wreath and one in the center. It is very symbolic of:
The circular shape of the wreath epitomizes God himself, his endless mercy, and eternity, which has no beginning or end.
The green pine boughs signify hope in God and eternal life.
Candles reflect the light of Jesus coming into the world.
The four purple candles around the wreath stand for the four Sundays of Advent and for the four centuries between the time the prophet Malachi predicted the coming of the Messiah and the actual birth of Jesus. One purple candle is lit for each Sunday in Advent, with one candle lit on the first Sunday, two on the second Sunday, and so on, until all four candles are lit on the fourth Sunday. The white center candle symbolizes Christmas Day and is lit on that day.
http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/games/christmas-trivia1.htm

I remember being so excited when I was chosen to help light the advent candles in church in elementary school. You get to stand in front of the whole church with a few other people as they would read a quote from scripture. Someone would light your candle and you would pass the flame on to the next person. The one at the end of the line would get to light the candle of one of the weeks previously lit then we would take turns lighting until we got to today's candle. It always felt special. I remember having a mini advent wreath at home, we would light it for dinner as a center piece.