Christmastide

 

 

The birthday cake for Jesus--something our extended family has done for years.

I think W thought it might have been for him..

I hope all of you had a beautiful Christmas Day with your family and loved ones! What a wonderful day it was for us, too.

It is this time of year that I feel thankful to be discovering the fullness of the Christmas Season-- not just one day, Dec. 25th, but an entire 12 days leading up until Epiphany, January 6th. (Also the day of our Epiphany pageant at church! Can't wait!) This is so much better, for me especially, than one day being over and done with and feeling the post Christmas let down kick in. Just as the hopeful and quietly expectant mood of Advent has been discarded in large segments of Christianity, so too has the feasting and joy during the full Christmas season. In church this past week, we have still sung carols, the decorations remain and by last year at this time I discovered that by the end of Christmastide, I was ready to move along. There was no more letdown. Our tree and all decorations will come down the night of January 6th while W is asleep. In its place, in the morning, he will find a new and beautiful houseplant to enjoy throughout the year...with a green ribbon affixed, the color for Epiphany. All other greenery is removed from our home before Feb. 2nd, Candlemas, the first official Spring festival of the year! I like to do this the eve of Candlemas, as it makes it seem all that more real for me.

It's very easy for me to get caught up in moments; to look forward to something so much, to be standing in that moment and breathing it in, thinking, "ahhhh! This is the time! This is it!" This is the second year that I have served as an acolyte during our church's Christmas Eve service. This year, I was the crucifer; the acolyte who leads the service in the procession, holding a huge, tall, gold, ornate cross. The high altar was decorated so beautifully with pointsetais and the music was loud, mighty and beautiful! This was Christmas Eve! The cross is affixed on top of a 4 foot long wooden rod and feels very heavy for me. I had vivid dreams of dropping it, it falling over, or something else terrible happening. Fast forward to about 45 minutes into the service, where the other acolytes and I sit up at the high altar, pretty much in front of everyone. The cross, which was sitting in its appropriate place, latched with a hook....and seemingly all of a sudden fell over, crashed, and nearly broke. Envision 100 people or so gasping at the same time at this loud noise....and then watching it being picked up, all mangled and bent. Oh man. I felt like all eyes were on me. How did this happen? AHHH!

Turns out, the cross was in its right place--it just so happened that on this day, at that hour, in that very moment, the wood snapped. Wow. As I walked back outside into the dark evening, snow was falling. The night was quiet. There is always a real hush I experience on Christmas Eve night. The night seems endless...and I always wonder what every single other person in the world is doing at this very moment. I think the same thing a few moments before midnight on New Years Eve. What I do know is that I am here. I am looking up at the sky...I am laying in bed with my husband and Wesley, and we are all holding hands. It is warm. It's a nice feeling, especially when bed time has been an insane and sometimes really terrible experience for us these past few weeks.

This is my life. For all the wonderful and not so wonderful times. For everything that is fair and unfair. For where I come from, who I am, and what I have become.

Embracing the light...and our time.

 

chalk drawing by Sunday School parent, Lauren Kindle

Santa Lucia
Christmas foretelling,
Fill hearts with hope and cheer,
Dark fears dispelling.
Bring to the world again,
Peace and good will to men.
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!

This week during Sunday school, we remembered St. Lucia, the lady of light! While I chose to leave this day out for our young nursery playgarden children, I was very excited to bring this to our school age sunday schoolers. For the little child, Advent is filled with wonder throughout--adding yet another festival day just seemed like too much. They're still reeling from our St. Nicholas day and the anticipation of Christmas, of course. Less is more, truly!! I searched for a story which wasn't quite so gruesome as the actual events of her life and was very pleased when I found this one from the lovely blog Chocolate Fishies....I recommend this story for the older kindergartener, grade 1, and grade 2 :)

our own St. Lucia on Sunday

 On a cold and dark morning a girl went out to milk the family cow. She looked at the straw on the ground and she saw little snowflakes. It was a frosty, cold morning in December. The little girl greeted her cow and began to fill her pail with milk. She would take a break and blow on her hands to warm them up. When the pail was full, she heard her mother calling her, "Lucia! Breakfast is ready!" The father and mother had named her Lucia, meaning "Light," because when she was born, they looked out at the night sky and were amazed at how bright it was outside. The moon was full, but the parents thought that Lucia entering the world had brought the light to the sky.

Lucia thanked the cow for her milk and slowly walked towards the house with the full pail. She tried not to spill any milk on her dress. Her dresses often smelled of old milk. The night sky had disappeared & only the last star was left in the sky. The sun would be up soon to melt all the snowflakes she had seen.

While Lucia was eating breakfast with her parents, her father was telling her that her uncle had disappeared. Her father's brother was Lucia's favorite and only uncle. Her father told her that he had a guess where he might be & he was going to look for him that evening. Lucia begged to go with him, but her father said it would be too dangerous for her and she was to stay at home with her mother. Her father told her that many people were not too happy with Christians lately. He told her how some people did not think that Christians should not be able to live well.

Lucia could not stop thinking about the conversation she had had with her father while she was doing her morning chores. That night, after dinner, her father left the house. Lucia decided to follow him, because she wanted to know what had happened to her uncle. She followed her father for what seemed like eternity. He was obviously looking for something, but it appeared as if he could not find it. Finally her father went behind a large rock. Lucia ran up and slipped behind the rock as well. In front of her was a dirt path that led into a cave. She was scared, but she had come this far and she was determined to see her uncle. It was hard to see in the darkness, but slowly her eyes adjusted. She looked around the dark room. The floor was full of men and women. Some were sleeping, others were talking, still others were singing. Suddenly there, before her, were her father and uncle. She embraced them. Her father was surprised to see his daughter, but he did not scold her. The people in the cave were hungry. They asked for food. She remembered her own dinner. She didn't have any food to give them, but reassured them that she would bring them something to eat. Her uncle told her & her father that he would not leave his friends. He would remain in the cave until everyone was safe. He told Lucia and her father that they should join them in the cave along with mother because they were Christians as well.

That night, when Lucia and her father walked home, Lucia was telling him all her ideas for bringing back food for the people in the cave and her father wondered how much longer they would be safe inside their own home.

The next day Lucia and her mother cooked and baked all day long. At night they had plenty of food to bring to the people hiding underground. Lucia had armfuls of baked sweet bread to carry. It was a dark walk. Her mother put a ring of candles on her head, so they would light the way to the cave. When the people inside the cave saw Lucia walk in with food in her hands and candles on her head, they thought she was an angel. They were so grateful to the visitor who brought them light in the darkness and food to nourish their bodies.

 

We held our Advent Spiral Garden this past weekend in the beautiful 200 year old chapel in our church. Most of our playgarden families attended as well as friends, family, and parishioners. 

Depicted above are our 2 nursery employees at church helping me with some of the preparations:) They spent nearly 2.5 hours cutting gold stars and affixing candles into apples. Well done, ladies!

 

There are no photos to share from the festival itself....a camera isn't welcome during this reverent time...although there are a few images I will never forget from the evening. Watching the children find their way through the spiral; lighting their candles, picking just the right gold star to place it upon. A friend played beautiful lyre and provided some voice accompaniment, too, which was just lovely. 

Mother Mary, gently walking 

through the stars she makes her way:

"Wondrous stars so brightly shining,

greet my child on Christmas Day"

(lyrics from one of the Advent Spiral songs, from the Wynstones Winter collection)

 

The 2nd Week of Advent

 

Lastly, I spent the morning in our local Waldorf School Kindergarten as an observer and guest puppeteer. I sat all morning sewing and listening to the play of the children. Christmas was buzzing throughout the room....conversations about different religions, how high the heavens are, Hannnukah...just to name a few. I observed a nativity "puppet show" which lasted about 30 minutes. Before the "show began" (and they had worked so very hard to seat all of their friends!) two of the girls whispered to each other as they stood in front of their audience. "Please turn off all cell phones and no flash photography." I am not joking, every single child pulled out their "phones", gestured as if pushing buttons, and put them back into their pockets. 

This is the time we live in, my friends, and this is the time in which our children have chosen to come live. We must put aside any opinions or judgements and embrace it as good, true, and right.....this is most what a young child needs their caregivers, parents, and teachers to believe!

December.

 

Advent 1, the mineral world

 

Our descending Advent "calendar"...a wool angel moves down 1 star each day....

Our Advent verse at candle lighting...

Winter is dark,

but each tiny spark

brightens the way to Christmas Day..

Shine, little light, and show us the way,

to the bright light of Christmas Day. 

 

This week was full of festivities....Advent 1 (which is not mentioned verbally...more of a feeling of anticipation as we light a new candle each week and as our wool angel descends...), St. Nicholas, and a 5th birthday:)

Festival Days are so exciting and wonderful, but simplicity must reign. Over doing it for a group of little children usually brings about chaos. I like to stick as close as I can to our usual rhythmic day, adding in little details...such as, our golden tablecloth that only comes out on festival days.It doesn't sound like much to our adult minds, but it is surely enough! I start by ironing it out in the morning....and it becomes many different things along the way... ( such as a house, a dog space, etc.)

 A tale of St. Nicholas was told during our usual storytime...

(follow the link and scroll down to the 3rd story)

He also may have visited us during our rest time to fill our boots and shoes with treasures... :)

 

Friday we celebrated a 5th birthday with a homemade cake with whipped cream frosting! (recipe from Shariffa Oppenheimer's "Heaven on Earth book)

The birthday story was told during our usual storytime and I choked up half way through it. I had a moment where I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish. I seriously had to take a hopefully unnoticeable deep breath to keep going. This child has been with us since he was a bit older than 3.5. He is very dear to me and I have seen him grow so much. Just believeing that this child is here for so many reasons, that he has selected his parents and family for all the best reasons.....thinking of the day he was first welcomed into their arms in this physical world...it is all so huge to me.

 

A birthday cake is always a crowd pleaser:) I substitute all sugars for maple syrup and it tastes just as good, even better.

 

We're soaking up all of the goodness of this holiday season together. It's hard to pick and chose what to do and what to stay home from when it comes to festivities. In the end, simplicity needs to rule here in our house. We all need the quiet. That's what Advent is mostly about...

 

 

An armor of light..

This past weekend, we celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas at our Episcopal church where I currently serve as director of religious education...what a lucky girl I am to have such a job. It's been a little bit over a year since I started this position. It has had its ups and downs, but in the end, I really, really enjoy it. Especially this time of year....

 

This year, I am also teaching Sunday school for our elementary and kindergarten aged students. We use the Montessori inspired curriculum Godly Play, which is deeply rooted in story telling, beauty and wondering. I really love caring for my own classroom; arriving early to prepare the space and bringing light in any way that I can.

 

 

"Today St. Nicholas is in the heavens. Every year on his birthday he starts on his journey down to the earth. He asks for his white horse and journeys from star to star. There he meets Mother Mary, who gathers silver and golden threads for the shift of the Christ Child. Mother Mary says to him: "Dear St. Nicholas please go again to the children and bring them your gifts. Tell them, 'Christmas is nigh and soon the Christ Child will come.'"

 

 

classroom artwork by Sunday school parent, Lauren Kindle

This past Sunday, I told The Story of St. Nicholas of Myra ....while there are so many stories, I chose the version by Margaret Meyerkort (find the text online here) noted contributor of the Wynnstone series and other wonderful work.

While I am now accoustomed to working with the nursery aged group at this time, this was something different for me. The story I have been telling for the nursery aged playgarden children is much more simple and full of nothing but goodness:) Truly, what needs to come across most for this age group is the world is good!

 

Our Sunday school children received prayer cards, bookmarks, golden coins, honey sticks, and a walnut shell beeswax candle in their shoes.  (I finally figured out a great way to crack the walnut shells in half without ruining them! I'll share during my next post..)

 

They also got a surprise visit from St. Nicholas during church time!

 

W was enthralled. He just stood there the entire time looking at St. Nicholas in total awe and wonder. How larger than life he must have appeared. 

More St. Nicholas to follow this Thursday. 

Almighty God, give  us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness

and put upon us an armor of light...

(Book of Common Prayer)

Martinmas

Oh! Look at our lanterns,

They cheerily shine,

Come follow their bright golden ray.... 

 

The sunlight is dwindling so quickly here...

This is the time when our inner light must prevail in the darkness!

excerpt from a parent email I wrote earlier this week:

So, what about St. Martin? St. Martin was a soldier in Rome in the 4th century. Legend says that one wintry night he met a poor beggar, half-naked and freezing. Martin removed the heavy military cloak from his shoulders and, drawing his sword, cut it in two, and gave half to the beggar. That night, Christ appeared to Martin in a dream, wrapped in the same piece of cloak Martin had given the beggar, and said: “Martin has covered me with this garment.” Martin became the patron saint of beggars, drunks and outcasts, dedicating his life to assisting the unfortunate and downcast.

This sounds like a lot to talk about with 3 and 4 year olds!  As Waldorf early childhood educators, we simply wait for the right time. Most teachers find that these details come a bit later, such as kindergarten or the grades. Nursery children bask in the dreamy wonder of this light filled festival; they take it for what it means to them. Very few, if any, words are needed. Upon the festivals conclusion, we ask that you try to hold this mood for the ride home! 

While I love the story of St. Martin, I do feel that elements of the story are not for nursery aged children. Instead, we speak of our special light; the light in our hearts. We talk about how it is dark and cold outside, but we will not be cold or in the dark!

Our story the past 3 weeks has been a tale of a little child who notices the changes in his/her world....the chill in the air, the leaves falling, the need for warmer clothing. We speak of the animals getting ready for a long, warm sleep. 

I'd like to post a video presentation of this story tomorrow, so check back to see if I've managed to figure it out!

We're crafting our lanterns this week for our lantern walk this Saturday at dusk. Festival crafting with young children is so much more than a finished product. I lay out all of the materials in an inviting way during our free play. I then sit down at the table and begin slowly crafting. The children are free to play and no announcement is made to call them to the table. While not all children will chose to leave their play to join, they still experience what we are doing. They experience that something is being made; our gesture, our feeling.

We experience festival crafting over the course of one week together. The children see how it takes time to create something. They might also notice how some children are participarting and talking about it, and this draws them, as well.

Off we will go into the darkness to shine our little lights!

(End of) May Day

 

This Friday marked our May Day celebration here with the Playgarden children...

Yes, we're a bit late, considering May is nearly over, but we were still excited and ready for this merry day in May!!

 

Each family brought flowers from home to weave into our braided raffia crowns...

We also strung bells onto pieces of yarn to create simple bracelets and necklaces.

 

 

The girls were so excited to wear their most favorite dresses for the occasion:)

 

Ok, yes that is me wielding a sledgehammer as the children look on in anticipation:)

 

We carried our Maypole, sledgehammer, and a large wooden stake down to the park together...

What a sight!

 

What a wonderful day. 

We kept it simple; not too many guests, not too many changes to our usual day together,

but it still ends in a few meltdowns and a very long nap.

So it goes!

Tomorrow is Whitsunday (Pentecost) and I have many preparations to finish for church tomorrow.

Details later:)