Gladdest Hours

Advent Traditions: Our "O Antiphon House"

I first learned about the "O Antiphons" about twelve years ago, and was immediately drawn to them.  I was not yet married and life was quite a bit quieter in those days.  I remember lighting a candle in my cute, little apartment and saying the prayers from The Christmas Novena Brochure .   I remember praying for my future husband, wherever he may be, and for maybe......someday....a big family to light many candles during the month of December and join me in anticipation during the dark days of Advent. 

Well, here we are.....twelve years later.  There is "Husband" and there is "Big Family" (by Seattle-standards anyway).    But, Quiet?  Cute?  Little?   Not really words I use anymore to describe my life, but I still have the "O Antiphons!"    From the  Women for Faith and Family website:

On the evening of December 17 the final phase of preparation for Christmas begins with the first of the great "O Antiphons" of Advent. These prayers are seven jewels of liturgical song, one for each day until Christmas Eve. They seem to sum up all our Advent longing for the Savior.

The "O Antiphons" are intoned with special solemnity in monasteries at Vespers, before and after the Magnificat, Mary's prayer of praise and thanksgiving from the Gospel of Luke (2:42-55), which is sung every evening as the climax of this Hour of the Divine Office.

A vestige of the "Great Os" can be seen in verses of the familiar Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel".

Inspired by the Parade of "O Antiphon Houses" the past couple of years, my mom and I worked on this last January when she was here after Christmas.  She did SUCH A BEAUTIFUL job, and we are so excited to use our Antiphon House this year!  

Here are the seven blocks, with the date, the symbol, and the Latin title:

Then, for the House......we spray painted it purple, and put ERO CRAS at the top, as this is my FAVORITE part of the beauty and perfection of the "O Antiphons."

From this article:

"...........the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

The bottom left and right are images from Christmas cards.  On Dec. 17 when we begin the Antiphon House, those nativity images are slightly covered with the blocks and then are gradually revealed as we get closer to Dec. 25, as we pray them and move each block to its designated place:

Here is a close up of one day, with the Antiphon attached to the back:

  

I hope you enjoyed the tour through our new "house" that will appear in a mere nine weeks!  And, it is absolutely worth your time to tour the other O Antiphon Houses that I linked at the beginning of the post.  It's so amazing how others have incorporated these beautiful gems into their Advent traditions!

Merry Christmas

.......From our home to yours in this beautiful season of Our Lord's Birth!  

The Gallus Clan~

Pete, Suzanne, Madeleine, Erika, Dorothy Jo, Caroline, and Baby Jacqueline

~~Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ~~

Because You Can Never Have Too Many Pictures of Little Girls In Matching Ponchos and Hats

A beautiful Mass was celebrated for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord!  We were all able to attend since the pink eye that has been running through the family seemed to be subsiding. 

Looking at the Cradle that was used for "Cradle-Rocking" at the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass:

At the Creche:

Going for a walk after Mass:

A bit of running after Mass, as they suddenly remember that there are DONUTS in the house:

Not exactly keeping up, but trying really hard:

 

"Wait!  Come back!   We have to take a picture with Grama Charlotte!"

My mom and I made these ponchos (4 of them: I have one too, of course.....LOL!) in August 2005, when the girls were 4, 3, and 2. So this is the third year we've worn them.  I just keep making a bigger one for Madeleine when another girl arrives, and they get passed on down the line.  Although, if she calls me FAT one more time, I'm considering discontinuing her family-poncho-wearing-privileges.  I bought some more red fleece yesterday to make yet another one for next year!

Bringing in the New Year

On New Year's Eve, we have a fondue dinner. 

• One pot of cheese fondue for bread and veggies. 
• One pot of fondue bourgignon for meat. 

Let us not forget the beloved sparkling cider that disappears before my very eyes.   This year, I changed from the typical cheese fondue with Gruyere and Emmanthaler to a plain ol' Cheddar fondue.  Everyone prefered it, 'cept me.  Oh well.....someday I'll get my beloved "real" fondue back.  And someday, when little people  acquire a bit of self-control, we'll be daring and branch out into chocolate fondue for dessert. 

After dinner we played Yahtzee and then the girls went to bed.  We proceeded to watch a movie. 

I had a few fondue parties before I got married.  They were SO FUN!   A month after our wedding on New Year's Eve, we had a fondue dinner party, and another the following year with Madeleine as an 8-month-old.  After that, it became strictly a family affair for obvious reasons.  We sit around the "coffee table" in the living room because everyone needs to be close to the pots.  The girls really look forward to it.

Here is part of the spread from last year:

Of course, if you LOSE YOUR FOOD in the fondue pot, a kiss is in order.  There's a lot of kissin' around here:

 

Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve Midnight Mass

We try to attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.  We find a Midnight Mass that is not actually at midnight, but a bit earlier.   This year there was one near us at 10 pm.  It was the parish where we are registered but simply for logistic reasons have not been attending recently.

Instead, we have been attending St. Mark, where the pastor celebrates absolutely beautiful feast day Masses.  Ten to fifteen older alter boys, all dressed as if they were servers in Rome.  Incense galore. Music that is beautiful and very sacred.   Note that this is quite unusual here in the Seattle area, unless, of course, you are at the Cathedral. 

Evidently we have become spoiled, because as we were at the non-St. Mark parish for Midnight Mass, Madeleine (6), who was sitting on the end of the pew, burst into tears during the procession.  I asked what was wrong.  She said, through sobs, "There are only three altar servers!!! And they aren't even dressed right!  Where are the rest?  And, there's no incense.  This is Christmas Eve!  No one cares!  Why did we come here?" Sob. Sob. Cry. Cry.  Good thing we were singing and no one else could hear her.  She was inconsolable.

Even a six-year-old knows that the birth of our Savior is one of the most special days of the year and there is ritual and tradition and beauty that should surround its celebration.  Yes, the church was nicely decorated, and of course, the Sacrifice of the Mass is truly miraculous no matter where or in what environ it is celebrated.   As someone who used to help with decorating, I'm very appreciative of any and all work that goes into decorating a church for Christmas and Easter and all other days of the liturgical year, because it IS lots of work! 

But, it saddened me.  And it also made me grateful that we are able to attend a parish with wonderful Masses, so my children are able to experience true splendor at the most important thing that we do each week.  Today, we went to St. Mark.  Thirteen altar servers.  Incense.  Candles.  Beautiful trees and poinsettias.  Extraordinary music.  A marvelous creche.  And even a life-sized, gorgeous cradle for baby Jesus to re-kindle the medieval German tradition of "Cradle-Rocking" on Christmas Eve.

Of course.  It is the Octave of Christmas. 

Upon arriving home, I pulled up the pictures of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at Assumption Grotto in Detroit, MI (HT: Bridget).  We all sat around the computer and swooned over these few pictures.  No words can even describe this.  It almost makes me want to move to Detroit.  LOL!  Compare that to the nonsense that we've been exposed to over the past 30 years, such as illustrated at the Ugliest Vestment Contest!! 

Diane, the author of Assumption's blog referenced the article in U.S. News and World Report, Return to Ritual, with commentary by Fr. Trugilio. 

It also made me think about these couple of blog entries a while back from Assumption Grotto's blog on the training of Altar Boys:

• Altar Boy Program - Part 1  All Male Program
• Altar Boy Program - Part 2 Masculinity of Discipline and Precision Required
• Altar Boy Program - Part 3  Headed by the Pastor

Bottom line?  As Michelle reminds me, "Pray for the return of reverence to the Sacrifice of the Mass."

On this Feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a shower of love, joy and laughter to fill your homes during the celebration of the birth of Baby Jesus. 

Love,

Pete, Suzanne, Madeleine, Erika, Dorothy Jo and Caroline

Our Weekend in Leavenworth, WA

We made our annual December trek to the Cascade mountains to our favorite Christmas town of Leavenworth.  Four years ago, Pete had to see a customer in a nearby town of Wenatchee on a Friday afternoon, so we devised a plan to go with him and stay overnight to experience a day or two of the infamous town of Leavenworth in December.  Madeleine was 3, Erika was 2 and Dorothy Jo had just turned 1.  I must have been out of my mind.   

It's been an annual trip ever since.  There is snow (usually) for sledding and a sleigh ride, a beautiful Christmas Lighting ceremony, carolers, lots of Christmas music at the gazebo, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, street vendors with roasted chestnuts, bratwurst, and apple cider.    The Church of the Nazarene puts on a wonderful Living Nativity play each year proceded by a lantern parade following the Three Wise Men to the stage.  Pete also appreciates the good, German beer!    This year they had open-mike for the children to sing Christmas songs, and the girls got to do the Chicken Dance FOUR times, led by the Town Crier!   Our three days are packed with fun in the Bavarian tradition!  Oyez!!!

Leavenworth was a very prosperous boom town in the early 1900's with the railroad, the sawmill and agriculture fueling it.  In 1822 the railroad was re-routed and then the great depression hit, leaving Leavenworth with a very bad economy through the war, and in the 50's and 60's.  In the late-sixties, the town decided to adopt a Bavarian theme and remodel their buildings.  Over the next 10 years, the town was transformed, all with private money.  Their gamble and efforts paid off, as it now is a major family destination year-round.  Read more about Leavenworth History here. 

Good Morning America selected Leavenworth as their "Light up the Holidays Special" which was live a couple weeks ago.   The Travel Channel was filming this weekend.  They were at our sleigh ride endroit, and they filmed the kids doing the Chicken Dance.   

What's so wonderful about the celebration at Leavenworth is that they are VERY clear that this is not a HOLIDAY celebration.....it is definitely CHRISTMAS in this town and they are NOT apologetic about it.  There is a pastor leading the 3 blocks of people in prayer each evening before the town lighting ceremony.  Saint Nicholas is a bishop, and the Christmas carols are clearly traditional and Christian.  The focus on the town's activities for the December weekends center around the Living Nativity Play, after which they hand out bibles. 

Here is my first-ever-photo-montage:

Merry Christmas from Leavenworth!

Have a Blessed St. Nicholas Feast Day!

This Dec. 6 is a bit more quiet than last year's celebration, but loads of fun, nonetheless.  We've been reading our collection of St. Nicholas day books, doing read-alouds from The Real Saint Nicholas: Tales of Hope and Generosity from Around the World and singing the St. Nicholas the Saintly song. 

We began making our Speculatius cookies on Sunday, mixing the dough.  We rolled them out on Tuesday, frosted them red on Wednesday (the 5th)  and we'll do the white part today.  We make them look like the cookies in The Baker's Dozen. 

Last night, the girls left their shoes out, and the holy bishop filled them with chocolate gold coins and a couple other little presents.   He also leaves a little letter each year, that gets saved for our family scrapbook.  This year St. Nicholas tried to print that letter on white paper, because he must have been exhausted at 10 pm.  But, one of the other saints, upon arriving back from the gym, said that wasn't acceptable.....it HAD to be on Christmas paper.   (Good grief!) 

We'll have a tea party this afternoon, gorging on our giant cookies and hot chocolate and then do a few St. Nicholas puzzles and have some on-line fun. For dinner we'll have the annual German sausage and roasted potatoes.   But, before that dinner.....we're off to see if #5 is a boy or girl! 

Tonight Pete dresses up as the loving patron saint of children and talks to the girls about how they can be "good."   They will also unwrap Uncle Ivan's gift as we'll need it for a trip later this month!  Thank you, Uncle Ivan!

St. Nicholas, pray for us!

Ordinary Time with Extraordinary Girls

Not accomplished tonight:

• Clean-up Kitchen
• Prep dinner for tomorrow
• Make Bread
• Breakfast Prep
• Coffee set-up
• Put Clutter Basket away
• Vacuum
• Put away laundry
• Christmas stuff away

Apparently there was a change in plans somewhere during the evening, and I'm glad I put aside my normal tendency to be a bedtime-nazi.  Because for the two oldest girls, the night was heavenly and their beaming smiles melted my heart.   

Accomplished:

• Dorothy Jo and Caroline in bed early
• Reading with Madeleine and Erika
• "Big girls" stay up late and help put tree ornaments away and...
• Help mom haul the Christmas tree out of the house
• Big girls sweep and clean in their PJ’s with smiles and pride on their faces while....
• listening to the Nutcracker and....
• talking about how helpful they are now that they are so big and old and...
• relishing in undivided talks and laughter with mommy, who normally doesn’t know which end is up. 
• Eating a late night snack

Sleep tight big little helpers!

"God is the only Master who rewards effort rather than results."    Fr. John Hardon

Waiting For the Kings

Over the frozen plain snow-white

The three kings will come to-night;

We shall know by the kettle-drums

Which way the procession comes.

They have come from very far,

Following fast behind a star,

In their shimmering robes of silk,

Riding horses white as milk.

They have heard of a wondrous thing,

That here is born a little King;

They bring treasures of great worth

To the Treasure of the earth.

~from “Waiting for the Kings” R.L. Gales

A Sense of Togetherness

...that the 3 Kings probably never thought possible.   

(Found today on the couch)

Me: "Whoa!  What's with the 3 Kings?" 

Erika (4): "I didn't want them to lose each other.  That wouldn't be right if they showed up at different times or there was only ONE or TWO Kings.  They HAVE to stay together!  And, mom DON'T take the rubberbands off until Sunday.  We all agreed they should stay on."   

And, we all know that democracy goes a L-O-N-G way in this house.  (Ah-hem!)  But, in this case, I'll happily oblige.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie.

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,

The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth,

The everlasting  Light;

The hopes and fears of all the years,

Are met in thee tonight.

~Visiting the Creche at the Cathedral this morning.

The First Noel at our Home

This is one BORED donkey; Joseph is obviously taking too long with Mary's saddle. 

And, here we have baby Jesus inside one of those furry, soft socks complete with a frog decoration.  Not exactly the "swaddling clothes" to which the angels were referring: 

There have been several other things that PROBABLY didn't happen according to our re-telling. Such as:

Mary (Erika-4) suddenly running quickly out of the scene as soon as the shepherds appear, and 30 seconds later BELLOWS from the other end of the house, "WILL SOMEBODY WIPE MY BUM!!!?" 

Mary (Dorothy Jo-3) falling off the donkey (Madeleine-5) which resulted in a bloody lip.

Balthazar (Dorothy Jo-3) REFUSING to give baby Jesus his gift of myrhh. 

Mary and Joseph telling the donkey (mommy) that Bethlehem was  THAT way, and the donkey explaining that the donkey can't really go that way because THAT way is the WOOD FLOOR! (kinda hard on the knees). 

The Angel (Erika-4) picking her nose while proclaiming the good news to the shepherds. 

The Donkey (Madeleine-5) was accused of "bottom-showing" because her pants were falling down. 

And, of course what kind of Nativity Play would it be in a household with a 10-month-old, if the said-10-month-old didn't start EATING the HAY in the MANGER!  She's so smart.  Nobody needed to TEll HER she was the cow.

Merry Christmas!

"For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

What I have been singing today

(to the melody of Deck the Halls)

Caroline slept eleven hours

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

I got seven hours of uninterru-u-upted sleep

No one else woke during the night

Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la

This is the best Christmas present, I ever could have received this year!

FA-la-la-la-laaaa, la-la-

LAAA

LAAAAAAAAAA!

O Tannenbaum

Ever feel like you're being WATCHED?

Who Can Buy Which Stockings

Our annual "Christmas Stocking Boutique" has officially opened.  The girls set up all current and other random Christmas stockings and "open shop." Madeleine welcomed her first customers and gave us a tour of their her little boutique. 

"These are for little girls who have American Dolls (I wonder if that's a hint?) and these are for daddies who have jobs (as opposed to daddies who DON'T have jobs....they must be in another section). 

And these over here....it doesn't matter how old you are, how tall you are, or how many teeth you have, ANYONE can buy these." 

Yes, Caroline's teeth are becoming more prominent.  I could have also titled this:

"Sibling Play Signifies Baby Development." 

Advent Log

About a month ago, as a result of reading about Rebecca's Advent Log, I wrote my dad a letter asking him to save a birch log for us, thinking he could bring it next summer if he visited.  We only have trees of the 2-foot-diameter-variety around here, so our own trees were out of the question.  Plus, I thought it would be neat to have a log from the woods where I grew up.   

I had always wanted something like this, but hadn't worked out the details.  See?  If you procrastinate long enough with a project, eventually someone else works out the details FOR you!  Let's hear three cheers for procrastination! 

I SORT OF told him what I was going to do with it, but I figured he didn't need all the details....just bring the log halfway across the country, and perhaps I would have an Advent Log for Christmas next year. Well, little did I know....

On Saturday, December 2, the day before the beginning of Advent.  THIS is what we received in the mail:

With 28 holes drilled (22 used this year).  Complete with "feet" attached and COVERS for the feet (not displayed correctly here).  Note: sewing is one of my dad's favorite pastimes.  Last, but not least, a letter full of humor and instructions!

Here it is with candles and evergreen in place: 

Sitting on the hearth of our fireplace:

Talk about "running with a project!" 

My dad always used lots of "Ancient Chinese Proverbs" to make a point/teach a lesson with his offspring. So, here is my Ancient Chinese Proverb for the day: "He who has an Advent-Log-Maker in their family is truly blessed!" 

Thank you, Oh-Wonderful-Father-of-Mine!

Whose books are these, anyway?

I was in need of a serious December-Mommy-Attitude-Adjustment.  I was feeling tired, ungrateful and generally overwhelmed. What's a gal to do?  Slump in a chair and cry?  Hide?  Eat?  Call my mom?  Blog?  Clean? 

No, no, no.  None of those was quite the fix I needed. 

I sat down in a chair and picked up a book....then another.  I proceeded to read a few of my favorite Christmas picture books that I claim to purchase for my children (wink, wink).  Little did I know when I bought them that they also have high attitude-adjustment-capability, as well as being beautiful books for my girls! So, I devoured a few of my favorites....the ones that make me weep:

Christmas Day in the Morning

Annika's Secret Wish

Clown of God

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

Attitude adjusted.  Perspective restored.  Gratitude reigns.

On to the next load of laundry.  On with the meal planning and kitchen clean-up.  On with clearing paths admidst dolls and blocks so we can walk around.  On with diaper changing and baby holding.  On with kissing hurt fingers and wiping bums. On with crowd control and project management. And, just plain onward....

A book which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story.  The good ones last.  A book which is not worth reading at age 50 is not worth reading at age 10.  ~ C.S. Lewis

My Dad's Holly Hat

Everywhere I look this time of year, I see sketches, pictures, cards of HOLLY.  It reminds me of my father's infamous "Holly Hat."  A tan corduroy hat with 2" of fur around the edge with a little piece of fake holly attached to it.  I can see him leaning back in his chair rubbing hand lotion on his hands after bringing in a few loads of wood for the wood-burning stove, wearing his Holly Hat, wool pants and shirt with a dickie underneath, and red suspenders.  He wore this favorite hat all winter for many, many years.  Alas, I believe it burned in our house fire in 1988, so no more Holly Hat.  But it is forever etched into my mind as a fond childhood memory and resurrected every Christmas. 

Uncle Ivan (my brother) is giving the girls one of my favorite Christmas books The Story of Holly and Ivy, by Rumor Godden/Barbara Cooney this year.  I have already read it several times by myself (I haven't wrapped it yet) and of course I cry every time!    

Then there is one of my favorite Christmas poems, now a song:

The Holly and the Ivy

The holly and the ivy,
Now both are full well grown.
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior.

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas day in the morn.

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

~Traditional

Nicholas the Saintly

We had our St. Nicholas Day Party today.  Nine little girls (ages 4-7) and four older brothers who were helping and "in and out."  I love St. Nicholas Day, and have made it a grand celebration in our house for religious reasons as well as cultural ones....Pete's father came to America from Germany in the late 40's as a young man. 

We're all set up and waiting for our guests~

Working on some St.Nicholas puzzles~

Mrs. McGill, my lovely neighbor who is a retired 1st grade teacher, reading The Baker's Dozen and Saint Nicholas to the party attendees~

And, then......knock, knock, knock...

THIS brought the 4 boys in from playing football:

  Nicholas the Saintly wanted to know what we were up to.  So, we told him about this, puzzles and Mrs. McGill's storytime.  We sang this song.  We bowed our heads in prayer and the children asked St. Nicholas to pray for:

• ~a grandfather
• ~elderly people who are alone
• ~children who don't have a mommy or daddy
• ~children learning to read
• ~pop-pop (grandpa) who just passed away
• St. Nicholas, pray for us.

St. Nicholas reminded us to be good, because it's almost Baby Jesus' birthday!

He handed out bags that Madeleine, Erika, Dorothy Jo made, with a few gold coins and other goodies from our saintly friend. 

The girls sleep, while their shoes eagerly await this beloved saint who adores our dear little ones!

We hope you all have a blessed St. Nicholas Day! 

O Saint of love,
            be a guide for us
            in our lives, we pray,
      that we may
            create joy for each other,
            as you have done for so many.

From St. Nikola an der Donau, Austria