:: St. Stephen's Musings ::

:: Friday, November 28, 2003 ::

Preparing for the Nativity

I hope all you had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! I will be up at the monastery of St. John the Baptist in Goldendale for part of the weekend and won't be posting again until next week.

As part of an attempt to really seize the Nativity season the wife are starting some new traditions in our family, as well as more fully dedicating ourselves to the more familiar ones (confession, prayer, almsgiving, and fasting).

One new custom is taking turns reading aloud to one another from either St. Athanasius' "On the Incarnation" or Fr. Thomas Hopko's "The Winter Pascha."

We will also spend time each evening participating in the custom of the Jesse Tree. (I highly recommend this one to families with young children).

Here is my question to you dear reader: Other than the typical Christian disciplines of fasting, increased prayer, and almsgiving, what are some ways you and your family are preparing for the Feast?

:: Karl :: 11:06:00 AM [Link] ::