The Tree is Up #3 -- December 17, 2012

We got the tree up on Saturday but it took me till tonight to get the train set up.  The pink candle got lit at mass yesterday. 

I took the day off today and did some Christmas shopping, including buying a new stove.  Ours stopped working on Sunday. 

The Tree is Up #2 -- December 10, 2011

We put up our Christmas tree today.  The whole process went quickly, but I miss going out and cutting down a tree.  It was very cold today.  We went to mass and someone had lit the wrong candles in the Advent wreath.  The pink candle finally got lit.  We went to Goodfella's for a pizza.

Roman Missal -- November 26, 2011

If any of your Roman Catholic friends seem confused this weekend, it may be because, with the first Sunday of Advent, we started using the newly revised Roman Missal.  The long responses were easy, but when the priest said "The Lord be with you," I kept saying "And also with you" instead of  "And with your spirit."  The changes are meant to bring the responses closer to the Vulgate.

We went downtown.  The Emporium dome had all the windows blocked so they could show projections.  The animals in the windows at Macy's were cute.

Book - Little Blue Book of Advent and Christmas -- January 12, 2010

I just finished with the Little Blue Book of Advent and Christmas, which is published by the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan. I had previously read The Little Black Book of Lent.

There is a pair of facing pages for each day from the first Sunday of Advent to the Feast of the Advent of the Lord. The right-hand page has a quote from the day's Gospel and a commentary. The left-hand page has some additional things to think about. On Sundays, it omits the Gospel and has a longer reflection. The book encourages people to spend six minutes each day reading and thinking. I started reading it on the bus home and finished it on BART. I enjoyed it.

The book has a plain blue cover so people won't have to feel self conscious about reading it anywhere. There is going to be another black book for Lent and a white book for the Easter season.

Catherine Havens is the editor, and much of the commentary comes from the writings of the late Bishop Ken Untener.

http://www.littlebooks.org/