Partial list of my activities since the end of the term:
1. watched "Miracle on 34th Street"
2. sewed Christmas dresses for two small sisters
3. watched "The Bells of St. Mary's" (second favorite Christmas movie)
4. sang "What Child is This?" in church Christmas program (dreadful experience)
5. met a fellow Distance Learning classmate
6. finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
7. watched "It's a Wonderful Life" (favorite Christmas movie)
8. read "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" by William Blake
9. read Rasselas by Samuel Johnson
10. sewed Christmas potholders (harder than Christmas dresses)
11. joined Mom in dancing the chimney sweep dance from "Mary Poppins"
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Shall We Devote a Whole Month to Christmas?
"All the old wholesome customs in connection
with Christmas were to the effect that one
should not touch or see or know or speak of
something before the actual coming of Christmas
Day. Thus, for instance, children were never
given their presents until the actual coming of the
appointed hour. The presents were kept tied up
in brown-paper parcels, out of which an arm of a
doll or the leg of a donkey sometimes accidentally
stuck. I wish this principle were adopted in respect
of modern Christmas ceremonies and publications.
The editors of the magazines bring out their
Christmas numbers so long before the time that
the reader is more likely to be lamenting for the
turkey of last year than to have seriously settled
down to a solid anticipation of the turkey which
is to come. Christmas numbers of magazines ought
to be tied up in brown paper and kept for Christmas
Day. On consideration, I should favour the editors
being tied up in brown paper. Whether the leg
or arm of an editor should ever be allowed to protrude
I leave to individual choice."
--G.K. Chesterton, All Things Considered
Dear Mr. Chesterton,
Humbly acknowledging the vast superiority of your intellect to mine, I must beg to differ with you here. Why should Christmas be restricted to one day? We look forward with anticipation to the commemoration of the birth of our holy Saviour; why therefore should we repress our celebration? Let us bring out our tree the day after thanksgiving and watch our Christmas movies--the modern equivalent of your Christmas magazines--every other day from now until then. Your own church, Mr. Chesterton, holds an Advent season every year; and if we begin early to pray, may we not also rejoice?
Your devoted reader,
Sarah
with Christmas were to the effect that one
should not touch or see or know or speak of
something before the actual coming of Christmas
Day. Thus, for instance, children were never
given their presents until the actual coming of the
appointed hour. The presents were kept tied up
in brown-paper parcels, out of which an arm of a
doll or the leg of a donkey sometimes accidentally
stuck. I wish this principle were adopted in respect
of modern Christmas ceremonies and publications.
The editors of the magazines bring out their
Christmas numbers so long before the time that
the reader is more likely to be lamenting for the
turkey of last year than to have seriously settled
down to a solid anticipation of the turkey which
is to come. Christmas numbers of magazines ought
to be tied up in brown paper and kept for Christmas
Day. On consideration, I should favour the editors
being tied up in brown paper. Whether the leg
or arm of an editor should ever be allowed to protrude
I leave to individual choice."
--G.K. Chesterton, All Things Considered
Dear Mr. Chesterton,
Humbly acknowledging the vast superiority of your intellect to mine, I must beg to differ with you here. Why should Christmas be restricted to one day? We look forward with anticipation to the commemoration of the birth of our holy Saviour; why therefore should we repress our celebration? Let us bring out our tree the day after thanksgiving and watch our Christmas movies--the modern equivalent of your Christmas magazines--every other day from now until then. Your own church, Mr. Chesterton, holds an Advent season every year; and if we begin early to pray, may we not also rejoice?
Your devoted reader,
Sarah
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