Twelfth Night

Today is Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night is the evening before the Epiphany. In the older days, Twelfth Night was a festival of reveling and merrymaking.
Many different kinds of pastries, sweets, breads, and drinks were made only at this time. One notable drink, the punch called wassail, a hot, spiced, and usually alcoholic drink, is served on this night. Special cakes, the king cake and the tortell, are baked on this night, to be eaten the next day on the Epiphany.

The king cake is a cake with a small trinket baked inside it. Whichever person gets the piece of cake with the trinket receives various privileges and obligations. Oftentimes, the receiver of the trinket is proclaimed king or queen for the night. The tortell is basically the same.

Today is the last day we receive a gift in the Twelve Days of Christmas. This Twelfth Day of Christmas, we are given Twelve Drummers Drumming. The Twelve Drummers represent the Twelve Points of Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed. These are the twelve points, in sequence:

"1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, 2) and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, 3) Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, 4) suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave] 5) and on the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, 6) from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Ghost, 8.) the holy Catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting. Amen."

Happy Epiphany to you all! Even if I'm a day early, at least I managed to say it, right?

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my True Love (God) gave to me,
Twelve Drummers Drumming, (the Twelve Points of Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed.)
Eleven Pipers Piping, (the Eleven Faithful Apostles)
Ten Lords a-Leaping, (the Ten Commandments)
Nine Ladies Dancing, (the Nine Fruits of the Holy Ghost)
Eight Maids a-Milking, (the Eight Beatitudes)
Seven Swans a-Swimming, (the Seven Sacraments)
Six Geese a-Laying, (the Six Days of Creation)
Five Gold Rings, (the Pentateuch)
Four Calling Birds, (the Four Evangelists, or the Gospels)
Three French Hens, (the Theological Virtues)
Two Turtledoves, (the Old and New Testaments)
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. (Our Sweet God, Jesus Christ)



All Twelve Days of Christmas

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It's Almost the Epiphany!

Some days just seem to float along so beautifully, don't they? Yesterday, my mom and I went shopping for the Epiphany.

See, in our family, we celebrate Little Christmas, the feast of The Epiphany. It's the day reserved for the Wise Men, when they followed the Star in the East and came unto the Child in Bethlehem. In some countries, Little Christmas is the day for gift-giving, so that they take away nothing of the spirituality of Christmas by focusing attention on gifts rather than Christ.

Anyhow, my mom and I went shopping, and purchased one gift for each member of the family. These are the "Wise Men" gifts. I've got them all wrapped now, and hidden away in my closet. Tomorrow night, after all the little girls have gone to bed, we're going to put out the presents, and it will be as though the Wise Men have come and left a gift for each member of the family.

Isn't that the nicest tradition? It makes the season of Christmas go on so much longer. I just love being able to get one more special, unexpected thing for people. It was particularly lucky this year, because my lovely, dear employer gave us all a Christmas bonus, and I was able to use that to help my parents do the Epiphany gifts. I just LOVE getting things for people.

For today, we celebrate the Eleventh Day of Christmas, which is enlivened by Eleven Pipers Piping. This day commemorates the Eleven faithful Apostles. The Twelfth Apostle, Judas Iscariot, is excluded from the list. Below are the faithful Apostles:

Simon Peter
Andrew
James
John
Thomas
James bar Alphaeus
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Simon
Judas bar James

Happy Almost Epiphany, everyone!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas my True Love (God) gave to me,
Eleven Pipers Piping, (the Eleven Faithful Apostles)
Ten Lords a-Leaping, (the Ten Commandments)
Nine Ladies Dancing, (the Nine Fruits of the Holy Ghost)
Eight Maids a-Milking, (the Eight Beatitudes)
Seven Swans a-Swimming, (the Seven Sacraments)
Six Geese a-Laying, (the Six Days of Creation)
Five Gold Rings, (the Pentateuch)
Four Calling Birds, (the Four Evangelists, or the Gospels)
Three French Hens, (the Theological Virtues)
Two Turtledoves, (the Old and New Testaments)
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. (Our Darling Jesus Christ)

Ten Favourite Things

I've decided it's time for me to discover what kinds of things my friends like to do. In return, I'll list some things that I like to do. We'll take turns.

 

What are ten favourite things you like to do? These are mine:

1. Writing
2. Singing
3. Reading
4. Drawing
5. Baking
6. Music Theory
7. Photography
8. Scrapbooking
9. Clay Modeling
10. Star Gazing

With writing, I can explore new worlds, create fantastic new settings, tug at someone's heart with poetry.

 

With singing, I can inspire myself, and make myself cry. Isn't that funny? Reading gives me relaxation.

 

If I've had a particularly hard day, or just want to give myself a mental break, reading helps.

 

Drawing helps me visualize a setting I've come up with, or put a face to a character I've created.

 

Baking just makes the house smell good, and makes everything feel warm and friendly and creative.

 

Music Theory is just cool. I love how it gives me that deeper understanding of the way music works.

 

Photography gives me pleasure in capturing a perfect moment, and lets me kind of hide behind my camera when I'm in an awkward gathering.

 

Scrapbooking is a very relaxing pastime. I love how I can create a whole page of memories, accented with stickers, quotations, and funny little sketches.

 

Clay modeling is just fun. I love to see the faces I can pull out of the clay, and form the eyes, mouth, and smile into something that makes me smile back.

 

Star gazing brings me right into the glory of God. When it's dark outside and I look up and see that unending stretch of diamond gleams, I think of Silent Night, and feel an incredible peace in my heart. 

 

What are your ten things? 

 

As an aside, it's only three days until the Epiphany, two days until the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and Twelfth Night. Today, on the Tenth Day of Christmas, we receive Ten Lords a-Leaping. They represent the Ten Commandments. 

 

On the Tenth Day of Christmas my True Love (God) gave to me,

Ten Lords a-Leaping, (the Ten Commandments)

Nine Ladies Dancing, (the Fruits of the Holy Ghost)

Eight Maids a-Milking, (the Eight Beatitudes)

Seven Swans a-Swimming, (the Seven Sacraments)

Six Geese a-Laying, (the Six Days of Creation)

Five Gold Rings, (the Pentateuch)

Four Calling Birds, (the Four Evangelists, or the Gospels)

Three French Hens, (the Theological Virtues)

Two Turtledoves, (the Old and New Testaments)

and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. (Our Jesus Christ)

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

Happy New Year, everyone! Today is the very first day of a whole new year. May this year be one full of joy and goodness, and if you suffer tribulation, may God give you the strength to grow from it.

Today, or rather tonight, I'm just going to post the verse for the eighth day of Christmas. I stayed up too late for New Year's, toasting it in with a small glass of whiskey and a couple chocolate-covered coffee beans, so I'm pretty tired. I know you'll all understand.

On the eighth day of Christmas, we receive Eight Maids a-Milking, which symbolize the Eight Beatitudes. These are:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The beatitudes are very beautiful. Each one is like a special promise that God made to us. For those who do what is listed, the reward is given.

So here you go, then. Here is the verse for Day Eight of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me
Eight Maids a-Milking (the Eight Beatitudes)
Seven Swans a-Swimming, (the Seven Sacraments)
Six Geese a-Laying, (the Six Days of Creation)
Five Gold Rings, (the Pentateuch)
Four Calling Birds, (the Four Evangelists, or the Gospels)
Three French Hens, (the Theological Virtues)
Two Turtledoves, (the Old and New Testaments)
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. (Our Lord Jesus Christ)
May you all have a Holy and Beautiful year. God bless.

Halfway To Epiphany

On this Sixth Day of Christmas, I do hope you all take a small moment and just thank God for giving us this Day. After all, this Sixth Day commemorates the Six Days of Creation, when God created all the world for us.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas my True Love (God) gave to me,
Six Geese a-Laying, (the Six Days of Creation)
Five Gold Rings, (the Pentateuch)
Four Calling Birds, (the Four Evangelists, or the Gospels)
Three French Hens, (the Theological Virtues)
Two Turtledoves, (the Old and New Testaments)
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. (Our Little Jesus Christ)

Point of View

So, I sit and look out the window, and all I see is snow, snow, snow piled up in mounds. From my point of view, it's very lovely, because it's the afternoon and it's not really snowing seriously any more, so I don't have to go out and shovel the driveway. I can just enjoy it.

From my point of view this morning, though, it was the most horrible stuff in the world, because I had to get to work, and the plows hadn't come by to clear the roads yet. Also, it was still dusky outside so it wasn't safe for me to walk to work, which is what I normally do. Instead, since it was snowing pretty hard, I had to go outside with the rest of my family and clear out the driveway so my Dad could drive me to work. It was like shoveling oatmeal mixed with watery milk. It was terrible, and it was HEAVY!

From the tourist's point of view, I'm sure this snow is a dream. Tahoe snow really is quite lovely, especially after a storm when the skies clear and the sun comes out. For the ski resorts, though it may not be beneficial yet, in the days to come it will be a skiier's dream. From a skiier's, or snowboarder's point of view, I'm sure this snow is pure heaven.

From the local's point of view, the snow is just another ordeal to get through. It may mean getting out the chains, or making sure your four-wheel-drive is working, and dealing with tourists who aren't quite sure what they're supposed to do in snow, but it's life. It's nothing new.

Point of view is so variable, but so important. Everyone's point of view is different. In a book, you have to make sure your point of view remains consistent, whether your sticking yourself in your MC's head alone, or being the all-seeing-eye and looking through all of your characters POV in turn. How do you choose a view, and stick to it?

For me, I find it easiest to remain in my MC's POV if I'm in the first person. When I'm in third person, I find I jump slightly from my MC's POV to my secondary character's POV, to my antagonist's POV. It helps me see the full picture that way. How about you? What do you do?

On this Fifth Day of Christmas, when we receive the Five Golden Rings (the first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace), I'd love to hear your thoughts on Point Of View. Come on down, pull up a chair, grab some cocoa, and let's chat.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas my True Love (God) gave to me,
Five Gold Rings, (the Pentateuch)
Four Calling Birds, (The Four Evangelists)
Three French Hens, (The Three Theological Virtues)
Two Turtledoves, (The Old and New Testament)
and a Patridge in a Pear Tree. (Jesus Christ)

No One Will Be Sleeping On the Night Of Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve to you all! I hope you all have a blessed Christmas day, and a wonderful Merry Christmas. I hope you receive the one true gift you wanted this year. For me, I pray I receive my gift too.

Isn't that line above so true? I remember lying in bed on Christmas Eve, unable to fall asleep, so excited and filled with anticipation that my insides shivered. I remember being able to hear the Christmas music playing on the radio in the living room, and when I lay very still in bed, I thought I could hear Santa on the roof. It took me forever to fall asleep, and I remember waking up, feeling a tingle in my toes, and know that it was Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve has always been one of my most favourite days. On Christmas Eve, we finish wrapping the presents, and bake ourselves into a super frenzy. As of 6:45pm tonight, we have finished making batches of pizzelles, biscotti, truffles, snowballs, sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, chocolate-dipped pretzels, and chocolate chip cookies.

Because it's Christmas Eve, I'm going to share another Christmas poem with you. I hope you like it. It was inspired by the picture posted below.

THE ANGEL'S LULLABY

The Babe lay on the Mother's knee,
the Angels gathered 'round.
On bended knee adored Him:
their wingtips brushed the ground.

The faint, sweet smell of heaven,
mixed with the fiddle's tune
rose like a fragrant incense
up to the sickle moon.

"Hosanna!" crooned the angels,
their joyous sigh of love
rising to God's throne on high,
and echoing above.

"Hosanna!" sang the angels,
The stars returned the same.
And all the silence in the night
Called out His holy name.

The Babe lay on the Mother's knee,
the fairest Christmas Rose.
The angels bent to kiss His face,
and guard His sweet repose.