Quoted from Kevin March

Kevin,

that was great --- reminds me why I adopted a less commercialized way of celebrating the Christmas
season

I spent the day today with my adult nieces and we all made cookies, drank wine and enjoyed the company.  Maybe I will put that tree up this week.  )  Its just hard with everyone so far away and all the different families.  Im one of 7 kids and we are all spread out so far.  The older relatives are pretty much gone.  We are starting new traditions with the younger ones.  Starting today.  So Im hoping that we can do this every year.  The little ones loved decorating the cookies.  

December 13 was the Feast of Saint Lucy -- for those of us with Scandinavian ancestry .. it is one of the
key pre-Christmas feasts.      Lucy is from the Latin word for - light bearer.    In the old country on this feast,
a young girl would dress in white and wear a crown of garland in her hair -- the crown had lit candles in it.
Often Lutefisk would be eaten on this holiday.  

Things are almost all set for Christmas -- just have to finish the tree so that it can be lit at sundown on
Christmas Eve.    Food prep for our family's Wigilia Dinner will begin in earnest tomorrow.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

December 13 was the Feast of Saint Lucy --  

What about St. Desi??

Quoted from bumblethru

What about St. Desi??

LOL ..this is a different Lucy ....    for the feast of Saint Lucy , you have to find a virgin to wear the
laurel crown with the candles ... and if Desi was around there would be no virgins left.

Ha!  Good one DVR!  Nice to have traditions, pace them on!!

Speaking of Christmas memories  .... what ever happened to actually having Midnight Mass at Midnight ??

I remember one Christmas - back in the mid 1970's - going to Midnight Mass ... me and all of my brothers
were altar servers (except for the youngest).  The skies were clear when we went into Mass ... but during
Mass the clouds rolled in and by the time Mass was over there was several inches on the ground.  It was
the winter version of a "cloudburst".

Fortunately, My mother and us kids lived on Lansing Street at the time --- so we opened the house to dozens
of family and friends --- who stayed until the roads were plowed later in the morning.

Tu scendi dalle stelle
(Italian)

Tu scendi dalle stelle
O Re del Cielo
E vieni in una grotta
Al freddo al gelo.
E vieni in una grotta
Al freddo al gelo.

O Bambino mio Divino
Io ti vedo qui a tremar,
O Dio Beato
Ah, quanto ti costò
L’avermi amato.
Ah, quanto ti costò
L’avermi amato.

A te che sei del mondo,
Il creatore
Mancano panni e fuoco,
O mio Signore.
Mancano panni e fuoco,
O mio Signore.

Caro eletto, Pargoletto,
Quanto questa povertà,
Piu m’innamora
Giacche ti fece amor
Povero ancora.
Giacche ti fece amor
Povero ancora.

Here’s a rough English translation of Tu scendi dalle stelle by Monique Palomares…

You Come Down from the Stars
(English)

You come down from the stars
Oh King of Heavens,
And you come in a cave
In the cold, in the frost.
And you come in a cave
In the cold, in the frost.

Oh my Divine Baby
I see you trembling here,
Oh Blessed God,
Ah, how much it cost you,
Your loving me.
Ah, how much it cost you,
Your loving me.

For you, who are of all the world
The creator,
No robes and fire,
Oh my Lord.
No robes and fire,
Oh my Lord.

Dear chosen one, little infant
This dire poverty,
Makes me love you more
Since Love made you
Poor now.
Since Love made you
Poor now.