Our celebration of Christmas is ongoing. This is not about ‘making a point’ or offering a corrective to others. It is a matter of taking the opportunity to express our joy and gratitude, as well as our resolve that the birth of Christ make a real difference in our life.
We hope that our celebration comes naturally as a sort of spontaneous expression. At the same time, it is something we work on. There is no surprise here. The most important ‘things’ we want to cultivate in life—namely, the virtues—are just so: they become increasingly spontaneous precisely by our intentional efforts.
Among the ways we can choose to celebrate around the hearth in our home, two especially come to mind: singing (in this case called caroling) and reading aloud.
The most important things in life call for song! There really is something to the sentiment, “so I had to say I love you, in a song.” As Augustine remarks, “Only the lover sings.” Song not only springs from love; it also expresses and shares our love, and can even grow our love. Christmas caroling is a wonderful and unique instance of this.
Reading aloud is what many find the most practical way to do story-time. Story-telling is an art, and it takes practice. Reading aloud is precisely such practice, because it allows us to benefit from the greatest story-tellers: such as Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, or countless others.
So let us gather around the table, or the hearth, or wherever. And let us sing, and let us tell stories. Indeed, many of our carols themselves tell a story—aspects of the story that grounds and gives meaning to all stories, most of all the story of our own life. ~ ~ ~
LifeCraft offers resources to HELP YOU SING TOGETHER. Download our printable Christmas carols booklet HERE.
I also recorded AUDIO CHRISTMAS STORIES (several of our favorites!) to jump-start your reading aloud together. HERE at Spotify, and HERE at Youtube.
ALSO: If you are local in Virginia, you are invited to come to a Lessons and Carols ceremony at the Christendom College Chapel, Thursday December 28 at 7:30pm. See flier below!
Dear Reader—as you know, we’re in the midst of our Beginning at Home campaign. A generous benefactor to LifeCraft has given a gift of $100,000 and encouraged us to match it dollar-for-dollar before December 31 at 11:59 pm. It’s hard to believe that’s only five days away. We have been so heartened by the response to the campaign by readers from across the country. We’ve made great strides toward our $100,000 goal but we still need your help to reach it!
If you haven’t contributed to Beginning at Home yet, would you please make a tax-deductible gift to LifeCraft today—even right now by clicking here—to reach our ambitious goal of raising $100,000 ? People are hungry for the work of LifeCraft, and we will always keep the Wednesday Quote you’re about to read and our courses and other resources completely free.
Thank you, as always, for being a faithful reader and supporter of our community at LifeCraft.
Husband, father, and professor of Philosophy. LifeCraft springs from one conviction: there is an ancient wisdom about how to live the good life in our homes, with our families; and it is worth our time to hearken to it. Let’s rediscover it together. Learn more.
