The hills around Salzburg are alive, we hear, “alive with the sound of music.” Young and old, the people sing and hum and strum. The water in the brooks laughs as it trips and falls downstream. Church chimes sigh with the breeze. This music, we also hear, has been sung for 1,000 years. Maybe. But Read more
As a cradle Catholic, I never thought I’d get a divorce, but I ended up with one earlier this year. Since we came to the decision, I’ve been dreading Christmas — the decorations, the Santa visits, the holiday cards. Christmas seemed all about perfect families and frameable moments, and this year I didn’t want any Read more
Katherine Hogg has no problem with Christmas activities in general at school, but she says making them biblical is “out of line . . . for a secular school.” Hogg kept her 7-year-old son home from school last week to avoid lessons about the Christian origins of Christmas. She said she was unhappy her son’s Read more
25th of December has become a holiday loved by both Christian and as well as those who are not Christians. Advent, the time of preparation is, however, a much lesser-known aspect of this season. We all know of Lent, but what is Advent? What is its history? Here are seven facts you might have known Read more
In total, 68 children including one newborn baby will spend Christmas at Birkenhead’s de Paul House, a housing and support service for homeless families. Manager Jan Rutledge said the number of families they will be providing for at Christmas this year is the most it ever has experienced. De Paul House was established in the early Read more
It seems that at any time in our lives, we are waiting for something. The child is waiting for her birthday. The young man waits for his exam results while the girl who sits next to him, waits for him to notice her. The family sit around an injured cyclist, waiting for him to regain Read more
Germany’s Protestant Church has complainedd of the “merciless commercialisation” of Christmas and the early opening of festive markets in some cities. “What remains of the rhythm of life, the rhythm of the liturgical year, when everything is available all the time and thus arbitrary?” said a spokeswoman of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Continue reading
A new survey has found that more than in five Kiwis can’t afford to celebrate Christmas this year. The survey, commissioned by the Salvation Army, found when asked to disagree or agree with the statement “I can’t afford to celebrate the festive season”, 23 per cent of respondents agreed. Read more
Christmas. People roll their eyes. The pace in an already over-stimulated society quickens. Everyone is trying to get their jobs, their gigs, their projects, finished by Christmas. Many people bemoan the approach of this festival, complain about its commercialization, wonder why it is still observed in a multicultural, multi-faith country like Australia. But most people Read more
The children were talking in class about the birth of Jesus. What did the angels look like? How many animals were in the stable? The only negative character in the story was the landlord of the inn. “He was mean!” a boy said. Really? I wondered why the world’s most beautiful story had to have Read more