SS #116 – Feasting in a time of fasting
At Schole Sisters, we want to remind ourselves and our listeners that we shouldn’t be the White Witch in our homes – making it always winter, but never Christmas. Christmas is worth the effort of celebration.
But what about when times are tight? Gas is high, inflation is high, and most of us are feeling the pinch. Does this mean Christmas is off the table?
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Keyword Intro
Today’s Hosts and Source
Brandy Vencel
makes homemade Christmas ornaments every year with her kids.
Mystie Winckler
carries on her family’s tradition of presents under the tree appearing overnight Christmas morning.
Abby Wahl
takes live lambs to the church Christmas pageant where her kids sing and act.
“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.”
Little Women
Scholé Everyday: What We’re Reading
For the Family’s Sake, Susan Schaeffer Macauley
Brandy is reading the companion book to Macauley’s For the Children’s Sake for the first time.
Peak Mind, Amishi Jha
Abby is reading this airport bookstore find and enjoying the productivity and attention hacks presented.
Law & Liberty, Rushdoony
Mystie is reading this because her husband read it for a men’s book club; it’s her first Rushdoony title, although many books she’s read in the past two decades have cited him.
What are we celebrating?
Before we begin talking about Christmas and how to celebrate it, we have to remember that we are celebrating the incarnation. The incarnation of Christ is about Christ coming as God in the flesh, interrupting people’s lives, and messing up people’s plans and expectations. Christ gave Himself to us, and so at Christmas it is appropriate to imitate him in giving generously and practicing receiving gifts gratefully.
Responding to poverty
The first thing we see in Little Women is the girls’ poor responses to poverty. They complain and grumble and compare their current circumstances to their past abundance and to their neighbors. Comparison is the thief of joy.
Marmee herself, in suggesting they do no presents at all, inadvertently opens the door to the girls – who would be happy to purchase presents for others – to consider using their money for themselves instead.
But the point of Christmas is not getting new things. The point of Christmas presents is practicing generosity in gratitude for the generous grace we have received in Christ.
Generosity in lean times
It’s still possible to be generous even when you have little yourself, as the March family shows when they take their meager breakfast to a family with less than they have.
Celebrating in lean times
Celebrating is about much more than getting and giving cool presents. There’s the food, there’s the decorating, there’s the singing – all of which can be joy-filled and abundant without spending much money.
Mentioned in the Episode
Listen to related episodes:
SS #133 – Mom Is the Magic of Christmas
SS #99: The Ordinary Homeschool
SS #82: You Can’t Cancel Christmas
SS #64: How Christmas is Like a Funeral
Want to talk about the ideas presented here? The conversation is happening inside Sistership.
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