Even though this weekend was only the halfway point of Advent (and a true halfway point, since we have a full fourth week this year!), it was, in many (non-liturgical) ways, the start of Christmas for us. We had a very caroly weekend, as we sang for the Veritas Christmas party on Friday evening, and again with the Family Liturgy Group at Clonard’s Santa World on Sunday.
Molly, Jess, and one of our favorite "tea ladies" all decked out in Christmas gear at Santa World!
We then headed out to the village of Blackwater, about a half-hour away, to see their tree-lighting and to witness their Santa arrive on a cherry picker. A group of adults in the village (none of whom have children) ensure that every child receives a present from Santa, and while we were glad to be there, we were relieved that we didn’t have to wait in the queue! We were invited to the event by the curate in that parish, our friend Fr. John-Paul Sheridan, and spent a lovely evening at his home, where he fed us and shared one of his favorite holiday films.
The Blackwater arrival of Santa Claus!
We’re looking at singing even more carols as this progresses; Kurt and I just had a successful practice with nearly the entire Scoil Mhuire student body for their carol service on Thursday, and Kennedy Park’s continues to draw nearer, as well. In the meantime we’re preparing ourselves for a full onslaught of Christmas Eve and Day liturgies. Once these carol services are over, we won’t have too much to do in the schools, so we’ll start looking ahead to 2012 and all the events we’ll have arriving in the New Year!
