I just looked up from answering emails to see that today is December 19th.
How is that possible?
Even though I’ve spent the last few weeks playing for holiday concerts and preparing for Advent services, Christmas still managed to sneak up on me.
Anyway, if you are not quite in a holiday mood or are also shocked to find that Christmas is less than a week, perhaps I can be of assistance. Below are a few recommendations for free resources to help prepare your heart and mind for next week’s celebrations. Moreover, I hope the following recommendations nourish your imagination, inspiring you to embrace the Christmas season with greater wonder, thoughtfulness, curiosity, and joy.
1. These Glorious Advent Poems
I’ve been enjoying the work of priest and poet Malcolm Guite for years. I had the joy of hearing him speak in Cambridge, England, where I swear that, mid-lecture, a cup of tea appeared in his hand out of thin air.
Tea ex nihilo, anyone?
Guite’s writing has been incredibly influential in my life, inspiring my own feeble attempts at sacred sonnets. His poems based on the “O Antiphons” (the prayers we know as the verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”) are among my favorites. These, along with many of his other poems, can be read and listened to for free on his blog using this link. However, I strongly recommend purchasing his book Waiting on the Word, which would make a perfect gift for any reader in your life and is currently on sale on Amazon.
2. This Audio Production of a Dorothy Sayers Classic
If you are not familiar with Dorothy Sayers, here is an opportunity to get acquainted! Sometimes considered an “unofficial Inkling,” Sayers was a contemporary of C.S. Lewis. Like Lewis, she established herself as an academic, essayist, theologian, and novelist. She also wrote plays based on Christian themes that were performed in cathedrals and broadcast across the United Kingdom.
The Man Born to be King is a collection of dramatic scenes based on the life of Jesus. It caused a bit of a stir when first broadcasted because Sayers made Bible characters speak like ordinary British citizens. However, this is also what rendered the play so astonishing; it made the life of Jesus feel more real and relatable for many people. In this sense, we might consider The Man Born to be King as a very early forerunner of “The Chosen.”
You can listen to a BBC dramatization of The Man Born to be King for free on Spotify Premium using the following link:
As with “The Chosen,” of course, do not take Sayers’ play as infallible. Instead, let its dramatic scenes awaken your imagination and send you back to Scripture with greater fervor and reverence.
3. This Charming Winter Album
I’ve been listening to folk band Lady Maisery’s “Awake, Arise: A Winter Album” on repeat all week. It infuses even my grey, chilly days with a sense of magic. I love the earthy timbre, subtle spiritual themes, and variety of tracks ranging from a recipe for wassail to a description of rural carol-singing to a song about a dancing bear. It is just delightful.
If this sounds a bit out of your comfort zone, I suggest starting with my favorite song, “The Old Churchyard” before listening to the whole album from beginning to end. I promise that it will restore you to a holiday mood (and probably make you want to move to a rural stone cottage).
Conclusion
What do you and your family listen to this time of year? Do you have a favorite book you read together? Or an album you sing along with as you bake traditional recipes? Do you attend a performance of The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol?
I want to know!
Fill out the contact form and tell me about your Advent and Christmas traditions.
Ryanne Molinari 