A corporal work of mercy.

A corporal work of mercy.
Click on photo for this corporal work of mercy!

Tuesday 29 January 2019

Christmas still glowing, and growing too!

The Vox household is one which prolongs the Christmas season in an ancient manner to Candlemas on February 2, the Feast of the Purification of Mary and Presentation of the Lord in the Temple.

We cut the tree on December 1 just outside of Simcoe, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Erie, It is a Fraser Fir. We kept it outside in the shade and in water, the cool air and rain throughout December and brought it in the 22nd of December decorating it on Christmas Eve. Here it remains and it is actually booming and in more places than what you see here. 

As an aside, the angel on the top of the tree first appeared in 1957 when your writer was 15 months old. 


 No photo description available.

The pine cone ornament above and the little coloured one below it to the right of St. Charbel are older than this writer. The pink ball on the left and the blue and silver teardrop on the upper right are quite delicate and from Poland and are almost as old. In the picture below, the little candle clip and candle are at over a century old and was my grandmother's.

What a joyous feast is Christmastide.


Image may contain: plant

14 comments:

Dorota Mosiewicz-Patalas said...

You have ornaments from Poland!

You give me an idea for next year. Each year I try to but a tree as late as possible. I did not think I could buy one early and keep it outside rather than indoors. Will it work, if I put it in water, and then deep freeze hits? Did it ever work for you with one you did not freshly cut?
Mine is gone already. It was also quite beautiful for a while.

Peter Lamb said...

Jolly nice Vox! :)

Osusanna said...

Bellissimo!! This year I cut a little tree that I grew in my yard for about 7 or so years, from seedlings I got from the Arbor Day Society. Jesus' birthday is just the best. Thanks Vox.

kam said...

Nice!

Kathleen1031 said...

You and I were crib-mates Vox.
What a lovely tree, and like the Great Pumpkin, most sincere. It is beautiful with all the religious symbols on it, and so meaningful when they are ornaments our loved ones had or we've had them over time. Even more precious. I'm inspired by your dedication to the actual Christmastide, which is lost on our culture today.

TF said...

Our tree is still beautiful as well, though it's starting to dry out a bit. We also cut it in early December and decorated it, as per usually (as French priests in America say), on Christmas Eve. Our children would not have it any other way, even if we wanted to open our Christmas traditions to the world, and adapt our ways to the needs of Modern Man (TM) -- which we most certainly do not. It's a microcosm of why Catholic tradition must be carefully observed whole and intact.

Irenaeus said...

This was such a wholesome post to wake up to. Day. Made!

Dorota Mosiewicz-Patalas said...

OK, Vox, ignore my polite request.

But I will tell you all something good.
Yesterday I listened (from you-tube) to recent homilies by two different elderly priests. What is good is not that I listened, but that the priests (one is a professor) say things such as: Pope Francis doesn't listen to Jesus. At issue was the origin of authority - not high rank, but Jesus alone.

The situation in Poland is better than in the Christian West, but it is generally quickly deteriorating. Some are beginning to speak out, and are quickly removed from public speaking. There is a middle aged-professor, father Tadeusz Guz, who has been attacked recently for the daring claim that there were ritual murders documented in ages past, which produced child-saints, now largely forgotten. He has been furiously attacked, of course.

But then there is also archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga who recently published a book:
"Przerywam zmowę milczenia. O kryzysie w Kościele, herezji, apostazji i grzechach zaniedbania".

It means: "I brake the conspiracy of silence. About the crisis in the Church, heresy, apostasy and sins of neglect".

The Archbishop is a fascinating personality, his service in Kazakhstan was out of this world, so extraordinary, before he was removed from post.

His voice is as though from generations I only knew in my childhood. Every Yes is simply a Yes, every No simply a No. No beating around the bush, no duplicity, ever. He lives in Poland now, seemingly banned, and yet - speaking louder than ever before, thanks to you-tube (which CAN be used for good sometimes).

So, no one will give me tips about my next year's tree?

Vox Cantoris said...

Hi Darota, are any of his talks translated into English? My apologies for not answering sooner on the matter of the tree I had intended to do so. I do not believe that it will work with a tree you might buy on the lot because they would generally be cut down is early as October. Regardless it is important to get the tree a new cut and if you were to buy one from a lot I would give it that you cut put it in water and keep it outside until such time as you bring it inside. This is happened before but both times it was a Fraser fir and outside and we cut It ourselves.

Dorota Mosiewicz-Patalas said...

Thank you Vox

I was just kidding. You are a busy man. Thank you again for all you do. But now I know what I will do, if I live, next year.

No, the talks are all in Polish, but let's be overjoyed that they ARE!

Maybe someone will translate Archbishop Lenga's loud and clear brake of this conspiracy of silence! I fully expect it.

Johnno said...

Hi Vox,

I shot you an email sometime after Christmas/new Year's, a little while back.

If you can, please take a chance to read it. Thanks -

Johnno.

Vox Cantoris said...

Johnny, I’ve not seen it, can you send it again?

voxcantoris@rogers.com

Anonymous said...

God love you Vox

Anonymous said...

Dear Vox Cantoris,

We are calling attention to an offensive performance at WYD. We hope that many generous souls will offer prayers of reparation to the Immaculate Heart, our Mother.

https://youtu.be/B6XEiMNAj8c