Keep Christ in Christmas is often heard, but how many people actually pay attention to the message? What are the ways, and yes, there are several, to keep Christmas consistent with its real meaning?
Another question is whether there is anything wrong with enjoying the holiday for its meals, presents, and decorations. This question is easy to answer, those things and some others that bring happiness have a place in celebrating the holiday as long as there is a component of the celebration that keeps the real, deeper theological meaning of Christmas in mind. And this can be accomplished in a multitude of ways.
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I have never gone to such a meal, for it seems that it is the expensive restaurant that participate. However, I have heard of them. My thought is the menu varies restaurant to restaurant, and the designation is more of the style of the meal than an exact menu. There is a fascination with food in Louisiana, and New Orleans has a radio show that runs for hours just about every day, hosted by Tom Fitzmorris. He also runs a website on food. The link here https://nomenu.com/?s=Le+Reveillon will get you to the right section, and you can easily determine menus vary,
How sad that the priest was shot whilst out in the community where he had worked.
I am particularly interested in the French Christmas meal, Le Reveillon and would like to know more about that. Christmas food is always of interest to me.
There is a special French dinner, Revelion (not certain of spelling), at some large restaurants.
The Nativity set that included the entire town of Bethlehem was in a rectory. The priest who owned it has since died, he was shot while riding his bicycle to walk his dog alongside his church. This was after being transferred to a less safe neighborhood.
There are two tours, one in New Orleans in City Park, and one in a suburb called Metairie in Lafreniere Park. In New Orleans the driving part is no more, lost to Hurricane Katrina. There is a charge to walk in the area. In Metairie there is a nominal fee to drive a vehicle among the lights, but no charge to walk through. Since the fe is small, five dollars per car last year, people drive and park in a lot, then walk among the lights.
blackspanielgallery, Are there special French- or Spanish-influenced Christmas observations in the French Quarter or elsewhere, outside New Orleans? Which Bethlehem had the entire town as a nativity set? Was the driving and walking tour of decorated private or public buildings?
As for distribution, some areas have a wide range of income levels, others do not. But parishes are assigned a twinning parish, so it is the less fortunate area that might benefit. Twinning parishes are not just for a season, but are permanently assigned. It takes a bishop with vision to install such a program.
They don't go to my area ; we give them to two areas in the north of my diocese- one where you taught when you first started and one where our youngest sibling was born.
The only poverty where I live is poverty of Spirit.
I had not heard of this toy mass of yours. It is a really nice thing to do.
But, you live in a classier area than I do, so if there are poverty problems where you are, it shows how bad things are becoming.
I have organised a Toy Mass at church for about 25 years for local children who don't get Christmas gifts. Everyone is invited to bring along a wrapped gift marked with a gender and age on it. These are taken to local collection points where they are very much needed.
Poverty in Uk is rising as Frank says. The local supermarkets had a collection last week. As we entered, we were given a list of things that we could buy and donate so families can have some food at Christmas from the food bank.
These are certainly ways of keeping Christ in Christmas.
BSG, that American program seems like a good idea. In the UK, whose poverty levels are soaring under this incompetent, morally irresponsible bunch that we miscall a government, a large section of the poor now suffer food problems, while the richer element enjoy luxury. The churches co-operate with food programmes all year, though an extra effort is made at Christmas.
I should have also mentioned Christmas tree programs in many Catholic churches in Louisiana. Yesterday I saw four Christmas trees on the altar. They had paper ornaments. The way this works is the congregation s invited to take one or more ornaments. There is a code that associates with a name not revealed to the person who takes the ornament, but a description such as girl thirteen needs toy, or adult female 30s needs large size coat. The next week the wrapped gifts are left under the tree with the ornament attached, to aid with distribution to the needy. Some trees then have food ornaments, such as three cans of green beans. The next week the food is left, unwrapped, by those taking the ornaments. Now, it gets too close to Christmas for most purchases, but a third set of ornaments appears with readings and prayers. Those taking these agree to read scripture or pray during the next week. Finally, a thank you message appears. Then, on Christmas eve in time for the vigil Mass, ( I do not know if this a a worldwide practice.) the trees are lighted.
The ornaments are generally colorful construction paper, but those yesterday were white angel shape ornaments.