Christmas Carols during Advent?
  • Nisi
    Posts: 153
    I'd like a little help convincing may pastor of the inappropriateness of singing Christmas carols during Advent. Are there any articles to which I can refer him? Thanks for any help!
  • Donnaswan
    Posts: 585
    Good grief! Is the Pastor Catholic? Every time I start complaining and wishing for a more amenable boss to traditional propers, I read a question like this and get down on my knees in Thanksgiving for what I have.

    Donna
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,986
    I haven't seen this practice since I last worked in a Protestant church. They saw Advent as just a lead-in to Christmas, so they started singing Christmas carols after Thanksgiving. My predecessor in the Catholic church where I work, still has a Protestant view toward Advent. She has difficulty accepting the penitential aspects of the season. I tone things down for Advent - no postludes, etc. - and I don't do Christmas carols until Midnight Mass Christmas Eve.
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 783
    If the pastor actually wants that, then I think it would be a hard battle to win, and not really worth fighting. He is probably asking for it because he has given into the consumerism of the culture and thinks that his congregation requires it.

    One time, when I was in that situation, I used the song "People Look East," and of course the pastor came up after Mass and said, "Why didn't you use any carols again today?!" and I was able to show him in the notes on the song at the bottom of the page in the hymnal where it said, "French Carol." teee hee... Well, that at least bought me an extra Sunday of Advent...

    you could try asking him, "what, are you going to be asking me to play 'Jesus Christ is Risen Today' on Good Friday?"
    then try to get him to explain why playing Christmas carols early is any different...
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,515
    A few years ago, quirkily, I was interviewed for a newspaper article that was discussed at CanticaNOVA as well: http://www.canticanova.com/articles/xmas/art1i1.htm

    I think Gary Penkala's treatment makes the case in a positive and clear way.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,986
    While Shepherds washed their socks by night,
    All seated round the tub,
    The Angel of the the Lord came down,
    And gave them all a scrub,
    And gave them all a scrub.

    When asked to do Christmas carols during Advent, I resisted the urge to throw in a few fractured Christmas carols.
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