Happy New Year!

This evening, of course, is the eventide of the first Sunday of Advent, the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. We try to make it special in the Klein household, with the lighting of the Advent wreath. Rosemary had squirreled away a few rose-colored candles that she found on sale at a dollar store, so we were set as far as the Gaudete Sunday candle was concerned, but she had to sneak off to Bunn to purchase three violet candles for the other Sundays. Small-town Bunn isn't exactly North Carolina's shopping meca, so this year burgundy will have to do. Cyprian, when he learned that Gaudete Sunday was the Sunday marking particularly joyful celebration, remarked that he would have been happier if we had populated the wreath with Rosemary's stockpile of rose candles.

So, the evening concluded with the lighting of the Advent wreath, with the honors conducted by the eldest son, Cyprian. This was followed by "Creator of the Stars of Night" and Compline. Then we processed into the bedroom with one candle, where we prayed the rosary. This has been our special Advent routine the past few years. I'd like to say that the added prayer and reverence is what makes it so popular, but I think its popularity has more to do with the boys' pyromaniacal tendencies.

Of course, the long weekend began on Wednesday evening, with of our friends, the Gormans, together with their three children. It was a full household for Thanksgiving--exactly as it should be.

Here is the table setting sans people. We adults ate from the heirloom china-ware that my grandpa gave us a few years ago. Note the mostly correct table setting for the adults!

Cum populo, apart from the Gorman's littlest, who was more content on the floor chewing on toys.

Clement and me. "I like meat," quoth Clement.

Clement might like meat, but not so much as Ryan. The turkey the Gormans brought was a twenty-five pound monster from an Amish farmer near where they live!