CELEBRATIONS : CHRISTMAS

I sought crystal clarity , but got abstract beauty in this picture of our Christmas Tree

The sights and sounds that surround us tell a consistent story - we, as a family, are fully engaged in the celebration of Christmas, whether actually or in preparations. 

From childhood we have learned how it is done, and now we see that our children have well prepared their children to do the same. The Church of course has well prepared us all in her normal way, with the Season of Advent and its carefully chosen  and designed Readings and Prayers and Homilies, as we would expect. And the Schools , with varying degrees of completeness have done their part despite the press of end of year exams, The world of commerce has its own manufactured "Christmas spirit"but we won't bother about that. 

No, it is certainly at the personal level of family and Church and friends and School that Christmas is truly celebrated.

VENITE ADOREMUS!

The Nativity Scene at the entrance to our Unit definitively sets the scene and keeps our attention focused on the Child born unto us, and on  the Holy Family He drew about Him. The hymn reminds us "From God our Heavenly Father the blessed  Angels came" and they are represented about the scene,  and the Three Wise Men with their gifts symbolising Kingship, Divinity and His saving Death and Resurrection, and the humble shepherds adoring - could there be better forerunners for our lowly selves? 

The Joy of Christmas Celebrated and Symbolised

To symbolise the fullness of our Joy, we have the Christmas Tree . It is fitting that this custom was brought to the English speaking world by Queen Victoria's Consort, the German Prince Albert- "Albert the Good" . By all accounts he was someone it would have been a pleasure and a privilege to know.However late it came to the Anglophone world, it has been adopted with delight , and even though, in our shrunken home unit life - no longer house dwellers- we have a smaller more appropriate tree ,it enjoys the best of the decorations, collected over 41 years of Marriage, which our former tree shared with others.

We can then, look to more preparations that delight or promise to delight , the palate. The Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cakes are made with my wife Robyn's consummate skill - (just as her cooking brilliance is heavenly, we ought to pity and feel for those men married to wives who are bad cooks - life must be a foretaste(!) of Hell).

We have a marvellous collection of 12 yrs of Panettone Tins, to which this will be added in due course.

 In addition we have assistance from bella Italia in the shape of our annual Tinned Panettone    ( this year from the ovens of SARONNO in Milano)which provides us with Breakfast in the week before Christmas!(Thanks to the Norton St. Grocer for stocking the Tinned versions!

From the Vatican Museums...

Our Celebrations have a Sacred character,and also a profane character.

.

...and from Villeroy & Boch

We look forward to the key celebrations on 
Christmas Day with family and friends to perfect the great Celebration whilst being ever mindful of those we love who are separated from us by distance alone ! Let us try , by the authentic joy we share, to do our bit to remind the world about us  what Christmas is truly about.Nothing less than our Salvation and the hope of Eternal Life with God!

So, yes, we are fully engaged in the celebration of the Birth of the Divine Child - God made Man - born with a purpose, to die on a Cross to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

I sought crystal clarity , but got abstract beauty in this picture of our Christmas Tree

The sights and sounds that surround us tell a consistent story - we, as a family, are fully engaged in the celebration of Christmas, whether actually or in preparations. 

From childhood we have learned how it is done, and now we see that our children have well prepared their children to do the same. The Church of course has well prepared us all in her normal way, with the Season of Advent and its carefully chosen  and designed Readings and Prayers and Homilies, as we would expect. And the Schools , with varying degrees of completeness have done their part despite the press of end of year exams, The world of commerce has its own manufactured "Christmas spirit"but we won't bother about that. 

No, it is certainly at the personal level of family and Church and friends and School that Christmas is truly celebrated.

VENITE ADOREMUS!

The Nativity Scene at the entrance to our Unit definitively sets the scene and keeps our attention focused on the Child born unto us, and on  the Holy Family He drew about Him. The hymn reminds us "From God our Heavenly Father the blessed  Angels came" and they are represented about the scene,  and the Three Wise Men with their gifts symbolising Kingship, Divinity and His saving Death and Resurrection, and the humble shepherds adoring - could there be better forerunners for our lowly selves? 

The Joy of Christmas Celebrated and Symbolised

To symbolise the fullness of our Joy, we have the Christmas Tree . It is fitting that this custom was brought to the English speaking world by Queen Victoria's Consort, the German Prince Albert- "Albert the Good" . By all accounts he was someone it would have been a pleasure and a privilege to know.However late it came to the Anglophone world, it has been adopted with delight , and even though, in our shrunken home unit life - no longer house dwellers- we have a smaller more appropriate tree ,it enjoys the best of the decorations, collected over 41 years of Marriage, which our former tree shared with others.

We can then, look to more preparations that delight or promise to delight , the palate. The Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cakes are made with my wife Robyn's consummate skill - (just as her cooking brilliance is heavenly, we ought to pity and feel for those men married to wives who are bad cooks - life must be a foretaste(!) of Hell).

We have a marvellous collection of 12 yrs of Panettone Tins, to which this will be added in due course.

 In addition we have assistance from bella Italia in the shape of our annual Tinned Panettone    ( this year from the ovens of SARONNO in Milano)which provides us with Breakfast in the week before Christmas!(Thanks to the Norton St. Grocer for stocking the Tinned versions!

From the Vatican Museums...

Our Celebrations have a Sacred character,and also a profane character.

.

...and from Villeroy & Boch

We look forward to the key celebrations on 
Christmas Day with family and friends to perfect the great Celebration ! Let us try , by the authentic joy we share, to do our bit to remind the world about us  what Christmas is truly about.Nothing less than our Salvation and the hope of Eternal Life with God!

So, yes, we are fully engaged in the celebration of the Birth of the Divine Child - God made Man - born with a purpose, to die on a Cross to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

  

























  

I sought crystal clarity , but got abstract beauty in this picture of our Christmas Tree

The sights and sounds that surround us tell a consistent story - we, as a family, are fully engaged in the celebration of Christmas, whether actually or in preparations. 

From childhood we have learned how it is done, and now we see that our children have well prepared their children to do the same. The Church of course has well prepared us all in her normal way, with the Season of Advent and its carefully chosen  and designed Readings and Prayers and Homilies, as we would expect. And the Schools , with varying degrees of completeness have done their part despite the press of end of year exams, The world of commerce has its own manufactured "Christmas spirit"but we won't bother about that. 

No, it is certainly at the personal level of family and Church and friends and School that Christmas is truly celebrated.

VENITE ADOREMUS!

The Nativity Scene at the entrance to our Unit definitively sets the scene and keeps our attention focused on the Child born unto us, and on  the Holy Family He drew about Him. The hymn reminds us "From God our Heavenly Father the blessed  Angels came" and they are represented about the scene,  and the Three Wise Men with their gifts symbolising Kingship, Divinity and His saving Death and Resurrection, and the humble shepherds adoring - could there be better forerunners for our lowly selves? 

The Joy of Christmas Celebrated and Symbolised

To symbolise the fullness of our Joy, we have the Christmas Tree . It is fitting that this custom was brought to the English speaking world by Queen Victoria's Consort, the German Prince Albert- "Albert the Good" . By all accounts he was someone it would have been a pleasure and a privilege to know.However late it came to the Anglophone world, it has been adopted with delight , and even though, in our shrunken home unit life - no longer house dwellers- we have a smaller more appropriate tree ,it enjoys the best of the decorations, collected over 41 years of Marriage, which our former tree shared with others.

We can then, look to more preparations that delight or promise to delight , the palate. The Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cakes are made with my wife Robyn's consummate skill - (just as her cooking brilliance is heavenly, we ought to pity and feel for those men married to wives who are bad cooks - life must be a foretaste(!) of Hell).

We have a marvellous collection of 12 yrs of Panettone Tins, to which this will be added in due course.

 In addition we have assistance from bella Italia in the shape of our annual Tinned Panettone    ( this year from the ovens of SARONNO in Milano)which provides us with Breakfast in the week before Christmas!(Thanks to the Norton St. Grocer for stocking the Tinned versions!

From the Vatican Museums...

Our Celebrations have a Sacred character,and also a profane character.

.

...and from Villeroy & Boch

We look forward to the key celebrations on 
Christmas Day with family and friends to perfect the great Celebration ! Let us try , by the authentic joy we share, to do our bit to remind the world about us  what Christmas is truly about.Nothing less than our Salvation and the hope of Eternal Life with God!

So, yes, we are fully engaged in the celebration of the Birth of the Divine Child - God made Man - born with a purpose, to die on a Cross to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

I sought crystal clarity , but got abstract beauty in this picture of our Christmas Tree

The sights and sounds that surround us tell a consistent story - we, as a family, are fully engaged in the celebration of Christmas, whether actually or in preparations. 

From childhood we have learned how it is done, and now we see that our children have well prepared their children to do the same. The Church of course has well prepared us all in her normal way, with the Season of Advent and its carefully chosen  and designed Readings and Prayers and Homilies, as we would expect. And the Schools , with varying degrees of completeness have done their part despite the press of end of year exams, The world of commerce has its own manufactured "Christmas spirit"but we won't bother about that. 

No, it is certainly at the personal level of family and Church and friends and School that Christmas is truly celebrated.

VENITE ADOREMUS!

The Nativity Scene at the entrance to our Unit definitively sets the scene and keeps our attention focused on the Child born unto us, and on  the Holy Family He drew about Him. The hymn reminds us "From God our Heavenly Father the blessed  Angels came" and they are represented about the scene,  and the Three Wise Men with their gifts symbolising Kingship, Divinity and His saving Death and Resurrection, and the humble shepherds adoring - could there be better forerunners for our lowly selves? 

The Joy of Christmas Celebrated and Symbolised

To symbolise the fullness of our Joy, we have the Christmas Tree . It is fitting that this custom was brought to the English speaking world by Queen Victoria's Consort, the German Prince Albert- "Albert the Good" . By all accounts he was someone it would have been a pleasure and a privilege to know.However late it came to the Anglophone world, it has been adopted with delight , and even though, in our shrunken home unit life - no longer house dwellers- we have a smaller more appropriate tree ,it enjoys the best of the decorations, collected over 41 years of Marriage, which our former tree shared with others.

We can then, look to more preparations that delight or promise to delight , the palate. The Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cakes are made with my wife Robyn's consummate skill - (just as her cooking brilliance is heavenly, we ought to pity and feel for those men married to wives who are bad cooks - life must be a foretaste(!) of Hell).

We have a marvellous collection of 12 yrs of Panettone Tins, to which this will be added in due course.

 In addition we have assistance from bella Italia in the shape of our annual Tinned Panettone    ( this year from the ovens of SARONNO in Milano)which provides us with Breakfast in the week before Christmas!(Thanks to the Norton St. Grocer for stocking the Tinned versions!

From the Vatican Museums...

Our Celebrations have a Sacred character,and also a profane character.

.

...and from Villeroy & Boch

We look forward to the key celebrations on 
Christmas Day with family and friends to perfect the great Celebration ! Let us try , by the authentic joy we share, to do our bit to remind the world about us  what Christmas is truly about.Nothing less than our Salvation and the hope of Eternal Life with God!

So, yes, we are fully engaged in the celebration of the Birth of the Divine Child - God made Man - born with a purpose, to die on a Cross to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

  






















  

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

I sought crystal clarity , but got abstract beauty in this picture of our Christmas Tree

The sights and sounds that surround us tell a consistent story - we, as a family, are fully engaged in the celebration of Christmas, whether actually or in preparations. 

From childhood we have learned how it is done, and now we see that our children have well prepared their children to do the same. The Church of course has well prepared us all in her normal way, with the Season of Advent and its carefully chosen  and designed Readings and Prayers and Homilies, as we would expect. And the Schools , with varying degrees of completeness have done their part despite the press of end of year exams, The world of commerce has its own manufactured "Christmas spirit"but we won't bother about that. 

No, it is certainly at the personal level of family and Church and friends and School that Christmas is truly celebrated.

VENITE ADOREMUS!

The Nativity Scene at the entrance to our Unit definitively sets the scene and keeps our attention focused on the Child born unto us, and on  the Holy Family He drew about Him. The hymn reminds us "From God our Heavenly Father the blessed  Angels came" and they are represented about the scene,  and the Three Wise Men with their gifts symbolising Kingship, Divinity and His saving Death and Resurrection, and the humble shepherds adoring - could there be better forerunners for our lowly selves? 

The Joy of Christmas Celebrated and Symbolised

To symbolise the fullness of our Joy, we have the Christmas Tree . It is fitting that this custom was brought to the English speaking world by Queen Victoria's Consort, the German Prince Albert- "Albert the Good" . By all accounts he was someone it would have been a pleasure and a privilege to know.However late it came to the Anglophone world, it has been adopted with delight , and even though, in our shrunken home unit life - no longer house dwellers- we have a smaller more appropriate tree ,it enjoys the best of the decorations, collected over 41 years of Marriage, which our former tree shared with others.

We can then, look to more preparations that delight or promise to delight , the palate. The Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cakes are made with my wife Robyn's consummate skill - (just as her cooking brilliance is heavenly, we ought to pity and feel for those men married to wives who are bad cooks - life must be a foretaste(!) of Hell).

We have a marvellous collection of 12 yrs of Panettone Tins, to which this will be added in due course.

 In addition we have assistance from bella Italia in the shape of our annual Tinned Panettone    ( this year from the ovens of SARONNO in Milano)which provides us with Breakfast in the week before Christmas!(Thanks to the Norton St. Grocer for stocking the Tinned versions!

From the Vatican Museums...

Our Celebrations have a Sacred character,and also a profane character.

.

...and from Villeroy & Boch

We look forward to the key celebrations on 
Christmas Day with family and friends to perfect the great Celebration ! Let us try , by the authentic joy we share, to do our bit to remind the world about us  what Christmas is truly about.Nothing less than our Salvation and the hope of Eternal Life with God!

So, yes, we are fully engaged in the celebration of the Birth of the Divine Child - God made Man - born with a purpose, to die on a Cross to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

  

THE GIFT OF FAITH - WONDERFULLY WELCOMED

THE FIRST PIOUS ACT

Do you know what you were doing on Sunday morning,the 23rd February, 2003? No? Well then you are not a Dixon, because on that day our first Grandchild Stephen Dixon was Baptised in St.Stephen's Cathedral in Brisbane - what an occasion!


You noticed the connection did you? STEPHEN Dixon Baptised in St.STEPHEN'S Cathedral . His mother and proud, happy Dad had met in the Cathedral where they had both been Altar Servers - the great Proto-Martyr was the natural Patron Saint!


The event was  amply recorded by cameras, including an extraordinary - even phenomenal occurrence -seconds after the saving waters and Chrism had, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, brought Stephen into the Church Christ founded , the beautiful little baby boy spontaneously joined his hands - to the amazement of all  present ! Who knows what Stephen will become in future life? Already at 8 years of age he is a very fine boy, handsome, intelligent and with an admirable personality. In centuries past, his early gesture would have been universally regarded as a portent - we live in different , cynical times. But for this Grandfather that lad will always have a special place in my prayers.


We hope to have Stephen as our guest for a  week in the lead up to Christmas this year and to be able to show him a good time, exploring the wonders of Sydney and the region and getting to know all the family and friends better . A happy time to enhance even Christmastide!


How fortunate we are!