Advent is well underway at the Boyd house, which you can tell by the row of open doors on our Advent calendar. Saturday’s Advent activity read “attend the Sankta Lucia pageant at North Park University,” which we enjoyed as a whole family.
We’ve been going to the “Sankta Lucia pageant”:http://www.northpark.edu/News/Featured-Events/Sankta-Lucia-Pageant-and-Buffet.aspx for “four years now”:/news/2008/sankta-lucia/, ever since Lucy was six months old. We usually go late, dashing in with post-nap-sleepy children just in time to catch a glimpse of Queen Lucia walking down the chapel aisle with her “fiery crown”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy%27s_Day. This year, Rosie was awake from her nap with enough time for all of us to get dressed in our finery (by Lucy’s special request). Grammie and Grandpa Boyd joined us for the first time this year, and we all walked through the chilly December air to claim our seats in the North Park chapel.
p{color:gray}. Photo: Ann, Lucy, Grammie, Grandpa, and Rosie arrive at North Park University‘s Anderson Chapel.
Despite the family-friendly atmosphere, the program can be a challenge for young ones. How long can we convince Lucy to listen to the descriptions of Christmas in Scandinavian countries — no matter how interesting they are? How many times can Rosie be entertained by going up and down the set of three stairs? When will a trip over to the water fountain be required? But all the waiting is worth when the overhead lights are dimmed and the Christmas lights are sparkling and the angel-dressed choir walks down the aisle, candles in hand, with Queen Lucia leading their way. We all sit in awe, amazed at the lovely sight (and really counting on the fire-safety sense of the Lucia girl).
p{color:gray}. Photo: It’s hard to take a good photo of the Lucia Queen in the semi-darkness. See?
This year, we doubled up our fun, returning home for a celebration of Grammie’s birthday. While devouring our “spaghetti bolognese”:/news/2008/easy-to-freeze-bolognese-sauce/ and a gigantic chocolate cake (a new recipe I must share), we talked through Christmas plans, giggled at the girls’ silly toddler jokes, and failed to prevent Rosie from throwing cake on the floor (after eating a good quantity of it). All in all, a very satisfying celebration. We think Saint Lucia herself would be pleased.
I think that’s a great tradition! And particularly special since you have your own Lucia. There are so many Christmas festivities down here – I’m hoping we can find something special that we could do year after year. Evidently, many of the towns host posadas, which are reenactments of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter. We missed the one close by, so we’ll try to get to it next year.