I wrote it in sync with the seasons and started with Advent. However, sometimes I spent so much time on a season that I found myself very much behind the calendar season, and I felt it harder to write. So I just jumped ahead to the current season and waited for the next year to go back to my unfinished one. The major influence is that it made my writing tighter, probably better, for being revisited so often (over a period of about 3-4 years)!
Hello! As someone who lives in a small apartment in the Nation's Capital, I can attest that this city does not live on any natural or liturgical cycle, but only a (man-made) political one. Living a liturgical cycle is an intentional choice to live more authentically and eternally, not thinkiing of short-term gains or power plays. Any advice for city dwellers? PS I inherited my mom's presepio (we're italian!) and I love nothing more than recreating the nativity scene from my childhood, building the village, the landscape, the stable, and placing all the little people in their special spots.
Hello and thank you from Pam in Central Texas. As a new found love of the liturgical calendar and connections to regular calendar, what would be the simplest way to begin integrating the two?
Observe what is going on around you, in the wild, in gardens and kitchen gardens (or at the local table), what custom do you already follow and why, feel free to improvise, and pick what fits your context in your personal/family situation– as long as it keeps you close to the great story of redemption. More on that in the conversation.
Hello Sylvie (and Kristin), I live in Brisbane, Australia, which is a sub-tropical environment. Our natural seasons are the opposite of so much of the world and not as distinguished as yours may be. I love the liturgical calendar but so many traditions have emerged from the Northern Hemisphere. Do you have any tips for integrating old ways, while also finding our own new ways for living liturgically in a way that makes sense ‘down’ here?
Hello fellow Australian! I live in Wodonga. This is something that Kristin and I have been pondering on and discussing for some time and we brainstorm ideas about the way that the Southern Hemisphere can use what she does with her liturgical/community/family groups. I am about to really start being serious about doing something similar but it will take research and time. I would love your input.
Hey Catherine, so great to connect! We lived in Vancouver, Canada for 2 years (over 12 years ago now) and that was really where I fell in love with the liturgical year alongside the four glorious seasons - cherry blossoms in spring around Easter were such a delight. And the colours of autumn/fall were wonderful too. I was really determined upon coming home to find ways to celebrate in a meaningful (to us) way. I’ve always struggled with fake snow on windows here at Christmas, that kind of thing feels disingenuous. But so much literature comes from Europe and North America and so little seems to be southern centred. Would love to chat some more about this with you. Perhaps tapping into Indigenous knowledge and understanding of the seasons may help? For example I know some First Nations people groups talk about 6 seasons here. But Australia is so vast so there is some sense that we always need to adapt things for our particularities. Lots to say. Lots of ideas and Jen to hear more from you. Maybe I should take this conversation to an email?
Hello back to you! Talking about Autumn, we are enjoying those fresh colours right now in Wodonga and region, and the crisp mornings. I also do not do fake snow or even the other clearly Northern Hemisphere decorations as it seems utterly wrong, so I sympathise entirely. I have never heard of the 6 seasons idea but that is something I would be interested in learning. Learning how to do this liturgically and in our natural seasons is going to take a great deal of reading and time but we can do it together. My email is cate.nunan@gmail.com Yay!
Advent: setting out the crèche, going on an Advent walk, and letting the quiet and soft beauty penetrate me, while observing and collecting natural things with which to decorate the crèche.
The practice of living in season has become a personal discipline to indwell each season and love it, while also anticipating the next one – so I can truly say I love them all.
This is the adventishness I talk about in my books: God is here and has something to show me in each season: don’t walk so fast!
William Morris started “The Arts and Crafts Movement” in order to beautify places throughout industrial England (1880-1920). He was known for using natural and botanical motifs not so wealthy people could hang them in their galleries or museums, but so that everyone, everywhere, especially in homes and workplaces could enjoy and be uplifted by them (whether on rugs, furniture, utensils, clothes, books, etc.). I find both his art, and his vision inspiring!
Oh I love how this connects to the crèche so much! I would love to ask Sylvie what kind of nativity displays she did with her kids when they were small, this is something near and dear to my heart as well 🩷
The manger we used was similar to their play Provençal farm, terracotta tiles and all. Their farm animals quickly joined in the manger scene with the Holy Family. At first I winced, but soon realized that including them was my girls' simple way of including their own daily lives into the nativity scene. Eventually, giraffes and elephants joined in – wince again... Later, a half walnut shell with a playdough Jesus became the cradle. Again, I figured it was their way of grafting their nursery onto the nativity (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7 – you shall talk of these things to your children when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, etc)
They gradually understood the lesson of the santons, and learned to ask (or sing with us, as we still do) “What can I give Him?”
Melody, you're the lucky winner of this book!! Thank you so much for being here and for your wonderful question. When you have a chance, please DM me or email me (hearthstonefables [at] gmail.com) and we can connect to mail your book out! :)
Thank you so much!! It is so lovely to hear from you! I just received the book a few days ago and it is absolutely one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen!! I was hoping to catch the zoom call but wasn’t able to and I’m looking forward to watching the recording (and dig deeper into the book! ☺️)!!! I loved your explanation on the santons- so much beauty to be shared across seasons!!
This is probably what took the longest time in the overall planning, because I made it all up (as opposed to the traditional customs, nature, etc): the santons belong to the Christmas season in real life.
But once I realized that their true value was that of speaking to us all year long through the changing seasons, I drew up lists and thought about where each might fit. Some santons moved around my early outlines.
I found my final answers gradually, in nature, in the Pastorales (existing plays), the words of the noëls (carols), my own life as well, like the woman with kindling. Waiting and praying!
Advent: setting out the crèche, going on an Advent walk, and letting the quiet and soft beauty penetrate me while observing the beauties of creation (more customs coming in my upcoming book). Using botanical treasures to deck the crèche with, a little differently each year. Being more prayerful. It is marvelously fitted to the whole family, from the youngest to the oldest members.
I’m so excited for this! My question for the author: what is your favorite season, and why? Does your favorite season coincide with your favorite liturgical season?
I love this book idea — I think about this concept all the time! What are some ways that you pick up the discipline of celebration during celebration seasons (Christmastide, Eastertide)? How do you sustain celebration in-season?
-Nature: for Easter, go and find one trumpet or bell flower a day, one new green shoot, different kinds of greens, etc. Place a journal with pencils where people tend to sit, and encourage them to draw, write, and display their treasures. Include your guests!
-Music: sing a new season-related hymn every day as a family, learn one a week, harmonize, listen to a new piece of music. What composer fits this season?
-art: display artwork about this season, like resurrection, and discuss it.
-Books: poetry and other genres, including children’s books: read one passage, to yourself or aloud.
-Make a dish a week that is relevant, that celebrates the season. Get people involved.
-Have a place in the house to display your nature collections, books, art, where people tend to sit and rest. They will look! I like my table runner as that place, as well as the coffee table. Ask other family members to contribute to the display.
Each place where I have lived has its own botanical beauty. Yet, if pressed, I would say Cambridge, England. The beauty of the traditional English gardens, in a place where over 40 college gardens are landscaped and cultivated by paid gardeners, with benches for the likes of me to sit and enjoy, is hard to beat! It was a four-year long floral blessing!
I would love to know if she wrote the book in-sync or out of sync with the seasons as the year passed? How did that influence her writing?
I wrote it in sync with the seasons and started with Advent. However, sometimes I spent so much time on a season that I found myself very much behind the calendar season, and I felt it harder to write. So I just jumped ahead to the current season and waited for the next year to go back to my unfinished one. The major influence is that it made my writing tighter, probably better, for being revisited so often (over a period of about 3-4 years)!
Hello! As someone who lives in a small apartment in the Nation's Capital, I can attest that this city does not live on any natural or liturgical cycle, but only a (man-made) political one. Living a liturgical cycle is an intentional choice to live more authentically and eternally, not thinkiing of short-term gains or power plays. Any advice for city dwellers? PS I inherited my mom's presepio (we're italian!) and I love nothing more than recreating the nativity scene from my childhood, building the village, the landscape, the stable, and placing all the little people in their special spots.
Hello and thank you from Pam in Central Texas. As a new found love of the liturgical calendar and connections to regular calendar, what would be the simplest way to begin integrating the two?
Observe what is going on around you, in the wild, in gardens and kitchen gardens (or at the local table), what custom do you already follow and why, feel free to improvise, and pick what fits your context in your personal/family situation– as long as it keeps you close to the great story of redemption. More on that in the conversation.
Hello Sylvie (and Kristin), I live in Brisbane, Australia, which is a sub-tropical environment. Our natural seasons are the opposite of so much of the world and not as distinguished as yours may be. I love the liturgical calendar but so many traditions have emerged from the Northern Hemisphere. Do you have any tips for integrating old ways, while also finding our own new ways for living liturgically in a way that makes sense ‘down’ here?
Hello fellow Australian! I live in Wodonga. This is something that Kristin and I have been pondering on and discussing for some time and we brainstorm ideas about the way that the Southern Hemisphere can use what she does with her liturgical/community/family groups. I am about to really start being serious about doing something similar but it will take research and time. I would love your input.
Hey Catherine, so great to connect! We lived in Vancouver, Canada for 2 years (over 12 years ago now) and that was really where I fell in love with the liturgical year alongside the four glorious seasons - cherry blossoms in spring around Easter were such a delight. And the colours of autumn/fall were wonderful too. I was really determined upon coming home to find ways to celebrate in a meaningful (to us) way. I’ve always struggled with fake snow on windows here at Christmas, that kind of thing feels disingenuous. But so much literature comes from Europe and North America and so little seems to be southern centred. Would love to chat some more about this with you. Perhaps tapping into Indigenous knowledge and understanding of the seasons may help? For example I know some First Nations people groups talk about 6 seasons here. But Australia is so vast so there is some sense that we always need to adapt things for our particularities. Lots to say. Lots of ideas and Jen to hear more from you. Maybe I should take this conversation to an email?
Hello back to you! Talking about Autumn, we are enjoying those fresh colours right now in Wodonga and region, and the crisp mornings. I also do not do fake snow or even the other clearly Northern Hemisphere decorations as it seems utterly wrong, so I sympathise entirely. I have never heard of the 6 seasons idea but that is something I would be interested in learning. Learning how to do this liturgically and in our natural seasons is going to take a great deal of reading and time but we can do it together. My email is cate.nunan@gmail.com Yay!
With liturgical living being a very communal habit, how would you go about living seasonally when those around you do not?
Love this! What is your favorite liturgical season? What is your favorite natural season?
Advent: setting out the crèche, going on an Advent walk, and letting the quiet and soft beauty penetrate me, while observing and collecting natural things with which to decorate the crèche.
The practice of living in season has become a personal discipline to indwell each season and love it, while also anticipating the next one – so I can truly say I love them all.
This is the adventishness I talk about in my books: God is here and has something to show me in each season: don’t walk so fast!
What season excites you the most; either liturgical or natural? Are they the same?
Who inspires you the most in your art.
William Morris started “The Arts and Crafts Movement” in order to beautify places throughout industrial England (1880-1920). He was known for using natural and botanical motifs not so wealthy people could hang them in their galleries or museums, but so that everyone, everywhere, especially in homes and workplaces could enjoy and be uplifted by them (whether on rugs, furniture, utensils, clothes, books, etc.). I find both his art, and his vision inspiring!
Oh I love how this connects to the crèche so much! I would love to ask Sylvie what kind of nativity displays she did with her kids when they were small, this is something near and dear to my heart as well 🩷
The manger we used was similar to their play Provençal farm, terracotta tiles and all. Their farm animals quickly joined in the manger scene with the Holy Family. At first I winced, but soon realized that including them was my girls' simple way of including their own daily lives into the nativity scene. Eventually, giraffes and elephants joined in – wince again... Later, a half walnut shell with a playdough Jesus became the cradle. Again, I figured it was their way of grafting their nursery onto the nativity (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7 – you shall talk of these things to your children when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, etc)
They gradually understood the lesson of the santons, and learned to ask (or sing with us, as we still do) “What can I give Him?”
I love this!! A question for the author: how did you choose the different santons for each chapter?
Melody, you're the lucky winner of this book!! Thank you so much for being here and for your wonderful question. When you have a chance, please DM me or email me (hearthstonefables [at] gmail.com) and we can connect to mail your book out! :)
Ahhhh YAY!!! I am so excited for this book! Thank you so so so much for creating such a beautiful space for this community! I’ll DM you!! :D
Thank you for helping to make this community so beautiful!
Congratulations, Melody! I hope and pray that the Art of Living in Season will be a rich blessing for years to come!
Thank you so much!! It is so lovely to hear from you! I just received the book a few days ago and it is absolutely one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen!! I was hoping to catch the zoom call but wasn’t able to and I’m looking forward to watching the recording (and dig deeper into the book! ☺️)!!! I loved your explanation on the santons- so much beauty to be shared across seasons!!
This is probably what took the longest time in the overall planning, because I made it all up (as opposed to the traditional customs, nature, etc): the santons belong to the Christmas season in real life.
But once I realized that their true value was that of speaking to us all year long through the changing seasons, I drew up lists and thought about where each might fit. Some santons moved around my early outlines.
I found my final answers gradually, in nature, in the Pastorales (existing plays), the words of the noëls (carols), my own life as well, like the woman with kindling. Waiting and praying!
What is your favorite family liturgical tradition?
Advent: setting out the crèche, going on an Advent walk, and letting the quiet and soft beauty penetrate me while observing the beauties of creation (more customs coming in my upcoming book). Using botanical treasures to deck the crèche with, a little differently each year. Being more prayerful. It is marvelously fitted to the whole family, from the youngest to the oldest members.
I’m so excited for this! My question for the author: what is your favorite season, and why? Does your favorite season coincide with your favorite liturgical season?
I love this book idea — I think about this concept all the time! What are some ways that you pick up the discipline of celebration during celebration seasons (Christmastide, Eastertide)? How do you sustain celebration in-season?
I make lists and ask family members for ideas.
-Nature: for Easter, go and find one trumpet or bell flower a day, one new green shoot, different kinds of greens, etc. Place a journal with pencils where people tend to sit, and encourage them to draw, write, and display their treasures. Include your guests!
-Music: sing a new season-related hymn every day as a family, learn one a week, harmonize, listen to a new piece of music. What composer fits this season?
-art: display artwork about this season, like resurrection, and discuss it.
-Books: poetry and other genres, including children’s books: read one passage, to yourself or aloud.
-Make a dish a week that is relevant, that celebrates the season. Get people involved.
-Have a place in the house to display your nature collections, books, art, where people tend to sit and rest. They will look! I like my table runner as that place, as well as the coffee table. Ask other family members to contribute to the display.
-Check my book for more ideas!
That book looks absolutely wonderful! Here's my question: Where do you begin with seasonal living?
This was one of my questions: where to start? There are so many possible entry points!
I now wonder if the number of possibilities simply reflects that we all want a chance at a fresh beginning! ...
I have come to prefer Advent for a fresh start, yet I also think that anytime you first think of doing it is the opportune moment!
What made you initially interested in seasonal living and how long have you done so?
My question for Sylvie: florally, where is/has been your favorite place to live through the seasons?
Each place where I have lived has its own botanical beauty. Yet, if pressed, I would say Cambridge, England. The beauty of the traditional English gardens, in a place where over 40 college gardens are landscaped and cultivated by paid gardeners, with benches for the likes of me to sit and enjoy, is hard to beat! It was a four-year long floral blessing!