Florida Catholic | Think Pink & Purple

Think pink (and purple)

On Catholic calendar, it's not time for Christmas colors yet.

JANET SHELTON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 11.23.07

ST. PETERSBURG | About this time every year, when most everyone is immersed in red and green, the Whapham family of Pembroke Pines is thinking pink.

For several years now, Cheryl and Ted Whapham have been decorating their holiday tree twice. On the first Sunday of Advent, it is decorated in ribbons and ornaments of purple and pink. Then, on Christmas Eve morning, the family takes down the pink and decorates the tree again — this time with the ornaments and colors of Christmas.

“After breakfast, we take down the Advent tree and we decorate it with (the Christmas decorations),” Cheryl said. “It’s the start of our Christmas.”

The changing of the ornaments is one of the ways the Whaphams observe Advent. They are choosing to follow the Catholic Church’s Christmas season, which follows Advent, doesn’t begin until Christmas Eve, and continues to be celebrated until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in mid-January.

At Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Daytona Beach, Father Philip Egitto puts church teaching into action. There are no parish or school Christmas parties during Advent. All such events are held after Christmas Day. The church has no Christmas decoration until Christmas Eve. People need to focus on Advent during Advent, the pastor said.

“Advent is an important season because it is a season by where we can prepare heart and mind in a joyful way for Christmas,” the priest said. “I really think it is most appropriate that we have an Advent wreath in the home as opposed to a tree. It is most appropriate to put up your Christmas tree and decorations on Christmas Eve.”

“I think what we do in church should be mirrored in our homes,” he said.

Father Egitto said preparing for Christmas isn’t about shopping, but “prayerful reflection.” He tries to make people in his congregation understand, but many don’t.

“People are baffled,” he said. “They think the Christmas season begins the day after Halloween and (ends) on Christmas Eve. … I do get flak from people because (so many) people think Christmas is about Santa Claus, snowmen and reindeer.”

Whapham has encountered a few looks of “you’re kidding” herself. To some, it seems weird not to celebrate Christmas as most people do in the United States. The Whaphams have two children, for goodness sake, what are they missing by not having a Santa by the door, brightly colored lights along the roof, and numerous renditions of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Silent Night” on the car radio.

What are they missing? Not much, Cheryl Whapham said. Actually, they are gaining plenty. They get a true sense of a spiritually beautiful season. And by Christmas Eve, the Whaphams aren’t sick of Christmas; they are looking forward to two weeks of treasuring it.

Father Egitto said parishioners who take his suggestions often find they enjoy the change.

“To be honest with you, I have had many say they did it … and it worked,” he said. “Two weeks of celebration is a lot better than 12 weeks of celebration.”

Observing Advent should be more than lighting the Advent wreath every Sunday. Kathy Proefke, associate director of the Office of Worship in the St. Petersburg Diocese, said her children loved the Advent calendars that had little doors behind which were thoughts for each day of the season. Her son and daughter are adults now, but Proefke still considers carefully her actions during the Advent season.

“I try not to get caught up in the consumer mentality of it. I’m not trying to be judgmental; it’s just better for me to do it slow,” she said. “I’ll do some shopping, but I don’t get crazy with it. … I do get gifts for family and friends, but I try not to get caught up in that whirlwind of shopping.”

“I feel a lot more peaceful.”

Many embrace Advent by taking time out for a retreat. Ellen McCormack, of the Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center in North Palm Beach, is holding an Advent day of reflection (as well as an evening program) devoted to the spirituality of Advent. The program, which will take place at the center, will focus on Mary and her “Let it be done unto me.”

“I’m trying to look at Mary and see how she can be a beacon for us,” McCormack said.

Celebrating Advent doesn’t necessarily mean everything Christmas is held off until Christmas Eve. Whapham said her family has made some compromises to balance the secular and spiritual. Her children attend seasonal celebrations at school and such. Remaining spiritual while living in a secular world is kind of the way life works for her family throughout the year.

“We have the Advent prayers at home. We have the Advent tree,” she said. “We’re mixing the spiritual and the secular.

“We’re spiritual, but we live in the real world.”

Return to Florida Catholic Online Home Page