immersing myself in the holiday season (aka a long rambling post but i promise there are photos!)

you've noticed that i wasn't here much this weekend, maybe? well, i was a busy girl!

i finally found something i've been looking for since i moved to Florida: an LCMS church close to where i live! i went this morning for the first time & liked it well enough to go again, we'll say that much. i am a tough customer when it comes to churches. i am used to churches like the ones i attended back in Connecticut and there is just nothing like them down here. there are no enormous, ornate altars; only flat, "table-like" altars. the sanctuaries themselves all seem open & too contemporary when compared to the churches i am accustomed to, which were old & rich with history & had balconies to fill up some of that space between the floor & the high ceiling. of all the churches i've been to since my transplant to Florida, this was the closest to what i am used to. there were some differences, but nothing too difficult to deal with:

* the projection screen at the front of the church, with the order of service & all the hymns, instead of following along in the hymnal.
* the statue of Christ at the rear of the church, instead of over the alter.
* the palm trees flanking the chancel.
* the blue Paraments on the alter -- we are taught during Confirmation class that it is acceptable to use either purple or blue during the Advent season, but i've only ever seen purple, so it was just a shock to actually see blue being used.
* the Christmas tree lit with white lights and decorated with red bows & a lighted star at the top. all my life, the church Christmas tree was decorated only in white & gold and lit with spotlights, so to see a "regular" Christmas tree in church seems odd to me.

there were some things, though, that i was happy to find:

* worshippers partaking of the Eucharist knelt to do so, something i haven't seen in years.
* we stood through the opening hymn.
* we used the "trespasses" version of the Lord's Prayer, complete with "Thy," not "You."

i have just never felt "connected" to the other churches i have attended in Florida. while i don't have a connection to this one either, i am at least compelled to go back again for the Wednesday evening Advent service. time will tell...

this evening, while watching football, i worked on my Christmas cards. i have three different designs planned for this year. i got the first set completed & the second set half done.


yesterday, i spent the entire day at Epcot, enjoying "Holidays Around the World," and all the decorations in the park, as well as on the Boardwalk & in the surrounding resorts. the resorts are impressive themselves, even just as they are with all the little themed details, but in their holiday decor, they are downright amazing! each resort is festively decorated in the resort's theme, in complete Disney fashion. every tiny detail is perfect.




especially amazing were the displays in some resorts constructed entirely of gingerbread!



it isn't just the resorts though. it's the shops & pavilions all throughout Epcot as well! treats & decorations & items available for purchase...









i didn't even know that Holidays Around the World existed before this year, but it was so interesting. there are eleven countries represented in Epcot's World Showcase: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom and Canada. each pavilion had a storyteller that shared the customs & traditions celebrated in that country during the holiday season. it was fascinating to hear about the celebrations. (i am going to do a separate post for each country, one per day, over the next week & a half though, because this is getting pretty long already and really, it's too interesting not to give each its own spotlight.)


i did manage to stop & enjoy a very yummy berry tart in Norway though...


i watched Mickey's Tree Lighting Treat, which was difficult to see very well because so many people were trying to fit into a very small space, but it was fun to see the tree-lighting ceremony, nonetheless.



and i finally got to see something i've been wanting to since i got my first annual Disney pass: the Candlelight Processional. each holiday season, the program takes place in the America Garden theatre. more than 400 performers fill the stage. there is a 50-piece orchestra, a candlelight choir and a celebrity narrator. the choir sings beautiful holiday songs & Chrismas carols. the narrator tells the Christmas story between songs, concluding with "One Solitary Life," followed by The Hallelujah Chorus. it was beautifully done & so worth the long line i waited in to see it.


this was weekend was perfect for getting me into the Christmas spirit.