Hello Ducklings,
What a fun time of year for making social appearances at things like tree lightings, parties and concerts. It’s a good season for adding a bit of sparkle or whimsy to your image, especially if you’re dressed in an all-black uniform of fairly severe garments most of the time.
This is not to say that you should go out dressed like a Christmas tree or in one of those frumpy holiday sweaters. Oh, no. PeaceBang would not suggest such a thing. But she would suggest that you have some fun with your outerwear so that you have a choice between “I’m here to lay our Dearly Beloved in the ground with the appropriate prayers” and “I’m here to hang candy canes on the tree.”
This is where very inexpensive outerwear can really serve you. I have been enjoying a cotton trench coat I bought for about $30 on sale at Old Navy a few years ago. Add a faux fur wrap from Chico’s, an adorable felted hat that was a gift from a parishioner (which I adorned with a felt pin I purchased on Etsy several years ago) and a great pair of bronze leather gloves (an ancient NYC purchase – I’ve had them for almost a decade) and voila! A cute, warm ensemble that makes me happy and looks a little more seasonally sassy than my usual brown or black. If I was going to a dressy occasion I would still wear the faux fur (that thing is SO WARM) and my brown wool coat and a less eccentric chapeau.
This guy is apparently a soccer star but I love his infinity scarf. See, fellas, you can wear them, too! I love the way a cozy scarf can make anyone look really warm and approachable.
It is a pastorally-demanding time of year. The stresses of holiday expectations weigh heavily on many, and family gatherings bring up old wounds and/or performance anxiety for many in our care. I don’t know about you, but I find myself standing in the cold an awful lot, holding a hand and listening in a parking lot or on the street. Dress warmly. Wear a hat. And carry tissues. Make sure you’ve got your business cards packed into all your bags and a good stack on your desk in the office. Put on your pointiest elf listening ears. This is a season for the re-telling of sacred stories and pastors inevitably find that we get to hear many people’s personal sacred stories. Hang in there, elves. Make sure that as you’re gearing up for making Christmas merry, bright and meaningful you’re making time to make your own. I put up a Christmas tree last weekend and I’m just so glad I did. It gives me joy and strength just seeing it there.
My partner and I just put up our first tree as a couple, and I made garlands out of free tree branches from the non profit that sold us the tree (woo seminarian budget!). It is amazing how excited I am for the holiday season with the tree shining next to me (and I know it’s a silly holiday, but I’ve been lighting a chalice every evening this week for Chalica- that small moment has been a nice focus for me in the midst of finals- and my partner is Jewish, so now we get Hanukkah!).
I am taking part in two of the holiday services for my sponsoring congregation when I head home- it’s fun figuring out how to pack for two more formal moments with the bulky casual wear (and presents) I’ll be cramming into my little carry on. Is a nice red sweater with slacks too casual for the Christmas Eve service? Last year our minister had me do the pastoral prayer for that, so I don’t want to err on the side of informality (which probably means I just answered my own question). [Indeed you did, darling! - PB]
I’m all abuzz with excitement. And should get back to work on that final.
This Christmas is going to be a hard one…my dad died in the summer and my Mam is going to come and stay for a bit with my husband and I. I’m struggling with a cold and I’m in a funk (depression) where each day is an ordeal.
I like your advice to have business cards and tissues at the ready…an absolute necessity when you live in a small town. I love hats and have several for different occasions. My current favourite is brown felt with a wider brim, trimmed with a velvet hat band and an adorable feather flower. It works for more formal occasions. For day to day stuff I have a felt tam that I wear, sometimes with a sparkly pin for more “fun” occasions.
For our Festival of Lights this year I was asked to wear my traditional attire, which is cassock and surplice. I also wore heavy socks, thick soled black shoes and a black funeral cope ‘cos it was COLD. To add a bit of colour I wore a bright read toque and matching red gloves which kept me warm and identifiable. The kids were awesome and that brought some joy to my life.
But otherwise, I’d be quite happy to leave the house as it is, well, maybe clean it first, and focus on the season of sharing and of gratitude rather than the commercialism of it all.
I wholeheartedly agree with the Christmas tree. This Friday I finished up a week that had lasted fourteen days and included two funerals and one on the horizon, I was feeling really run down. I drove past a parking lot with trees (real ones, none of that fake stuff (if you have allergies I suppose they’re okay)) and I knew that’s what I needed, the scent of pine, colorful lights and ornaments from Christmases past.
You may want to know that faux fur often comes from China, where the real kind, from animals, is so cheap to produce that it’s used instead of synthetic, and labeled “faux” for marketing purposes. [Thanks for letting me know. I had never heard this. - PB]
The “infinity scarf” that soccer star is wearing is called a cowl, and they are all the rage. I just finished knitting a lace one, much smaller than his, from merino wool and angora. It will keep my neck warm with an open-collared shirt or under/above my winter coat and will look pretty and feminine. I see them everywhere on the knitting blogs, often very large like his.