Merry Christmas
Christmas begins tonight in our household. We share a Christmas dinner, say some prayers, open presents, tell stories, and go to bed way too late. Tomorrow we’ll laze around playing with the new toys, take a swim, write thank you notes, go for a long walk and end the day watching a few Christmas films. [...]
Advent Is Coming Again
Bored by Christmas already? Frustrated that the decorations, food and “Christmas Specials” seem to arrive earlier and earlier every year? You are not alone! Here in Asia we seem to be stuck in an endless season of retail extravagance. Mid-Autumn festival runs straight into Halloween and/or Diwali, which crashes into Christmas, which merges into Chinese [...]
Merry Christmas
Today, in lieu of a regular post, I’d like to offer you Robert Frost’s 1920 poem, Christmas Trees. Regardless of how you mark this time of year, I’d like to thank you for tuning into this blog, reading the posts and supporting the work. All the best for wherever 2011 takes you! The city had [...]
The Shadow Of Christmas
“Each winter as the year grows older we each grow older, too. The chill sets in a little colder; the verities we knew seem shaken and untrue.”* *Thank you to Mary at Tensegrities for bringing to my attention these lyrics.
Advent 2010
The link escapes me right now, but I recall reading an idea someone had recently, to photograph Christmas trees, in public spaces, for twelve days leading up to Christmas. Get it? The twelve days of Christmas trees? Clever and, of course, misguided. The twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas Day, rather than ending on [...]
Back In Hong Kong
Christmas is well and truly over. Well up to a point. Not all the decorations are away, I’m not fully unpacked from the Christmas break and we have not really stored all the gifts. Of course, the best gifts are the ones that keep being used or remembered for the rest of the year, but [...]
Christmas in September
For many arrangers and musicians, the end of summer marks the time to start pulling those Christmas songbooks out of storage and working on some fresh arrangements. In past years I’ve revisited Christmas favourites with big band ideas, funk reinterpretations and references to various kinds of world music. To be honest, it’s some of my [...]
Link Love Or Loving Linkage
In the past couple of months some excellent bloggers have linked to this site. Here’s a selection, Dress-Down Friday: Bolt, Naomi Klein and Coffee – Wess is one of my favourite bloggers and it was great to see him pick up on the review of Bolt. I believe it’s really important for parents to critically [...]
Epiphany 2009
“When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod [...]
Christmas Hope
And in despair I bowed my head “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail With [...]
A Faith Founded On Fear Or Hope?
For me, one of the most fascinating things about Obama’s election is that the US has chosen as it’s leader a TCK. Not only that, but TCK’s look set to play a major role in the new administration. For those unfamiliar with the jargon, a TCK is a third-culture kid. That means someone who has [...]
What If There Is More Than One Reason For The Season?
The way we respond to the commercialisation of Christmas often says more about us than it does about the commercial culture itself. Those who want to share their faith will use the opportunity. Those like to pick fights will fight. Those who want to explain the true meanings behind the symbolism will do so. Those [...]
The “Spirit” Of Christmas
The man in the Tommorrowland jacket, Tyler Brûlé wrote in this week’s Financial Times about his desire to reconnect with the idea of Christmas. Of course, Christmas and the Christmas Spirit mean very different things to different people, not always connected with the story of humble beginnings in ancient Palestine. Last night I attended one [...]
Advent
Advent is a season of the Christian calendar that includes the four Sundays before Christmas Day. In this schema, the Christmas season runs from Christmas day until Epiphany, on January 6. Advent is a season of introspection. The Biblical idea of darkness entering the light is often quoted, which is quite apt considering that in [...]
This First Week In November
November is one of my favourite months of the year. Of course, it’s a birthday month for L and myself, but it’s also the middle of autumn, when the days are shortening (and cooling) and the year is drawing in towards Advent and Christmas. There’s quite a bit on, so here is a summary of [...]
Happy Wednesday!
Around this time of year guilt-ridden, post-colonial, superficially-multicultural countries engage in an annual ritual. No, I’m not talking about Advent, or rampant consumerism, or the over-consumption of chocolate and turkey. I’m talking about the angst-ridden public debate over the role of Christmas in modern societies. Should we say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Do trees [...]
Tree Time On The Fragrant Harbour
Given the choice, I would rather shop for a Christmas tree for myself. Given the role it plays in the home for nearly six weeks, I’ve often spent more time buying a tree than a desk or even a guitar. There’s also something wonderfully urban and satisfying about carrying your Christmas tree home on your [...]
Advent Is Upon Us
Another season of Advent is upon us and this year I won’t be running a series to commemorate the season. It’s a reflection of the year this has been that I’m mired in mundane tasks and everyday concerns. Perhaps, in years to come, I will look back on 2007 as one giant administrative and organisational [...]
New Year Resolution
I’ve been pondering the word, resolution, this week. Of course, we are familar at this time of year with New Year’s resolutions, which are expressions of one’s desire (resolve) to do or not do certain things with the intention of living a better, healthier, fuller, more holy or complete life. Often these are not just [...]
Christmas Comes To An End
The decorations have come down over the weekend and the Christmas season has finally come to an end for us. It has been quite memorable and special in it’s own way; new city, new faces, new experiences. We decided to stay in Hong Kong, partly because this place has a lot of Christmas vibe (though [...]
12 Links For This Roundup
Driving In India – Yes, I’ve posted this one already, but it makes for such intoxicating viewing. There are some things I miss about India, some I don’t and then there is the traffic! Anatomy of a Comment Spammer – Interesting given my recent problems. By the way, Volker Weber’s blog, (a.k.a. vowe) is a [...]
Christmas Films – Die Hard
Mention that Die Hard is one of your favourite action films and you will probably get some level of agreement. Die Hard was a defining film in the genre and paved the way for a string of fast paced action films through the 90s. Say, however, that Die Hard is one of the your favourite [...]
Advent One
Advent starts today (and the advent film blogging starts tonight). Unfortunately I missed church with the family, having come down with a cold. Whilst resting this afternoon, as L and C decorated the tree, I took some time to think back on previous advent seasons and things I’ve written. In particular, these words, from last [...]
Why Blog Christmas Films During Advent?
This week I received a very erudite email questioning my upcoming Advent Christmas Film Blogging idea. Why am I choosing to blog Christmas films during the season of Advent? Shouldn’t I be blogging on films that deal with Advent themes instead? Very good questions! Maybe I’ll do that next year. Outside the few cultural contexts [...]
Fernando Gros is a musician, photographer & writer based in Singapore. Born in Santiago de Chile, Fernando grew up in Sydney and has also lived in London, Delhi and Hong Kong.