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Christmas trees and Candlemas

This year, by sheer accident, I contrived to leave the Christmas things up until Candlemas, partly because the Kings went into the Crib scene belatedly and partly because it seemed the next feast day of major import after Epiphany. I have since been told that to do anything else would be dreadfully unlucky, although I have doubts. (Not enough of them though to cross my fingers for rain at Candlemas as the rhyme tells me to.)

Claire Steep
All Saints
St. Andrews, Fife, SCOTLAND
3 February 2014

I am late reading AO this week, usually read it first thing on Monday.

I enjoyed the Candlemas essay very much. But must add this comment, Groundhog's Day customs didn't originate in the US but derive from German and English customs. Only the forecasting animal has changed. If you type "Candlemas" and "badger" into Google you will get lots of information about badgers predicting the end, or the continuation, of winter depending on whether or not the day is sunny. (I think groundhogs are indigenous to the US and I don't think we have badgers here.)

Oh, and I was disappointed that you did not mention the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. What other feast has three (3)! titles.

Yours, with thanks and appreciation for AO.

Suzanne Thompson
The Church of the Advent, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, USA
4 February 2014

The tradition in my family (I grew up in the UK) regarding "undecorating" was that everything must be down and put away by noontime on Old Christmas Day aka Little Christmas/Epiphany! I still abide by that tradition although sometimes when January 6 falls on a normally busy day I compromise by doing as much as I can including getting all the decos off the tree so that the house no longer "looks like Christmas."

I do not decorate until the last week before Christmas – sorry, can't wait until Christmas Eve.

Sonia Stevenson
Good Shepherd, Acton, Massachusetts
Carlisle, Massachusetts, USA
5 February 2014

Guide to missals

Can anyone tell me if the Anglican Missal published in the US is the same as A Daily Missal from CLA in Britain? There is some confusion on this point. I am aware of differences between the English Missal and the Anglican Missal. Any help will be welcome.

Richard Nash Creel
St. Paul's
Salisbury, North Carolina, USA
gringudo@yahoo.com
7 February 2014

Editor: Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Missal for the full story.

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.