The first day of Christmas: Calling us in

On pilgrimages, spiced wine, church bells and aching hearts

Walking through the rain to church. It feels like Berlin in Minnesota!

This post is part of this year’s 12 Days of Christmas Contemplations, a journey into the heart of Christmas for dancing monks and weary pilgrims given freely from our heart to your’s… If you wish give a gift in return, do consider becoming a paying subscriber, inviting some one in, or gifting this gift as a gift :-).

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Dear fellow traveler,

We greet you on this first day of Christmas. And a Merry Christmas to you!

It is warm in Minnesota and something feels off about that. It reminds me to Christmas in Berlin last year, and I will tell you a little story about it. But first a confession:

Every year again I think I am done with Christmas. What is it all with this Christmas tradition anyway? Every year again I try to make sense of this story and every year I fall short again.

For many…