Christmas Mass - Your Favorite One

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That’s easy. We pile into the car. Spouse makes an excuse… I have to go to the bathroom. Oops. Forgot to turn off the oven. Etc etc. Distributes presents.

Go to Mass.

Come home.

Presto, Santa has come while we were gone.

Worked for years.
 
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StephieNorthCo said:
That’s easy. We pile into the car. Spouse makes an excuse… I have to go to the bathroom. Oops. Forgot to turn off the oven. Etc etc. Distributes presents.

Go to Mass.

Come home.

Presto, Santa has come while we were gone.

Worked for years.
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I didn’t grow up with Santa bringing presents. The only things that didn’t come from Mom & Dad or relatives was what was in our stockings and Baby Jesus filled those. Oh we knew about Santa but he wasn’t a very important figure for us.

I know one family whose youngest, about 15 years my junior, was in Jr. High before she found out there was no Santa. Her mother went through the most elaborate preparations to keep her believing and her sisters played along. If that were me I would have been seriously POed if my mother’s idea of fun had caused me to make fool of myself by scolding my classmates for not believing in Santa.
 
Allegra said:
He came down the chimney.
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That was always a problem when I was a kid as we had a chimney but no fireplace- just a gas furnace. Santa could get hurt I think.

Although in the modern day, Jolly Old St. Nick has even a more difficult time squeezing down a PVC pipe that folks use instead of a chimney in the modern day
 
StephieNorthCo said:
That’s easy. We pile into the car. Spouse makes an excuse… I have to go to the bathroom. Oops. Forgot to turn off the oven. Etc etc. Distributes presents.

Go to Mass.

Come home.

Presto, Santa has come while we were gone.

Worked for years.
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Oh. OK.

Your house didn’t have a chimney, so someone had to let him in via door or window then?
 
This thread makes me look forward to Advent!
(oh great I just remembered all the gifts i have to get)
I have 20 people in my family and we all have a custom to exchange gifts, my parents are elderly and some of my adult family are mentally disabled which stops me from saying “Hey guys, this year Ijust can’t go through the stress and high blood pressure of figuring out gifts!!!”
I would say it nicer but as it stands I use ebay and Amazon “add on items” which are a good deal. You can get a brand new men’s sweater for $7.
My best luck was at a church yard sale, I found brand new polo shirts for $3.
 
Phemie said:
But the old folk used to come to that Mass when I was growing up. The only way I’m giving up on it is if I get too old to drive and can’t find a way to get there.
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To be clear, I really do not want any older person falling in the dark, or anyone getting in an accident on the road at 1:00 AM, or any other such thing that (supposedly) can so easily happen when people go to Midnight Mass. And yes, every year I have an evening Mass and a day Mass, so people are free to come to one of those.

But it does surprise me how, just one week later, suddenly Midnight is not too late, when it comes to celebrating the secular holiday of New Year’s at Midnight.

Before Christmas, I hear “O Father, how mean of you to schedule Midnight Mass at Midnight. The old people, like me, can’t come. The children can’t be there, etc. etc.”

To which I say “Then I’ll see you Christmas eve or morning? at one of the 3 or 4 other Masses on the schedule?”

And get some kind of “If I’m not too busy…”

Then 2 weeks later, the same people are talking in the parking lot about what great fun they had at the New Year’s Eve party at so-and-so’s house, or the party at the park or the stadium, or wherever; or how they went to some big city to watch the widget drop at Midnight.
 
We go to the first morning Mass now. We went to the Midnight Mass a few times. But you have to get there really early to get a seat. Also unfortunately the people who come tend to be really loud prior to Mass starting and I found a lot of young women dressed inappropriately.
 
FrDavid96 said:
To be clear, I really do not want any older person falling in the dark, or anyone getting in an accident on the road at 1:00 AM, or any other such thing that (supposedly) can so easily happen when people go to Midnight Mass. And yes, every year I have an evening Mass and a day Mass, so people are free to come to one of those.
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Father, loved your post. At times, our pastor forgets to tell our maintenance guy to change to timers for the parking lot lights and guess who checks them? I gotta stop making sure that everyone does their job and stick to music! But, in this case, I give in and quietly check and adjust the timers so no one falls in the dark parking lot, as someone who is very involved did after the EV this year and is now suing the church and the diocese!

Sadly, about 25 years ago, a whole family of 4 attended the EV Mass. Leaving the community in which our church is located, they turned on to a major highway, another car ran through the red light and the whole family was killed. That lives in my memory every year and it is always announced to “please drive home safely.”

The “Midnight Mass” terminology will not go away for years, if ever. I liked going to Mass at Midnight before being in ministry. It was unique and somewhat cool. Now at 10 pm, the liturgy is exactly the same including the Christmas Proclamation within the Opening Rites, and that’s about it. The choir may include more people and instrumentation, but the music chosen is the same for all choir Masses for Christmas…Christmas carols so that everyone feels comfortable and can easily join in. While others hear say that their Mass at 12 midnight is packed, my large suburb parish is not. Actually it was the least attended of all. At 10 pm, more people are attending, but the earlier vigils and Christmas Day Masses are always overflow.
FrDavid96 said:
The Lectionary is yet to be updated, and still uses the names that match the Sacramentary, so it still says “Midnight Mass” but it should read “Mass in the Night.” Maybe some publishers have updated this, but as far as I know, they have not.
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Father, going back a couple days. You are correct that the Lectionary has not yet been updated and is not available from any publishers. Recently, I tried to order a new set (pastor likes the separate A, B, C cycle books). We have a new altar Roman Missal from LTP. For Christmas, there are 3 prefaces titled I, II, or III for the Nativity of our Lord.

The prayers (don’t know how the new Missal titles them for Christmas, may have the theme of darkness and light…good; but, the Gospel Reading (Luke 2) and the Gospel Acclamation, speaks more of December 25th, chosen, as I would assume, to be read at a 12 Midnight Mass: “Today” is used quite often. IMHO, the terminology has changed to Mass in the Night. Me thinks that the Gospel should reflect that also, so at 10 pm, the deacon/priest is not reading, “Today is born our Savior…”

I know, I’m overthinking this, but my obsessive self likes order. LOL!
 
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rondirect said:
The prayers (don’t know how the new Missal titles them for Christmas, may have the theme of darkness and light…good; but, the Gospel Reading (Luke 2) and the Gospel Acclamation, speaks more of December 25th, chosen, as I would assume, to be read at a 12 Midnight Mass: “Today” is used quite often. IMHO, the terminology has changed to Mass in the Night. Me thinks that the Gospel should reflect that also, so at 10 pm, the deacon/priest is not reading, “Today is born our Savior…”

I know, I’m overthinking this, but my obsessive self likes order. LOL!
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Thanks.

Keep in mind that the Mass in the Night (whether at Midnight, or earlier, or later) is still a vigil Mass. Because of the odd history, Christmas actually has 2 vigil Masses).

Luke 2 is particularly suited to a Vigil Mass. The second half mentions the shepherds “keeping watch by night” aka “keeping vigil.” What better words to hear?

As for the use of “today” remember that a Vigil Mass is a Mass of that day. Liturgically, solemnities begin the evening before, in keeping with the ancient practice. Also, the use of “today” is important here because it reminds us that at Mass, we are experiencing those events, not just looking back and recalling them to memory. It’s the same at the Easter Vigil Mass. We don’t say “way back when…” but we say “today He is born” or “today He is risen.” In the Night Collect, we pray “this most sacred night” not “that most sacred night.”

(just had a phone call, need to leave office)
 
I’ve only ever been to an early/mid-evening Mass since I go with my family. I might try going to
a midnight one if it’s offered (my pastor is the only priest between two parishes, so who knows this year).
 
I’m like a night owl especially when it comes to mass so I would naturally go to the one thats in the late evening (midnight might be too late for me).
 
Mass at Night, as we get a senior priest who doesn’t add novelties like the Stand & Greet at the start. Nor the little sing-along following Prayers of The Faithful that the local pastor adds.
 
I usually go for the Mass during the Night and the Mass during the day, but the former is my favorite
 
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