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Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions With Handel's Messiah
Family traditions become established, sometimes quite by accident and sometimes because “we’ve always done it that way.” But the best family traditions are thoughtfully cultivated. With Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions With Handel’s Messiah, Cindy Rollins leads the way in building a rich Advent tradition for you and your family. Inside you will find:
Weekly Scripture passages, hymns, and poems,
Daily Messiah listening schedule with background information from Greg Wilbur
An overview of the church calendar by Thomas Banks
Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany recipes, and
Suggestions for celebrating the Advent feasts of St. Nicholas
and St. Lucia.
Cindy also invited four of her friends to share how they celebrate Advent with their own families.
Weekly Scripture passages, hymns, and poems,
Daily Messiah listening schedule with background information from Greg Wilbur
An overview of the church calendar by Thomas Banks
Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany recipes, and
Suggestions for celebrating the Advent feasts of St. Nicholas
and St. Lucia.
Cindy also invited four of her friends to share how they celebrate Advent with their own families.
142 pages, Paperback
Published September 26, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
October 4, 2020
This is just my favorite of everything with my name on it. I love the essays by the other contributors and the whole remembrance of Advent. And I love Handel’s Messiah most of all. Go forth little book.
February 24, 2023
Reading the newer edition today in memory of Lynn Bruce. On The Messiah itself: like many people, I associate it much more with Advent/Christmas than Lent/Easter, but it really speaks to both seasons, and I'm grateful for the reminder.
December 31, 2023
This book gets five stars for being just the right book at just the right time. We used this for our Advent morning time with my teenagers, and it was perfect. The reading and listening schedule was manageable and the extra essays and poems made the experience rich and deep for us. We even tried one of the recipes for cookies and it was the favorite from Christmas dinner. This will definitely be read and enjoyed for years to come. Thank you Cindy for putting your heart and soul into this!
December 30, 2023
2023: This book has fully entered into our yearly Christmas celebration. We look forward to our evenings at the dining room table with a delicious meal, lighting the candles, listening to music and recounting the Gospel at work in our lives and across generations of believers.
2020: I anxiously awaited the arrival of this book and read it one sitting. What a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas. The essays were especially poignant, and I liked all the tidbits of information about Handel’s Messiah. I like that the daily readings and celebrations are short but also allow for making even more special. I’m usually overwhelmed by all that’s involved in many of the Advent devotionals I start but never finish. I look forward to adding in new traditions this year but also reveling in the ones we’ve already formed. (And I look forward to a slower reading this December as I reflect even more on the daily readings, singing, poems, listening and essays.)
2020: I anxiously awaited the arrival of this book and read it one sitting. What a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas. The essays were especially poignant, and I liked all the tidbits of information about Handel’s Messiah. I like that the daily readings and celebrations are short but also allow for making even more special. I’m usually overwhelmed by all that’s involved in many of the Advent devotionals I start but never finish. I look forward to adding in new traditions this year but also reveling in the ones we’ve already formed. (And I look forward to a slower reading this December as I reflect even more on the daily readings, singing, poems, listening and essays.)
December 25, 2023
This is our second time through Hallelujah, and I love it even more than I did last year. My kids are still young enough that we don't do all aspects of it, but can slowly add in the bits and pieces year by year. They don't love Handel's Messiah quite the way I do yet, but I hope, by going through this book each Christmas, they eventually will.
If you're looking for a family Advent tradition, I highly recommend picking up Hallelujah. You can just listen to the music selections each day, or add in other Christmas hymns, poetry, and scripture memorization. There are also fun ideas for celebrating December feast days and other family Christmas traditions. It is a lovely addition to Advent, whether you do it all or just bits and pieces.
Update, 12/22/21:
This is our third time using Hallelujah to listen to Handel's Messiah during Advent, and we still love it. It's one of my favorite Christmas morning time traditions. The girls are starting to recognize parts of the Messiah, and they definitely remember the weekly Christmas poems and Scripture passages.
If you are looking for a kid-friendly Advent that includes music, scripture, and poetry, I *highly* recommend Hallelujah.
Update, 12/21/22:
This is year four of using Hallelujah during our December Morning Time, and it's still as beautiful as ever. I love how adaptable it is--you can just listen to the selections of the Messiah each day, or you can sing the Christmas hymn, read the poetry, work on the scripture memory, try out the recipes, and celebrate the feast days too. Each year, we pick the pieces that best fit in with our schedule and workload.
You are supposed to listen to the last section on Christmas Day. We're bad at that. This year, we hit Part 3 of the Messiah and just... kept going. It's a lovely way to anchor our Advent anticipation.
Update, 12/25/23:
Year five of reading Hallelujah and this was the first year we didn't read ahead and actually hit Worthy is the Lamb on Christmas day like we are supposed to. Still one of our favorite Advent reads and one will will continue to return to in future Decembers.
If you're looking for a family Advent tradition, I highly recommend picking up Hallelujah. You can just listen to the music selections each day, or add in other Christmas hymns, poetry, and scripture memorization. There are also fun ideas for celebrating December feast days and other family Christmas traditions. It is a lovely addition to Advent, whether you do it all or just bits and pieces.
Update, 12/22/21:
This is our third time using Hallelujah to listen to Handel's Messiah during Advent, and we still love it. It's one of my favorite Christmas morning time traditions. The girls are starting to recognize parts of the Messiah, and they definitely remember the weekly Christmas poems and Scripture passages.
If you are looking for a kid-friendly Advent that includes music, scripture, and poetry, I *highly* recommend Hallelujah.
Update, 12/21/22:
This is year four of using Hallelujah during our December Morning Time, and it's still as beautiful as ever. I love how adaptable it is--you can just listen to the selections of the Messiah each day, or you can sing the Christmas hymn, read the poetry, work on the scripture memory, try out the recipes, and celebrate the feast days too. Each year, we pick the pieces that best fit in with our schedule and workload.
You are supposed to listen to the last section on Christmas Day. We're bad at that. This year, we hit Part 3 of the Messiah and just... kept going. It's a lovely way to anchor our Advent anticipation.
Update, 12/25/23:
Year five of reading Hallelujah and this was the first year we didn't read ahead and actually hit Worthy is the Lamb on Christmas day like we are supposed to. Still one of our favorite Advent reads and one will will continue to return to in future Decembers.
December 25, 2023
Highly recommend this sweet little book!
2023 Update—Just finished our third Advent with this book. It gets better every year!
2023 Update—Just finished our third Advent with this book. It gets better every year!
January 2, 2021
A splendid compendium of thoughts and ideas on celebrating Advent through small bites of Handel's Messiah each day. Contributors share ideas on how their families celebrate.
The joy of this book is that it inspires one to "up their Advent game" without burdening the reader with guilt and a sense of incompetence. Cindy Rollins does not want her readers intimidated by the perfect Advent season.
On a personal note, the music of Handel's Messiah has been present every Christmas season that I can remember. Listening was a large part of my childhood. I've sung in several performances. My brother, a professional tenor, has soloed in countless Messiahs. When I listen now, I am engulfed in a happy sadness. A sweet melancholy. It brings memories of my growing up years. Geography and life have kept me from all but two Christmases with my siblings since I was 18. And, somehow, all those emotions surface when I hear the opening orchestral overture. I know, I know: it's not about me. And the part that's not about me is the joyful part.
The joy of this book is that it inspires one to "up their Advent game" without burdening the reader with guilt and a sense of incompetence. Cindy Rollins does not want her readers intimidated by the perfect Advent season.
On a personal note, the music of Handel's Messiah has been present every Christmas season that I can remember. Listening was a large part of my childhood. I've sung in several performances. My brother, a professional tenor, has soloed in countless Messiahs. When I listen now, I am engulfed in a happy sadness. A sweet melancholy. It brings memories of my growing up years. Geography and life have kept me from all but two Christmases with my siblings since I was 18. And, somehow, all those emotions surface when I hear the opening orchestral overture. I know, I know: it's not about me. And the part that's not about me is the joyful part.
November 17, 2020
So many wonderful ideas. I love that it includes recipes, poetry, anecdotes, and a sample schedule for an Advent morning time.
Two really great quotes:
“The singing, candles, Bible readings, and food will be remembered long after the toys have broken.”
“[These traditions] help anchor our celebration of Christmas in the story of the Kingdom, creating space within the seasonal merriment for our lament and longing and our defiant hope as we wait for our returning King. My children have not yet experienced much of this longing or this hope, and thus the depths of what we celebrate at Christmas are only beginning to unfold for them. For now, they revel in Christmastime as a season of good cheer, happy memories, presents, treats, family time, and delightful traditions. These things are good, and these things matter: they are strong threads weaving us together, and when hard times come upon a family, as they inevitably do, I have seen how they help keep the fabric from unraveling. And yet I hope that our celebration of Christmas gives my children more than happy days and warm memories to draw upon for strength and comfort, and certainly more than the secular liturgies of nostalgia, sugar, plastic, and generic good will. I hope our Christmases are a means of inviting them to participate ever more deeply in all that is most real and true, of rooting them in a sense of place and becoming and kinship and story. I pray that these can truly be holy days as well as merry ones, turning their faces toward the Light that shines in darkness and will never be overcome.”
Two really great quotes:
“The singing, candles, Bible readings, and food will be remembered long after the toys have broken.”
“[These traditions] help anchor our celebration of Christmas in the story of the Kingdom, creating space within the seasonal merriment for our lament and longing and our defiant hope as we wait for our returning King. My children have not yet experienced much of this longing or this hope, and thus the depths of what we celebrate at Christmas are only beginning to unfold for them. For now, they revel in Christmastime as a season of good cheer, happy memories, presents, treats, family time, and delightful traditions. These things are good, and these things matter: they are strong threads weaving us together, and when hard times come upon a family, as they inevitably do, I have seen how they help keep the fabric from unraveling. And yet I hope that our celebration of Christmas gives my children more than happy days and warm memories to draw upon for strength and comfort, and certainly more than the secular liturgies of nostalgia, sugar, plastic, and generic good will. I hope our Christmases are a means of inviting them to participate ever more deeply in all that is most real and true, of rooting them in a sense of place and becoming and kinship and story. I pray that these can truly be holy days as well as merry ones, turning their faces toward the Light that shines in darkness and will never be overcome.”
December 12, 2022
As my friend Cheyenne would say 10 out of 10! The Rollins family advent traditions are inspiring to be more aware of the Advent season and develop our own advent and Christmas traditions for years to come.
December 26, 2022
I found this perfectly delightful. It was an effortless yet rewarding read, and I couldn't wait to return to it every day. Even if I didn't want to incorporate Messiah into my family's celebrations, it would have been worth the read. Far from being a threatening, prescriptive, "oh no one more thing to squeeze into the season" book, it made me more excited to observe Advent and celebrate Christmas.
Rollins does not dominate the pages (and it would have been fine if she had); rather, she marshals several moms to share their Advent ideas, along with short essays to help us know how to appreciate the Messiah pieces from that week. This, along with recipes in the back, gives the whole thing the good feeling of a bunch of families excited to incarnate the season getting together and saying, "Ooo, what about this?" "Have you thought about the implications of this?" "Wow, great idea!" I never felt any pressure or inadequacy from what they shared, and I gleaned joyful ideas from its pages.
Rollins does not dominate the pages (and it would have been fine if she had); rather, she marshals several moms to share their Advent ideas, along with short essays to help us know how to appreciate the Messiah pieces from that week. This, along with recipes in the back, gives the whole thing the good feeling of a bunch of families excited to incarnate the season getting together and saying, "Ooo, what about this?" "Have you thought about the implications of this?" "Wow, great idea!" I never felt any pressure or inadequacy from what they shared, and I gleaned joyful ideas from its pages.
December 30, 2021
We finished listening to Messiah last night! Probably the first time we’ve actually completed an advent devotional during Christmastide. I appreciate the various approaches to commemorating advent presented, from Cindy’s traditional American 25 days of Christmas to restrained liturgical Advent culminating in the Twelve Days of Christmas. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and I always need to be reminded there’s not one right way to celebrate Christmas.
December 27, 2022
We used this for advent with our girls this year. Josh and I have both performed the Messiah in college so we have a nerdy love for it—even if the cello parts of this era of music are somewhat….boring. 😂 I loved reading the scripture each day that the lyrics were quoting and introducing our girls to the melodies of this masterpiece.
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January 2, 2024Loved listening to Messiah a little at a time during Advent, then all at once on the drive to PA for Christmas.
Cindy's writing was stirring as always, and the guest essays were uniformly great.
Cindy's writing was stirring as always, and the guest essays were uniformly great.
December 26, 2021
A good resource to celebrate Advent using Handel's Messiah. I wish I had this about 10 years ago. But I used it a bit and did get my family listening some to this wonderful music. I recommend this for families who want to be more deliberate about Advent.
February 10, 2021
Nice little Advent book and next year I want to try her Scotch Shortbread recipe and see how it compares to our family's version. I did use Ann Hubbard's Celebrating Advent with it because I like the fact that she includes daily Scripture readings in her book.
December 30, 2020
Great suggestions from several families on celebrating Advent, and I loved the scriptures paired with Handel's Messiah.
December 25, 2021
This book helped provide our family with a meaningful framework for Advent this year, and was encouraging, not overwhelming.
December 23, 2021
The perfect mix of educating the reader on the liturgy of Advent and providing practical applications. We’ve been celebrating advent for 15 years and used many “guides”. This one might be my favorite. The author excels at writing for various life stages. Perfect for the family who doesn’t know what Advent is, yet perfect for the family who’s been celebrating Advent for decades.
2021: This is our first Advent using this book as our guide. Loving it. We’ve taken to listening during dinner.
2021: This is our first Advent using this book as our guide. Loving it. We’ve taken to listening during dinner.
December 23, 2023
I can't wait to incorporate this beautiful tradition into our family's Advent celebrations.
December 23, 2022
An excellent Advent resource for homeschool or personal use. I actually used it for both over the past month, and benefitted thereby. While I didn't make my children listen to all of the Messiah, we read that day's scripture selection and the music played while they were in the kitchen and adjoining rooms doing morning chores, and we certainly listened to much more of the Messiah than we ever had before! I also appreciated how the passages from the Bible included include prophesies, Christ's passion, and future coming.
The book also includes suggestions for poem memory and hymns to sing and memorize, along with various people sharing their advent traditions, and it is all crowned with Cindy's no-pressure style. Highly recommended.
The book also includes suggestions for poem memory and hymns to sing and memorize, along with various people sharing their advent traditions, and it is all crowned with Cindy's no-pressure style. Highly recommended.
January 8, 2021
A New Family Tradition
With years of family memories and traditions which have grown organically, 2020 has surprised me with the development of new Advent and Christmas traditions.
Among them include incorporating the Scripture reading and listening of Handel's Messiah as compiled by Cindy Rollins, as we light the evening Advent candles, sing, and pray.
I love the accompanying essays which provide inspiration, without laying burdens of what you "ought" to do.
Throughout the book, the focus returns to the Incarnation and leading our hearts and families to worship.
With years of family memories and traditions which have grown organically, 2020 has surprised me with the development of new Advent and Christmas traditions.
Among them include incorporating the Scripture reading and listening of Handel's Messiah as compiled by Cindy Rollins, as we light the evening Advent candles, sing, and pray.
I love the accompanying essays which provide inspiration, without laying burdens of what you "ought" to do.
Throughout the book, the focus returns to the Incarnation and leading our hearts and families to worship.
December 31, 2020
Fun little read that arranges Scripture readings, Handel’s Messiah, short writings around the four weeks of Advent. Examples of traditions, carols and hymns, poems, and recipes are also included. I didn’t resonate with everything in the book, but skimming and skipping doesn’t negatively impact the experience. A good add to your Advent/Christmas library.
December 21, 2023
2023. (Kids ages 8-15) We did not read (or listen) to all of it this year, but that’s the beauty of this book. We did what we could in the midst of seasonal busyness and sickness and it was a joy to listen/read along. Cindy makes this long performance so accessible and enjoyable for kids and adults! Will definitely be going through this book regularly! And hopefully some year we will finish it!
December 28, 2022
I’m so glad that I added this to my advent readings this year. I had lofty goals of going through the messiah with my kiddos, but alas, perhaps next year! Regardless, this book is a treasure and I will use it for years to come.
December 31, 2020
This was such a treat to add to my Advent reading this year!
December 26, 2023
This was my second year going through this book leading up to Christmas. I love The Messiah, and it's even better reading the verses along with it. I plan to use this again next year.
December 16, 2021
Using this book for our advent this year...krb 11/30/21
This book did not click with us this year. Although, I really enjoy the way it is set up and will pull it out again....this year we went back to our story of Christmas we read each year with our advent candles...krb 12/16/21
This book did not click with us this year. Although, I really enjoy the way it is set up and will pull it out again....this year we went back to our story of Christmas we read each year with our advent candles...krb 12/16/21
December 28, 2020
This book was extremely helpful and well worth it! I don’t know anything about classical music or Messiah and this book held my hand as I tried to share Messiah with my kids. Greg Wilbur’s sections were always helpful and interesting. The schedule Cindy sets out is very doable and never feels overwhelming even if we had to combine a couple days. The poems, scripture readings, and hymns were helpful as a way to change up our morning time.
This book really helped me make Messiah part of our advent traditions in an intentional way.
I look forward to doing this again next year and for years to come.
This book really helped me make Messiah part of our advent traditions in an intentional way.
I look forward to doing this again next year and for years to come.
December 30, 2020
After listening to Messiah for the last several years during the Advent season, I loved going through this book and reading the Scriptures that correspond with each section of Handel's masterpiece. I enjoyed the set-up of the book - you can do as much or as little of it as you'd like. For me, with 4 small children, this was helpful. And as we are still developing our Advent & Christmas traditions as a family, it was lovely to hear what other families do and have done in this season. Highly recommend.
December 21, 2022
This guide through Handel’s Messiah has been a wonderful companion for our family this advent season. I enjoyed the guide for listening, scripture verses to read and contemplate with the family before listening to them in the oratorio, and the various articles about Christmas from others throughout the book. This is a tradition we will continue year after year.
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