Dec 21 2022
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Hanukkah, Midwinter, Solstice

Add Your Light to the Sum of Light

The midwinter solstice comes to the Northern Hemisphere at 4:48 PM Eastern time today, this 21st of December. Our nights have been getting longer each day since the midsummer solstice last June, and now we reach the longest night as the Northern Hemisphere reaches its point of maximum tilt away from the sun. That tilt makes for extremely long dark nights around the Arctic Circle and through all the lands that sit near the top of the globe, with gradually lesser extreme as we approach the equator, and on the other side of the equator, it is, of course, the opposite. There, it is the midsummer solstice, and the longest day.

All through Advent and soon Christmas and Yule and Kwanzaa and Chanukah, too, we respond to these darkest nights by adding our own light. More candles, more fairy lights, more warm glowing hearths. And in the process, our hearts grow open, as we add our light to the sum of light.

A CHANUKAH STORY
My friend Caren Neile has recorded a Chanukah tale called “The Scent of Latkes” for the online bedtime stories series I host, Stay Awake: Bedtime Stories for Kids & Sleepy Adults. Her story is brilliant! Stay awake with Caren and with all our other readers and storytellers by clicking here. Caren’s is the seventh episode so far!

Image: the tree we brought home just a few nights ago, illuminated, not yet decorated. Ornaments soon!

 

Dec 15 2022
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Advent, Christmas

God Jul!

Today’s blog post is simply an invitation for the locals to join us at our last Christmas Market of the season: it will be a small and simple one –– a collaboration between Convivio Bookworks and Johan’s Jöe, our favorite Swedish Coffeehouse, in Downtown West Palm Beach. Friday December 16 from 10 AM to 4 PM and then again Saturday & Sunday, December 17 & 18, from 7 AM to 4 PM. Johan’s is at 401 North Dixie Highway: that’s the southwest corner of North Dixie and Fern Street. (And here’s a hint: If you approach from the east, from Flagler Boulevard and the lagoon, you’ll get to see some of our favorite local murals, which are on two tall buildings on either side of Fern Street.)

Johan’s Jöe is wonderful! The best coffee and a menu full of delicious Scandinavian foods and desserts. The place is bathed in white and there are huge purple chairs that make you feel like royalty to sit in them. The plan is for Convivio Bookworks to be there with three tables and our little weekend pop-up market will include Christmas artisan goods and gift ideas from Germany, Mexico, Italy, and, of course, from Sweden. Many other wonderful gift ideas to be found at Johan’s, too: Swedish treats, fun Fika socks, and some excellent wines, too.

Stop by for lunch on Friday, stop by for coffee after the West Palm Beach Greenmarket on Saturday, stop by after visiting Aunt Bessie on Sunday. The real challenge for me will be to wake up in time for 7 AM opening, but I promise to do my best. Merry Christmas & God Jul!

John

 

Dec 01 2022
Book of Days Calendar, The Gift Bearers

Midwinter Gift Bearers, or Your December Book of Days

December: Month of Midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere, month of the first of the Midwinter gift bearers. Our own gift to you in this month of gift giving is the Convivio Book of Days calendar for December: a printable PDF, a fine companion to this blog, and yours free by clicking here. This month’s cover star is a circa 1760 oil painting by Nikolaus Hoffman called Weihnachtsbescherung, a nice long German word that translates to “Christmas Presents” in English. The presents in the painting are delivered by Christ the King, who is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht. Old World gift bearers are often accompanied by a dark companion, and this is the role that Knecht Ruprecht plays: one deals with the good children, one with the not-so-good children.

You can experience a bit of this yourself if you come see us at one of our upcoming local pop-up Christmas markets: We’ll be at the local American German Club’s Krampusnacht celebration on the evening of Friday, December 9. It’s a good bit of spooky Midwinter fun that ushers in the club’s annual Christkindmarkt on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th. Here’s a list of the Christmas Markets where you’ll find us for the month of December (afterwards, a bit of hibernation and our own Christmas preparations); before Krampusnacht, we’ll be at the German American Social Club’s Christmas Market in Miami this Saturday!

CHRISTMAS MARKET at the German American Social Club, Miami
Saturday December 3 from 10 AM to 5 PM. It’s our first pop-up shop in Miami! We’ll be at this inaugural Christkindlmarkt at the German American Social Club, 11919 SW 56 Street, Miami 33175. Don’t let the “inaugural” fool you: The German American Social Club is home to Florida’s oldest Oktoberfest celebration, so they know what they’re doing! We’re looking forward to joining in the festivities. Admission is free, but you must register ahead of time to reserve your spot, as there are a limited number of tickets. Click here for the details.

KRAMPUSNACHT at the American German Club, Lake Worth
Friday December 9 from 7 to 11 PM. This spooky fun event at the American German Club on West Lantana Road kicks off the club’s annual Christkindlmarkt. We’ll be there with our largest pop-up shop ever. Tickets required, and they always sell out, so buy them early! Click here for full details.

CHRISTKINDLMARKT at the American German Club, Lake Worth
Saturday December 10 from 2 to 10 PM & Sunday December 11 from Noon to 8 PM. The two days following Krampusnacht at the American German Club on West Lantana Road brings their beautiful annual Christkindlmarkt and we will be there with our largest booth ever. Tickets are required, and this event always sells out, too, so buy your tickets early. Click here for full details.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD at Johan’s Jöe in Downtown West Palm Beach
We’re collaborating with our favorite Swedish coffee house in Downtown West Palm Beach for a special 3-day Christmas pop-up shop: Friday December 16 from about 10 AM to 4 PM, and then Saturday December 17 & Sunday December 18 from about 7 AM to 4 PM each day. Johan’s will have their usual delicious menu plus lots of Nordic pantry staples along with bottled wine specials, and we’ll have three tables featuring some of our best Christmas items from Sweden, Germany, and Mexico. Johan’s Jöe is located at 401 South Dixie Highway. Everything there is delicious and my mom and my niece love the big purple chairs.

JOYFUL SALE at our online shop
And at our online shop, all through Advent and Christmastime: use discount code JOYFUL at checkout for $10 off your purchase of $85, plus get free domestic shipping. And if you think it’ll be difficult to spend $85 at our website, you’ve probably not stopped by in a long while. We add new items every week lately and I think you’ll be pleased with the variety you’ll find. If you’re local, order and choose the Local Free Delivery option if you’re in the coastal Lake Worth, Lantana, or West Palm Beach area, and I’ll bring your order to you myself (by vintage Raleigh bicycle if you’re in my neighborhood).  Click here to shop!

 

Image: “Weihnachtsbescherung” by Nikolaus Hoffmann. Oil on canvas, circa 1760 [Public domain via Wikimedia Commons].

 

 

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