Tag: Christmas

Australian Christmas movies are something of a rarity, as are Australian movies based on songs. The recently released How to Make Gravy movie, which is available to stream now, is both of these things. It is based on Paul Kelly’s 1996 Christmas classic of the same name.  

Nowadays, in the era of Mega-malls, Macca’s Mega-Meals, McMansions and McSUVS, the mere notion of anything "little" is ridiculously quaint, if not anathema to most people. And this definitely applies to Christmas, where the more "maxtreme" the better.

In Australia, what would often be considered "winter months" like December are instead the "summer months" filled with beach days and sunshine. And the city of Sydney will be offering a special Christmas tradition with Christmas at the Cathedral beginning tonight.

Sydney’s Cathedral is also set to ring with the joyous music of choirs, bands and performers in its daily concerts running from 12 December to 25 December.

This week in brush with faith, we take a look at the three wise men and reflect on the Gospel of Matthew as await the birth of our lord.

What a surprise, for those walking through Lidcombe, to witness it's streets adorned with banners wishing all a Merry Christmas and displaying imagery of the Nativity. 

You don’t usually get an archbishop, the state governor, TV celebrities, opera divas, and full orchestra turning up at a humble suburban parish for Christmas carols. But then again, there aren’t many carols nights like those at the Church of the Holy Family in Maroubra.

In December, we begin to think about Christmas, although shopping centres begin a marketing campaign as early as October. Preparation is not about focussing on presents to be purchased and food to be made, but a time to prepare our hearts for the Word of God.

Christmas this season in the Holy Land will be celebratory despite ongoing bloodshed and war, the Holy Land's patriarchs said. And while visiting Germany, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, encouraged pilgrims to return to the birthplace of Jesus.

In all this busy-work and busy-play, it’s easy for us to lose sight of the guest of honour, arriving at his birthday utterly exhausted. Here are three ideas to reset our Advent.

While Catholics await the birth of Jesus, the Nativity scene at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary proclaims that Christ has come for everybody.

Christmas can seem like a fairytale, not speaking to contemporary problems. But the Christmas story is true!