Half Past Noon

Today is the third Sunday of Advent, traditionally celebrated as Gaudete Sunday. Rose-colored vestments are worn instead of violet, and the rose-colored candle is lit on the Advent wreath. During the otherwise penitential season of Advent, the third Sunday is set aside for joyous anticipation of the birth of Christ. 

1. New Stop-Motion movie by the Director of Nightmare Before Christmas.
2. Based on award-winning Neil Gaiman novella.
3. Shot stereoscopically for 3d projection, a first for stop-motion.
4. Soundtrack by They Might Be Giants.
5. Real! Not imaginary!

Trailer after the jump.

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Alright, to all my fellow HPNers I pose the following question:

Why is Advent a penitential and joyless season?

I ask this in all seriousness. Perhaps it’s just because I haven’t prepared myself appropriately, or because my perspective hasn’t been given the right hues. But the thing is this: I really miss the olden days when we used to sing “Joy to the World!” and “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” before

It seems that the recent en vogue “revival” of Advent has only served to weaken our celebration of Christmas, so that it increasingly is allowed to be taken over by the commercialists. After all, if we’re spending most of December merely waiting with sad longing (and that’s what most of the Advent hymns in the Cantus sound like, at least to my ears), how can we effectively combat the saccharine sentimentality of secular Christmas?

Guess what? New Sixpence None the Richer out this fall. It’s not even fall, and I’m already listening to their rendition of “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Good stuff.