Category Archives: Christmas

12.21.06
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Only 4 more days…

Nothing much going on here: just baking, cleaning, decorating, shopping, wrapping…the usual Christmas prep.

Amy Welborn linked to an artcle she wrote last year which I thought was quite good:

The really traditional Christian remembrance of the Nativity is not about sweetness. It is about awe, fear, and trembling, and it is shot through with hints of suffering to come.

The Vatican lit the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square yesterday. Bill will finish assembling ours this morning. He adds the lights as he puts the faux fir together. New this year are chili pepper lights. One day, I think the specialty lights will take over the whole thing: we already have bubble light angels, bubble light snowmen, M&M guys, cars, holly & ivy, lanterns, others. All told, he’ll put over 2000 lights on the 7 foot tree. To say it’s bright is an understatement.

And another interesting read, this one from CNA: World still seeks true Savior, must avoid false prophets and shortcuts, Pope says.

“Does mankind in our own time still await the Savior?” the Pope asked. “It appears that many people consider God as foreign to their interests. They have no apparent need of Him, and live as if He did not exist or, worse still, as if He were an ‘obstacle’ to be removed in order to achieve self-fulfillment. Even among believers … are those who let themselves be attracted by alluring mirages and distracted by misleading doctrines that propose illusory shortcuts to happiness.”

“And yet,” he added, “with all their contradictions, their anguish and their dramas – or perhaps precisely because of them – men and women today seek a road of renewal, of salvation, they seek a Savior and await, sometimes without knowing it, the coming of Christ, man’s only true Redeemer.”

“Of course, false prophets continue to propose ‘low cost’ salvation, which always ends up delivering resounding disillusionment. Indeed, the history of the last 50 years provides an example of this search for a ‘low cost’ Savior and highlights all the consequent disillusionment.”

For this reason, the Pope concluded, Christians must, “with the testimony of their lives, propagate the truth of Christmas, which Christ brings to all men and women of good will. Born into poverty in the manger, Jesus came to offer everyone the joy and peace which alone can satisfy the needs of the human soul.”

12.20.06
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The Gift of the Magi

Last night I read The Gift of the Magi to the kids. I hadn’t read it since high school, and found it just as charming and sweet as I did then. Acts of love that are utterly, marvelously, hopelessly foolish delight me.

I think, though, that I understand why some English teachers in high schools and colleges are dumbing down their curriculum and studying only recent “literature” (in quotes because I am dubious that today’s fiction will stand the test of time). I don’t think there are many romantics in the under 40 crowd nowadays, and it really takes a romantic to understand this story.

In the story, Jim and Della are young – Jim is but 22. I think the average age of men getting married now is about 27 or 28. Today’s young adult might wonder why they were so silly as to marry so young. They have a cheap apartment they can barely afford – why not move in with parents or rent part of a decent house shared by various people with tenuous realtionships? And the best Della can do to help with household finances is to deal parsimoniously with the butcher? Get a job, lady!

Add to this modern practicality the reality of credit cards making scrimping for months to buy one special gift an obsolete concept. And with our “disposable” lifestyle of no-fault divorce, I wonder if the majority of young adults today have any experience with the tender love that seeks to please another no matter the sacrifice.

The magi, as you know, were wise men–wonderfully wise men–who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

12.19.06
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Dear Santa

The last time I posted on my blog about something that I wanted, I got it. I was tickled pink that my friend Rachel bought me that Springerle mold. I also liked how that whole, “Ask, and you shall receive” thing worked. So, I figure, what the hay, I’ll try it again:

Buh-bum.. buh-bum…
Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree, for me
Been an awful good girl
Santa baby so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby, a ’54 convertible too, light blue,
I’ll wait up for you, dear
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Think of all the fun I’ve missed,
Think of all the fellows that I haven’t kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you check off my christmas list

Santa baby, I want a yacht and really that’s not a lot
Been an angel all year
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa honey, one little thing I really need, the deed
To a platinum mine,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with a duplex and cheques,
Sign your x on the line
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Come and trim my chirstmas tree,
With some decorations bought at Tiffany’s
I really do believe in you,
Let’s see if you believe in me

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring,
I don’t mean on the phone,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry, tonight.

12.12.06
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Season’s Greetings

It’s that time of year again. You know, the time of year when everybody feels that they have a right to tell everybody else how to celebrate the “holiday season.”

American Catholics are bad enough with discussions flying about Santa, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Krist Kindle, Three Kings or Generous Parental Units as the bearers of gifts. I wonder if Catholics in a more homogeneous culture have the same angst about how to celebrate Christmas. Are Filipino Catholics belligerantly petty about when to put up decorations and how many presents a child should receive, or is this inane behavior exclusive to places like the United States with its mish-mash of diverse backgrounds?

Then we have Christians in general who whine about stores that don’t wish their patrons a Merry Christmas. I wrote about this last year. Patriotic Americans don’t get uppity if the grocery store clerk doesn’t wish them a Happy Flag Day on June 14th. I don’t hear Jews lobbying for merchants to conclude transactions with “Have a good Yom Kippur – hope your atoning goes well!” Perhaps in much of America there are places where most people are celebrating Christmas, and it seems natural to offer that standard greeting. But for the last decade I’ve lived on the East Coast, and it really isn’t clear who is celebrating what. Although I would never be offended if someone wished me a Joyous Ramadan (I would laugh!), I would also never consciously wish a Muslim a Merry Christmas. And since we Christians are constantly lamenting the over-commercialization of Christmas, it seems rather hypocritical to then demand that the retail world wish you a merry time celebrating that Holy Day for which you don’t want them marketing their products!

But mostly, it’s that time of year when everybody wants to get in on the holiday excitement. Christians whimper about how everybody should behave during the month of December, but their complaints are drowned out by the non-Christians with their list of demands.

A Rabbi in the state of Washington got upset about “Christmas” trees being on display at the airport, and he threatened legal action if the airport did not also display a menorah. You know, in July in the forest, these trees are usually called fir trees. Nobody is offended by their existance. But bring them indoors during the winter months and suddenly they become “Christmas” trees. There is nothing exclusively Christian about evergreen trees. Yes, there is symbolism in the perpetual greenery representing eternity and fidelity. But these symbols are completely lost on people from parts of the world where the fir tree doesn’t grow. Bringing them indoors during the winter months and decorating them has pagan origins and was adopted by Christians – primarily in Germany. The Portuguese should be offended that their cultural traditions aren’t being recognized.

The airport got ticked off at this game of chicken and refused to play: they removed all the decorations, saying they “didn’t have time to play cultural anthropologists.” The Rabbi “was appalled by the decision. ‘Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season.'” So, it’s ok to celebrate Christmas, as long as we do it his way.

According to the Rabbi’s lawyer, “There is a concern here that the Jewish community will be portrayed as the Grinch.”

Um, yeah.

But it’s ok. There’s quite a bit of that going around.

12.09.06
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Christmas meme

Tagged by Catholic Mom. I feel so loved.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Eggnog. My hips are proof. I’m not a big fan of bourbon, but Bill’s goal is to get me to enjoy his homemade grog. Bill, when you read this, we’re almost out of Maker’s Mark – buy more.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa fills the stockings. Sometimes some of the contents are wrapped, but not usually. The presents under the tree are wrapped and are from mom and dad and grandparents and other relatives.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored, mostly.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? We did once. It’s poisonous though – gotta watch with little ones.

5. When do you put your decorations up? It’s a gradual process throughout Advent. Advent decorations are up, of course (Jesse Tree, wreath, calendars).

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I just enjoy indulging in all the food that I limit throughout the normal year.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Waking up sometime in the wee hours of the morning and sneaking down to see if Santa had come. I would curl up in a chair and enjoy the lights and the beauty of the tree and the sense of awe and wonder and love. My sister, Barb, tells me she did the same thing, but I never saw anyone else. I did this until I was the one leaving the presents under the tree…and even now, I do it, but before I go to bed.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My brother told me the “truth” when I was about 7 or 8.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope. Christmas Eve is all about the Nativity. We celebrate the incomparable gift of a Savior’s birth.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Lots of colored lights woven inside the tree. Hundreds of ornaments hidden inside and all around. Every Christmas morning, two silver spider ornaments appear, based on a German Christmas legend we read to the kids. And we hang a glass pickle and reward the pickle finder with a prize – usually a book or movie everyone can enjoy.

11. Snow? Love it or Dread it? Love it.

12. Can you ice skate? On my list of things to learn someday.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I really like the St. Nicholas statue Bill gave me last year. But, hands down, the best gift I ever got was Christmas 1999 when Bill bought me The One Year Guide to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Sounds boring, but it changed my life.

14. What’s the most exciting thing about the Holidays for you? All the secretive preparations – wrapping presents, hiding boxes, evasive answers and whispering.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cookies, especially Russian Tea Cakes and ones with molasses or ginger.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Having the kids look for the first star on Christmas Eve so we can begin our feast.

17. What tops your tree? An angel.

18. Which do you prefer – giving or receiving? Who would answer “receiving” to this question?

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? All of them. Well, most of them.

20. Candy canes? Hung magically on the tree after the kids go to bed. I don’t usually eat them myself.

Tag: Amy, Angoraknitter, and Nutmeg

12.08.06
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For the record…

…this morning, my soul doth soar.

I managed to get out of bed this morning with little resistance. I took Greta for a run. I sat down with my husband to do morning prayers and remembered it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I love Marian feasts.

Holy light on earth’s horizon,
Star of hope to those who fall,
Light amid a world of shadows,
Dawn of God’s design for all,
Chosen from eternal ages,
You alone of all our race,
By your Son’s atoning merits
Were conceived in perfect grace.
Hail, beloved of the Father,
Mother of his only Son,
Mystic bride of Love eternal,
Hail, O fair and spotless one!

Despite the early hour, I would have sung this if I had known the tune. I’m sure I’ll be humming Marian hymns all day long. I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit has filled me with joy today. The next 48 hours are rather daunting, and I’ll need all the extra graces I can get. And so, I say for now, my soul doth soar. We’ll see how I feel tonight after the kids go to bed!

What’s on the agenda?

Daunting Activity #1: Mass with the kids

Today is a Holy Day of Obligation. No begging off because Bill isn’t here to help. God is all the help I need, and I must trust Him to get through it. The last time I did this was very frustrating, but I’m sure it will be different this time. Sure. Perhaps what will be most different is Mom’s attitude!

On a good note, I had one of those half-awake revelations the other day. The Mass here on post is at noon, which doesn’t work for the baby who likes to take his nap at that time. I go to another church not too far away. I went there on November 1st, and I went there on August 15th – another Marian feast. On August 15th, they sang no Marian hymns. I was a bit…flabbergasted. Disappointed. Shocked. Sad. And really, really angry. As I was lying in bed, not motivated to get up, I remembered this incident and reminded myself to go to another church, one more likely to honor Our Mother through a few of the many beautiful hymns about her.

This is good, because beginning the day angry does not set a good tone for other activities scheduled like…

Daunting Activity #2: Christmas party at the boss’ house

The boss is a three star general. The whole family is expected to attend. You military folks will know that this is not optional, and that my husband, for good or ill and as unfair as it may be, will be judged by how his family behaves (or doesn’t).

For you civilians, this means probably very little. A three star is like the CEO of a very large corporation. And he’s friends with all the CEOs of all the other corporations, so if a worker bee is a bad worker bee and one CEO knows it, it would be difficult for that worker bee to find another hive.

I’m not one to stress about appearances, and my children are fairly well behaved. But they are just children, and they are young children at that. I fully expect my kids to do just fine. But I fully expect it to be due in no small part to my constant vigilance. And that’s not much fun.

Daunting Activity #3: another Christmas party

This one, on Saturday night, is more optional, but not really. One of those professional acquaintance situations. My friend Stacy was there on Thanksgivng and warned me about all the child unfriendly decorations at child accessible heights. To make it worse, there’s a 50/50 chance Bill will have to work Saturday night. This does not let me off the hook. Especially since Stacy will be going sans her deployed husband. And her two littlest ones are the same ages as my two littlest ones.

Ah, the stress. Gotta love it.

And now, off to scour the house for Jenny’s church shoes. Won’t she look nice in pink tennies and her dress at the general’s house?

12.07.06
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Santa Claus

Yesterday, we read The True Story of Santa Claus by Paul Prokop. If you have a little Nicholas in your family, he will love that the main character is a boy of the same name. Nicholas wants to stay up to see Santa come. He does get to meet the jolly guy who shares a story about another boy named Nicholas who loved Jesus and promised to spend his life doing God’s work.

“Sometimes, Nicholas would walk through the streets of the town bringing small gifts in Jesus’ name to the poorest children. He wanted the children to have hope and to know that God really loved each of them.”

The story tells how when Nicholas was a very old man, the Child Jesus appeared to him to take him to Heaven. Nicholas was concerned about the children and asked who would take care of them. “‘You will,’ said Jesus. ‘Now you will look after the children of the whole world until the end of time.'”

This book does a wonderful job reconciling the legends surrounding the real man who walked on the earth and became a saint and the guy at the mall handing out candy canes. I know it’s a growing trend among Catholics to follow the theological fashions determined by evangelical Protestants and eliminate Santa Claus. Rule #1: whatever evangelical Protestants are doing, do the opposite. Unless it’s something like having tons of kids, which the Catholics did first. Then it’s ok.

I really can’t support the idea of eliminating all the fun out of Christmas. Remember, we Catholics are allowed to drink, dance, and go trick-or-treating. Nowhere in the Ten Commandments does it say: Thou shall not have a good time.

I think people can go overboard sometimes with Santa. Santa is used as a threat: be good or else no presents. Santa is used as a bribe: go to sleep so Santa will come. Santa, for many, becomes the whole meaning of Christmas. That doesn’t make Santa bad, just abused.

I know some people are concerned that when children discover the “truth” they will doubt all the other “truths” they’ve been told about God, the Church, etc. I don’t know. Personally, I don’t tell my kids a whole lot about Santa Claus. I didn’t tell them that he lived at the North Pole. I didn’t tell them he had a wife or elf helpers. I have read some story books that talked about these things. But I’ve also read them story books about magic beans that grow into tall vines that reach to the sky, and talking bears who go for a walk until their porridge cools, and children who walk through a wardrobe into another world.

I have told them without a doubt that there was a man named Nicholas who, legends say, threw gold down chimneys where it landed in stockings hung to dry. I have told them we don’t know exactly what he did for the poor and for the children because it happened so long ago, but he was loved and was named a saint, and his behavior is emulated by those who admire him.

I do remember finding out that Santa wasn’t “real.” My older brother clued me in. I don’t know why he felt the need to do it, but he was about 10 at the time, and I really think 10 year old boys are, in general, a pretty low form of life. When I think of 10 year old boys, I think Lord of the Flies. Thank goodness, they grow up, eventually. I do remember being really upset to learn the “truth.” I don’t remember doubting the existance of God because of it. I don’t remember feeling betrayed or lied to by my parents. Whatever disappointment I felt, I got over it. Christmas wasn’t ruined, and eventually I understood it better: God works his miracles through us.

It is a superficial faith that demands the “magic” of an unseen hand. It wasn’t a miracle; it was the surgeon’s skill. It wasn’t Divine Providence; it was good luck. It wasn’t God; it was my own intelligence or talent. It’s nothing special; it’s just mom and dad putting the presents there.

Christmas is a special time. There is “magic” in the air. Things outside of our comprehension have happened – majestic miracles, unfathonable mysteries. A saint who transcends time and space to bring tokens of love is but a glimpse of the whole story.