The Entire Christmas Season

Many years ago, we started celebrating our family Christmas on January 7.

But that doesn't meant we don't celebrate Christmas on December 25.

When I was first married in 1981, my in-laws gathered on December 24 and my side of the family gathered on December 25.

As my family grew, I wanted Christmas traditions that were ours - and wouldn't interfere with THEIR in-laws traditions when the time came.

We also had a few friends who celebrated Christmas on January 7. And that's how we birthed the idea.

However, that doesn't mean we celebrate two (or more) Christmases. We celebrate one Christmas, with multiple celebrations.

We're Eastern Orthodox Christians, which means our Advent begins November 15. So that gives us an extra two weeks to thoroughly prepare ourselves to celebrate Jesus' birth (and we still never feel ready).

We honor Christmas Eve is December 24, like most everyone else does.

Christmas Day is December 25, which begins the Christmas season.

We honor all twelve days of Christmas and celebrate the Magi on January 6.

We conclude the festivities with our family Christmas on January 7.

However, the Christmas season continues until Candlemas or the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple on February 2, which is when we typically start putting away Christmas decorations.

A short time later, we celebrate creativity, generosity, and laugher with Calkins Day on February 12, and then we celebrate love with Valentine's Day on February 14.

By now, we might have started (or are close to starting) the pre-Lenten period - and then we move into Lent.

After Lent comes Easter.

And look at that, winter is gone and spring has arrived!

The liturgical year, of course, continues, with two more minor fasting/abstinence periods, days of rejoicing, and days of solemnity.

The best part about living life with the liturgical year is that living that life is not dependent on "things" going well for us.

Whether we're struggling or smooth sailing, stumbling or running the race to its fullest, we're still enveloped in that mystery that is God manifested in our lives.

It's an incredibly satisfying way to live.

Happy Monday!

Blog or Bathroom?

Labor Day weekend 2025 was the first weekend (holiday or otherwise) in several years where someone didn't have an emergency and/or I wasn't feeling well.

So I planned to rest and relax, catch up on BryonySeries copyediting, increase my walk time, finish Tuesday's blog that I drafted a while back, clean my bathroom, celebrate Bertrand's Back-to-School Birthday Bash on Saturday (followed by a marketing dinner), take Tiny to class on Sunday afternoon, and hang out with the kids, cats, and corgi.

First of all, I had a wonderful weekend and am looking forward to work today.

Second of all, the weekend veered a bit from those plans. 

* I did rest and relax.

* I did not catch up on BryonySeries copyediting (although I made a nice dent).

* I did increase my walk time (not as much as I'd hoped).

* The cats and corgi got plenty of additional snuggles and cuddles (although they always want more).

* Bertrand's Back-To-School Birthday Bash was the best yet (more about this on Thursday).

* The marketing dinner was pushed back to tonight because the venue we wished to support closed for the holiday weekend.

* Tiny was a solid B+ in class (he needs to work on distractions and "walking nicely" when walking with others).

* And I hung out with family (human and otherwise).

Here are the really lovely reasons why I didn't walk and copyedit as much as I'd hoped:

* On Saturday evening, Rebekah and I spontaneously dived into some deepish cleaning (the first time since before my surgery on July 17).

* On Sunday evening, Rebekah and I finished a K-drama we started earlier this year (we highly recommend this drama!) and then abandoned for time reasons a few months ago (I should also add that, except for binge-watching Bob's Burger's in those early post-recovery days when I faded in and out of a pain/pain killer haze, I haven't watched any television or movies).

* On Monday, Timothy and I (and then Rebekah and and then back to Timothy) finished setting up and trying out the new phone he bought me.

So by early Sunday evening, that left two items on the list: today's blog or cleaning my bathroom.

Now, I 'd cleaned the bathroom on July 16 (the day before surgery), assuming it would be a couple of weeks before I could tackle it again. How could I have known then that those two weeks would become six?

I couldn't put it off one more night (because the marketing dinner was rescheduled for tonight). Wednesday evening, maybe?

Except I had absolutely, no exceptions, promised myself this weekend was the weekend. I did not promise the same about the blog.

So I cleaned the bathroom, the first really major piece of housework since the surgery. It felt great to do "normal" things.

And I paired the cleaning with a call to my uncle, who lives in New York and whose call I'd misssed the previous night. And what a fun call it was! (as it always is). Although he is in his mid-80s and recently widowed (very unexpectedly) for the second time, he is full of proejcts and plans.

While I cleaned ansd scrubbed and swept, we discussed:

 * His upcoming solar installation and what he needs to get done of the roof to prpare for it (yes, he still gets up on the roof).

* The tree branches he still needs to cut before the weather changes (for himself and his son-in-law).

* The work bench he got back in order over the weekend.

* The health care and food industry

* What he likes to cook for himself (and how he's only gone out to eat twice this year).

* The honor of meeting his new neighbor's elderly mother - and how his ninety-pound dog has won over his dog-disliking neighbors.

* His model planes and how he's looking for a place to fly them. He had to leave some of those plans in Montana when he moved back East. That led to a discussion about this World War II veteran, including the replica of his plane, the museum that displayed my uncle's plane for a time, and how my uncle met (and was photographed with) this veteran. I also learned that when the veteran died, his co-pilot attencded the funeral at age one hundred, making him the only Doolittle Raider still alive.

* I learned how my father had done his thesis on maximum security prisons, which made sense to me since his own father worked as a prison guard (and we briefly revisted that portion of familiy history). I'm assuming that led to my father's work with the Illinois Department of Corrections - and I recalled hearing "Stateville" for the first time as a child over a dinner conversation, simply because my father had gone there that day.

* I heard about my uncle talk about meeting an old friend for lunch at the halfway point (in my uncle and father's childhood town) and then wandering around this museum, which is housed in the building my uncle and father had attended school ("Of course, it looked much smaller I than I remembered it," my uncle said with  a laugh). While there, he found a photo of the Class of 1941, which had my father in it (along with other students whose names my uncle also recalled). Yes, he took a photo of it, No, he doesn't have a smartphone, so he's unable to share it anytime soon.

* We discussed the antique model trains my uncle is rebuilding and how he plans to devote some long, focused time on them when the weather is too cold for outdoor projects.

So as you can see, cleaning the bathroom was the right choice.

And I wound up with a nice blog for today, too.

Happy Tuesday!

Mother's Day Brunch on a Working Weekend

My standing Mother's Day mantra to my kids is "No brunch."

Meaning, I don't want anyone losing any hard-earned time and money earned taking me out to brunch.

No one disagrees, especially since anyone in my family who's worked in food service feels the sheer volume of food being rapidly prepared on Mother's Day increases the risk for food poisoning.

But as the work gods would have it, my spot in the weekend rotation came up on Mother's Day weekend for at least the third year in a row.

And the "family" part of it started when the initial checking of email and social media for breaking news ended, and I responded to a text Timothy had sent in the middle of the night (we're poor sleepers here), and he sent me a weird response.

Timothy: "Why are you up?"

Me: "Why wouldn't I be up? It's 7:35 and I'm working."

As the compassionate gods would have it, Faith wanted a snuggle a few minutes later. That's what prevented me for heading downstairs to start dispensing cat and dog treats (long story) and start my own breakfast.

Because I heard voices as I was about to descend the stairs. When I reached the kitchen, Timothy, Daniel, and Cindy were laying out "brunch."

Had Faith not wanted a bit of cuddling, I would have made and been eating breakfast.

Anyway, scroll through the photos and feast your eyes on the 2025 Mother's Day brunch.

Rebekah also prepared homemade cinnamon rolls later that morning - but I was working and they forgot to take photos of those.

Sausage (not homemade)

Blueberry waffles (homemade, including the mix)

Corn muffins (because Timothy had two small boxes of mix he wanted to use up).

Fresh fruit salad

Trifle (a double batch, half of which should have gone home with Cindy and didn't)

And did I mention I will be enjoying leftovers today?

Happy Monday!

Birthday Girl at the Mall

During the twenty-two years I wrote the "An Extraordinary Life" feature, I heard hundreds of inspirational stories about the extraordinary way ordinary people lived their lives before they died.

And because I was listening to people who, in many cases, were still grieving, I allotted plenty of time for them to talk.

I remember once such instance when a very young man had died of cancer. His family sat around the conference room table with me, sharing photos and one story after another about the brave was he faced and tackled his cancer.

As the family prepared to leave, one member said, "This was better than the therapy we're paying for."

And yet, all I did was listen and take notes.

Even more years ago - when I was in college - I became a Big Sister to an eight-year-old, the youngest in a family of five children. 

This little girl had a habit of eating very slowly, not a bad habit, right? But if the family were eating at a fast food restaurant, they often either packed up the rest of her meal or divided it among her siblings so the food could get eaten and they could get going.

So for our first "sister" date," we had dinner at a sit-down, family-style restaurant, her first experience t such a venue. I let her order what she wanted and let her take all the time she needed to finish. She ate A LOT of food, which surprised her mother.

I share a July 15 birthday with my granddaughter Riley. Rebekah and I had made plans to take her to Fox Valley Mall for the day. I wasn't feeling very well. But that turned out to be a good thing.

If I had been feeling well, we would have spent the day honoring a triple set of interests: Riley's, Rebekah's, and mine. 

Instead, we let Riley follow hers for the, and I captured her experiences with my camera phone.

So what's the moral of this story today?

Many children can't enjoy an experience at their own pace.

Many adults never get a captive audience for their words.

Giving another person your undivided time and attention might really be the best gift of all.

Birthday Cake for Breakfast

I share a July 15 birthday with my granddaughter Riley.

She turned eight this year, and I turned sixty-three.

We celebrated on July 13 with a family cookout at a park and then we went swimming.

The candles didn't stay lit on our cakes, so we never blew them out (but we did sing "Happy Birthday").

We went swimming afterwards, but that was cut short with a storm (accompanied by thunder and lightning).

I had spent fourteen hours overnight in the ER earlier that week and did a second act after the party ended.

July 15 followed two all-nighters for me (both due to pain) and a celebration trip to Fox Valley Mall for Rebekah, Riley, and me. The day was bracketed by stressful doctors appointments on either end. The finale was quite the storm that night (and plenty storm coverage by The Herald-News editorial team the next day).

So we never cut into my cake until mid-week, due to circumstances and the fact the four of us who live together wanted to enjoy that cake together. So we did that one day, early in the morning, before everyone dashed off to work.

So what's the moral of the story here?

As I've previously mentioned, we've had a challenging few years of many emergencies and deaths. June and July have been especially intense, with a near constant feeling of hanging off a precipice.

More is in store for us, but we did get a much welcomed breather this weekend. So thankful!

So the point of this post is not to whine, but to maybe offer some hope for dark times.

"This too shall pass" is really true (I am currently not in pain).

Don't get hung up when plans don't work out according to our plans. Make other plans. Yes, really.

Storms will come, but the sun will come out again. (It's raining today, but the sun shone this past weekend).

Circumstances will sometimes rule the day. But every once in a while, rule the circumstances, just to show circumstances who's really boss.

There's nothing wrong with having cake for breakfast.

Baby Shower Pictionary

Yesterday Christopher's girl friend Sabrina was supposed to be induced.

But the hospital got backed up with inducements, so the arrival of David Patrick is not scheduled to begin until this afternoon. Needless to say, we are all very excited to meet him!

Now last month, in the midst of the chaos that's been our lives for the past six weeks, we hosted a small baby shower for Sabrina.

The baby shower was small because we didn't have the time or space to plan something larger with an actual guest list of extended family and friends. 

But we had four of the immediate women in the family and two of the little nieces/granddaughters for lunch, games, and gifts, and we had lots of fun. 

One of those games was Baby Shower Pictionary.

We love Pictionary in our family. But no one in the gaming world (as far as w could see) had ever invented a Baby Shower Pictionary. So we created our own.

Here are the topics we used. Each of the related clues related to babies somehow: Baby Animals, People in a baby's life, Places a baby might go, Actions a baby might make, and Objects associated with babies.

So we drew and guessed things like piglet, doctor, zoo, peek-a-boo, and car seat.

Fun, huh?

July 3, 1998 Versus July 3, 2024

On July 3, 1998, I was a a single mother of six children, ages two through fifteen.

My neighbor, a single mom of two little girls, wanted to walk from our houses in Marycrest subdivision down Jefferson Street to meet one of her friends, and then over to the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre, approximately two and a half miles.

It was one of the first, if not THE first, Independence Day celebrations at the park. But all I remember was feeling exhausted through and through.

I was getting up seven days a week at two o'clock in the morning to deliver newspapers. Six months into the job, my body and and my life still hadn't adjusted to those hours. I was tired; I was poor, and I remember sitting at the top of the hill at Bicentennial Park with the kids, unable to buy them anything to eat or drink and feeling utterly defeated.

We still had to walk back after the fireworks. And I, who'd been on my feet since two a.m., still had to get back up at two a.m.

I wish future me could have shown up and reassured me these dark days were temporary, that the efforts would translate into a brighter future for the kids, actual life for me, and how the family, some extended family, and local artists would come together to create a literary world called the BryonySeries.

I wish future me could know that standing on Cass Street Bridge and watching the fireworks each year would become a cherished family tradition for us.

Last year, our family asked if we could vend at the event. The park said yes and we turned our tent into a miniature carnival-type experience.

This year, BryonySeries is a sponsor of Bicentennial Park's Independence Day celebration. 

And we are back with an expanded tent, more games, more giveaways, gifts with purchases, and books, Ribbit-Ribbits, and other items for purchase.

The writing critique group I helped found and co-lead - WriteOn Joliet - is developing  really nice relationship with Bicentennial Park. Several WriteOn members will also be present tomorrow night with their own table/booth/tent, ready to share their writing wares with a reading world.

And we will be giving away twenty copies of "Cheetah Stories" to the first twenty people at our booth, compliments of New Lenox Dental.

Most of all, we will be celebrating freedom.

Won't you please come join us?

We Returned To Tower Hall

Working on a college degrees while working a full-time job is really challenging.

But two of my sons - Timothy and Daniel - supported each other in the process by taking classes together and adjusting schedules to work on homework together as much as possible.

They earned their bachelor's degrees together from the University of St. Francis on May 4 and are currently working on their master's degrees, which they started before graduation day.

I actually attended USF when it was CSF (College of St. Francis) in the school's former three-year program, which I didn't finish in favor of getting married and starting a family.

I lived on campus: Marion Hall the first year and Tower Hall the second. Most of my classes both years were at Tower Hall, so I spent many, many, many hours in that building.

By contract, Timothy and Daniel hardly stepped foot on campus since all their classes are remote.

They also didn't want any graduation photos and had their caps and gowns removed by the time they caught up to us outside after the graduation ceremony.

But on May 6, they changed their minds. They didn't care about the photos. But they thought maybe I cared about the photos, that I would want photos of them in their caps and gowns.

And they were right.

So after work on that May 8, we returned to USF for photos. The boys, who wore their gowns over their T-shirts and jeans, asked me to choose the location. That was easy: Tower Hall.

Now, it's not like I've never been to USF since 1981. Of course I have, mostly for Herald-News assignments. And "Bryony" was also recorded as an audio book at USF in 2012 before audio books became a thing. It's still not released, which is another story and post altogether.

So after the post-graduation photos, we walked around campus. I pointed out what was the same, what had changed, and shared amusing anecdotes from my time there. The boys enjoyed looking around and seeing parts of the campus.

It was a nice full circle moment.

I left USF to start my real mission in life, which included bringing them into the world.

They came to USF to launch their mission, which is still being written.

And I couldn't be more proud.

"Ye Olde May Fest" Recap

Welcome to Day Three of Recap Week.

Over the last six weeks, I was blessed to participate three different wonderful events: “Fragments of Time," an original WriteOn Joliet radio theater production, held April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet, the Local Author Fair on April 27 at the Joliet Public Library, and Ye Olde May Fest, May 18 and 19, also at Bicentennial Park.

As a happy attendee and vendor at the last two "Shakespeare & Art In The Park" events, Rebekah and I were invited to take part in the planning committee this year for "Ye Olde May Fest."

We also oversaw TWO tents (BryonySeries and WriteOn Joliet) in the "Merry Merchant Row" during the actual event.

The outdoor medieval-type fair event featured a live Shakespeare play ("The Merry Wives of Windsor"), a large Maypole, parade of royalty, kids' make-n-take crafting kingdom, stockade, alchemist, archery, ax throwing, magician, Medievalist and his suit of armor, green screen magic with a castle and dragon courtesy of the Joliet Public Library, live music, and a community mural project, along with the vendors and food and drink for sale.

Now, we only sold one book over the two days. But the couple did walk over the river to an ATM and then back to Bicentennial Park just to buy it, so that made us feel good. And we also sold about a dozen mystery quote (otherwise called Word Music).

In fact, the only vendor that sold quite well was Cindy's crocheted Ribbit-Ribbits. 

And yet, I believe "Ye Old May Fest was wonderfully successful, and I truly hope Bicentennial Park repeats it next year. 

You see, while the event obviously catered to Shakespeare fans, it also catered to non-Shakespeare fans. One reason for "Ye Olde May Fest" was to introduce individuals and families to art and activities that might be unfamiliar to them.

For non-Shakespeare fans, "Ye Olde May Fest" was an event of discovery. For some, that also included discovering Bicentennial Park. For the vendors, it was an opportunity to let the community discover them.

Six of my grandchildren attended the event and had a fantastic time. Now before you think I'm embellishing, you should know they didn't actually enter the festival looking very excited. The fact they enjoyed it so much was, I'm sure, very much a surprise to them.

Don't believe me? Scroll through the photos and see!

The kids made floral wreaths, added their touches to a community mural, shot bows and arrows, discovered snakes, made fans, had fun with fantasy photos and green screens, participated in the coronation, explored the grounds and enjoyed the music.

Four grandchildren now want to attend archery camp this summer, and we are trying to make that happen for them. Two were enthralled by the play

One of my grandsons (who showed up in Rennaisance dress) was even loathe to leave. He said, "This is my happy place."

Happy, indeed!

Photos of 2024 Mother's Day Feast

We have a standing joke in our family that I don't need to go out to "brunch" on Mother's Day.

That joke arose from a mixture of sources: the enormous popularity of Mother's Day brunches at local restaurants, an unwillingness to stretch an already stretched-thin budget, the fact my three youngest children worked in restaurants, and the fact that all of us work very hard and don't need another obligation for the day.

Now, for Mother's Day 2012, Timothy planted our one and only real vegetable garden (a wish of mine since 1981) and that garden thrived, partially because he had the help of two neighbors that were outstanding gardeners. But he WANTED to do that, and it didn't feel like work to him.

The next year, Timothy was super busy with college and work. He planted a garden and the weeds overtook it.

So when May 1 rolls around, I remind the kids that my Mother's Day wish is for everyone to rest on Mother's Day. I underscored that message this year because the previous week was exceptionally busy.

Timothy and Daniel had earned their bachelor's degrees the previous weekend (which was also our Easter weekend, complete with lots of cooking and a huge family picnic and egg hunt at a local park), and they were already steeped in homework for their master degree classes.

And Rebekah, along with her regular job, produces books for clients, and does a lot of unpaid work for the BryonySeries. 

So my message on Mother's Day, is, "Please rest."

Besides, this year I was scheduled to work that weekend. And this year, Mother's Day turned out to be a huge weekend for breaking news. I started work at six a.m. on Mother's Day and never signed off until eight p.m. I scarcely noticed the hours since the time just flew past me.

In the meantime, Rebekah decided "brunch" for dinner would be something different for us. So she went shopping and then she and Timothy whipped up this feast. When the "dinner is ready" message was sent to me along with the question, "Did I want a plate brought to me?" I decided to come downstairs and see for myself.

What a feast it was!

The menu was sausage, hash browns, three kinds of pancakes (plain, blueberry, chocolate chip), fruit salad, a Sangria-type drink (which I forgot to try), and cinnamon rolls.

Timothy and Rebekah cooked/baked everything from scratch except the sausage. Daniel handled the cleanup.

We even had flowers, for Timothy surprised me with a lovely bouquet in a lovely vase the previous night (also a working day).

They cooked so much food, we had it for dinner through Tuesday, a gift of rest indeed.

Feast your eyes on these photos. Yum, right?

Snack Bags From Jasmine

I think "comfort food" is important to most of us from time to time, although what comfort is to us might be different from what comfort food is to another.

Many people often give gifts of food or drink to express affection or love, like chocolate on Valentine's Day or pot of chicken soup to someone who is ill.

So on Saturday, Jasmine brought "snack bags" for herself, Rebekah, and me before we set off to celebrate Lunar New Year with Cindy and her family, so we could have a cozy ride there and back.

Inside each snack bag are comfort foods tailored to each individual person. So no two begs are the same. She also brought coffee as well as tea (for Rebekah). But Jasmine is thoughtful that way.

Just twenty-four hours earlier, I had another flare-up of whatever abdominal thing is going on (my gastroenterologist isn't completely convinced it's diverticulitis; colonoscopy is still two weeks away).

So a bagful of comfort treats from someone who cares really cheers the soul, too. 

I did give the graham crackers to Rebekah (they had sulfiting agents, a no-no for me). 

But she brought my favorite Saltines (brand-name, whole grain), whale cheese crackers (which don't have sunflower oil as regular goldfish do. I never heard of whale!), and two bags of "chippers" (miniature chocolate chip cookies).

As I was getting ready for a shower, Rebekah said I looked nice that night. I had worn leggings for abdominal comfort, with a long black sweater and a red shirt (red was required if we had it).

So I asked her to take a photo, and she did.

I wanted to remember her comforting words...and also that I somehow managed to look nice on the outside when the inside was not feeling as nice.

Happy Thursday!

Bags and Croquet

This post has sat around in my draft folder since early September...and I'm not certain why, except 2023 was an extremely challenging year for my family: lots of deaths and medical things.

These pictures are from September 9, the day after Timothy's birthday and later in the day after WriteOn Joliet's radio performance at the Joliet Public Library.

Croquet and bags have a special place in our hearts.

I remember the backyard croquet set we had (and played) when I was a child. My sister and I had a tic-tac-toe bags game in our basement playroom, too.

We had croquet when my kids were growing up. Ron and I introduced croquet to the children in our Higher Ark Youth group (it was one of the games we played at the picnic grounds during our bike hikes).

We played bags at church picnics (our church owned a set).

So Timothy, Rebekah, Daniel, Cindy, and me played croquet and bags on September 9 by choice, because we like to spend time together and because any age and any skill level can participate.

While we were playing, I received a text from one of my stepsons that his aunt had died. As I said, it was that kind of a year. We had another death in mid-October, too. 

So we are still reeling from 2023, and 2024 is already off to an uncertain and anxious start.

But it's nice to know that, in the midst of crisis and gloom, moments of joy are still possible, as three photos do show.

Happy Thursday!

Meaning Over Money

Last week, I took several days off work between Christmas and the New Year to prepare for our family Christmas and Rebekah's 30th birthday on January 7.

Up until that point, my life was centered on keeping Advent in my heart, deadlines at work, and holiday events for WriteOn Joliet.

During that time, Rebekah decorated the house and put up our family tree - and she also put up the little tree for my room (that Joshua and Timothy brought me for St. Nicholas in 2020) because I simply didn't have time to decorate it myself.

On my first day off, I tied up some loose "life" ends on Tuesday while Rebekah went to some appointments after work. But then she and I dedicated part of Wednesday and Thursday to Christmas preparations. 

Now I also spent some time with some plans for Rebekah's birthday. And we held our annual game and pizza night on New Year's Eve. The rest of the time was spent ed-ting the second novel by Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, because we need books in hand before Calkins Day.

But when Rebekah clocked out of work on Wednesday, we focused only on Christmas, and we shopped for approximately twenty people. Then when she clocked out of work on Thursday, we wrapped (and wrapped and wrapped).

We are still hoping to embellish the gifts with ribbons and bow - if we have time. It's a busy work week, and I'm leading a WriteOn Joliet meeting tonight.

What we did not do is spend lots of money on gifts per person. This is partly because we don't ask people for their "wish lists." And it's partly because we are also very thrifty shoppers.

But we do know how to give good gifts.

We buy gifts we are reasonably certain people will like based on what we know about that person, their needs, their wants, their likes, their hopes and dreams.

That's how Timothy wound up with pink pajamas with cats printed all over them - and he was delighted. He still has them, even though that gift was from a Christmas at least fifteen years in the past. 

Our emphasis is on meaning over money. 

Now sometimes, the receiver is perplexed at a gift, such as this gift of  paint and plain white T-shirts in various sizes that Daniel gifted me last year. In the hands of Jasmine and Rebekah, the results were stunning and a terrific gift for quite a few people.

Here are five photos to show what Rebekah and I accomplished in those two half, very fun days of working together to find the right gifts. We can't wait to see people's expressions when they open their gifts on January 7.

Now, even if Christmas is already a distant memory for you, may the love, joy, and peace the season brings remain in your hearts and in your homes for all of 2024.

Happy Thursday!

Gifts From St. Nicholas

Hanging up our stockings is still an annual tradition in our family, even for the adults.

What makes ours a little different is that we moved that tradition from Christmas Eve. to St. Nicholas Eve back in 1983.

As my oldest children grew older, they became part of creating the magic for the younger children.

Once all the children were adults, we kept the magic intact by drawing names. Everyone contributes to to the stockings for the grandchildren and the nieces and nephews who are still young.

We used to keep the stocking gifts to twenty dollars, then twenty-dollars and so forth. But with inflation, that is hard to do. So we just keep the cost reasonable.

Abd everyone receives gold foil chocolate coins and candy canes, for which we pray this St. Nicholas blessing prayer before we enjoy them.

This year, with this past week being so busy for everyone (extra work duties, finals for Timothy and Daniel, WriteOn Joliet anthology release party for us all), we moved the actual celebration to Sunday when everyone had a few hours to gather.

Jasmine drew my name. Here is what "St. Nicholas" brought me this year.

A cat-shaped tote bag.

Cat socks

Three at pawprint keepsakes for Midnight, Faith and Senna 

And new incense in scents that smell amazing

Although it's wonderful to set asides days for gift giving and celebration, we can give to others with joy in our hearts any day of the week.

As we begin this new week, may we all look for those opportunities.

Happy Monday!