Christmas Reflections

I'm so glad it's the Christmas season, because otherwise I surely wouldn't have had an idea for this week's letter X. I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas, or as some people would say, Merry Xmas!

Somehow, though, a wish for a happy Xmas just doesn't have the same ring to it. To me, Xmas sounds like a generic version of Christmas--Brand X, if you will. When I was younger I was taught that we should never use this term, that it was taking "Christ" out of "Christmas." But later I learned that isn't necessarily true.

The labarum above (photo taken from Wikipedia) is a Christian symbol for Christ. Often called the Chi-Rho, it is formed from the Greek letters X and P, which were abbreviations for the Greek word for "Christ." So, the term "Xmas" is actually a Christian term, too. And yet, I much prefer using the word Christmas.

I try to avoid discussing religion and politics here, but I can't help making a comment today, and I hope that no one is offended by it. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, of course, and I respect other people's beliefs. However, I hope that we never get so concerned with being "PC" that Christmas trees are no longer allowed in public spaces nor that retailers are no longer allowed to wish their customers a "Merry Christmas." I hope that others will see these gestures not as an attempt to foist religious beliefs on others, but take them in the spirit in which they were intended--a wish for peace and good will among all people.

And now I'll get off my soapbox and share a few scenes from our Christmas celebrations this year.

My wish for a white Christmas came a day late, but that was fortunate because it didn't affect our plans for family get-togethers.

The four older grandchildren came over a few days before Christmas for a cookie-baking session. The table was covered with plastic, sugar cookie dough portioned out for each to roll and cut out, and plenty of frosting and sprinkles available for their masterpieces.

Oldest Grandson really got into the spirit. But at one point in the decorating, this became a contest to see just who could put the most frosting on one cookie.

I think he won:)

Younger Granddaughter takes such activities very seriously

and even brought her own chef's apron for the day.

She was so proud of her creations that she took most of her cookies home.

Sophie couldn't help with cookies, but oh, did she love having the grandkids here! Since this was her first Christmas with us, she wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, but soon got into the spirit of the season. Hmm, I wonder how those holes got in my brand new tree skirt . . .

Of course, there was a stocking just for her, and she enjoyed her new toys. Toby and Tarzan opened their presents a little early--the catnip mice in their stocking were just too tempting, and I caved in to their curious sniffings and pawings before Christmas Eve.

As is our custom, the immediate family gathers here after Christmas Eve services, and the cleaned and decorated house soon deteriorates into pure chaos as packages are ripped open. Youngest Grandson is now ready to do some serious farming. Notice Sophie to the left--she's always ready to play with Grandson and his neat toys. At one point we had to hastily retrieve the puck from his new hockey set from her before it turned into doggy fiber.

All the toys were inspected and tried out--hockey pucks went flying, and a new scooter raced through the basement family room. But the most fun of all? No, not a new, expensive toy--but empty wrapping paper rolls! A jousting contest with them provided the most entertainment of the evening. It just goes to show that you don't need to spend a lot of money on presents:)

The day after Christmas we gathered again at my parents' house, along with my brother and his family. Cousins got a chance to see each other again and play together.

My parents love nothing better than a house filled with the laughter of children. My Dad does his part by sharing one of his trademark "corny" jokes with Granddaughter.

After his health scare last winter, we were all happy to be able to have another Christmas with Mom and Dad.

Christmas has passed, but the memories will last forever. With the hectic pace of the holidays almost over, it's a good time to take a cue from Toby

and take a little catnap to recharge the batteries.

Since this will be my last post of 2009, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you

a new year filled with health, happiness, and peace.

Happy New Year!

ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt; I can't wait to see what other people have come up with for the letter X--their posts can be found here.

"Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful..."

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and time to relax from the often hectic pace of the season. We had both, although the weather was not very cooperative. In the past week we have run the gamut from frigid temperatures to a warm day in the 60's, from snow and ice to heavy thunderstorms with threats of tornadoes.

The forecast was for a white Christmas, and looking out across the lawn through my living room window last Tuesday, that seemed like a definite possibility.

However, what you can't tell from the photo is that while there is a light dusting of snow, most of the white you see is actually a sheet of ice! The day before saw wind chills below zero, then the next day it warmed up enough so that the predicted snow turned to freezing rain instead. Roads were covered with ice, making for very treacherous driving. Many holiday travellers found themselves stranded as flights were cancelled at O'Hare and other Midwest airports.


Yesterday temperatures soared into the sixties, and the ice melted, leaving flooded roads and fields in its wake. Heavy thunderstorms added to the mess. We did make it to my parents' house for a Christmas brunch and a nice afternoon with my brother and his family, although the constant warnings from the weather radio in the next room created some unease. I have to admit I was happy to get home safe and sound last night--to a thankfully dry basement.



The fluctuating temperatures and high winds at times left their mark. Our yard is littered with broken pine branches that will require some time to clean up as soon as the weather cooperates.


It's a colder, but more normal winter day today, but there is a strange yellow glow in the sky I haven't seen for awhile--oh, it's the sun shining! While we Illinoisans have been complaining about the weather all week, at least it's a nice change of pace from our usual topic of complaint these days--state politics:)


Despite the bad weather, we were able to have our Christmas celebrations as planned. Although several local churches had to cancel their Christmas Eve services, my children were able to get here for our family get-together on Christmas Eve, and everyone managed to navigate our ice-covered driveway without falling. Earlier in the day I was worried my husband would miss out on the fun of watching the children open their presents because he has been on call at nights this week for highway snowplowing duties. Fortunately, the roads were clear enough that he was able to spend Christmas Eve and Day with us.

Christmas presents were eagerly ripped open on Christmas Eve, and the grandchildren had a grand time playing with all their new toys until it was time for them to go home and get a little sleep before Santa came to their own houses the next day. My husband and I spent Christmas Day at home alone, which actually turned out to be very nice and peaceful. My husband appreciated the time to catch up on much-needed rest after spending several days of working twelve-hour shifts, and with a John Wayne film marathon on one TV channel and a James Bond marathon on another, he was perfectly content! I took advantage of his mid-afternoon nap to set up the new Wii Fit I received for Christmas. That's a good thing, since the holidays have been filled with too many tempting goodies.

My five-year-old granddaughter came over a few days before Christmas to help me bake Christmas cookies. We made several dozen cookies, although we would have had more if she hadn't eaten so much leftover cookie dough :0) Her favorite part is decorating, as you can see. I set out cans of decorator icing and all kinds of sprinkles and let her go at it.

Anyone need a sugar fix??

Although the festivities are over, the decorations and Christmas tree will stay up through New Year's Day, as is my usual custom. I like to savor the holiday spirit as long as I can and enjoy the familiar ornaments as well as a few new ones, including this one received just a few days before Christmas.

This lovely mitten ornament was made by Amy at Blossom, and I was the lucky winner of her giveaway! You might enlarge the photo to see the intricate embroidery and detail. Even though she is recovering from recent knee surgery, Amy managed to send these all the way from British Columbia just in time for Christmas. Thank you so much, Amy! I will treasure these mittens, and they will be hanging on my tree every year.

Again, I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!