Dandelions in December

We were walking down the sidewalk just a few days ago, and I happened to look down. In the small patch of hard earth next to the cement stood bright yellow dandelions. Beautiful dandelions, shining forth in all of their unexpected beauty. Dandelions are a "flower" near and dear to my heart, and the sight of them on a December brought the same awe of surprise and delight as the first bright daffodils that peek through the ground each spring. There is much goodness in those unexpected gifts that fall in our path. 

"Encountering the unexpected" could perhaps be a good theme for this month; in ways large and small, I've come across many things I hadn't expected. Some sorrowful, some stressful, some gloriously wonderful, and some just plain weird. Like the Santa who drove a sedan. 

'tis the season for oversized ornaments! Not my favorite outdoor
decoration, to be honest, but they are attention-grabbing for sure!

Holding onto hope & choosing to rejoice

Lully, lulla, lully, lulla

By by, lully lullay

Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child

By by, lully lullay

The strains of this haunting carol filled the house as we ate breakfast and began dressing for Mass. The irony of it hit me: Here we were on Gaudete Sunday, donning our joyous pink clothing as we listened to a song about Herod’s slaughter of the Holy Innocents. My thoughts flew back to the Christmas Eve Mass when we heard this song for the first time; as we celebrated the joy of Christ’s birth, we listened to this solemn reminder of death.

A Blank Calendar: Musings on the New Year

I wasn't planning to stay up until midnight to ring in 2021, but my teething, sleep-regressing baby had other plans. While I do like getting to enjoy our Christmas tree in the quiet hours of the late night and early morning, the abundant touch from an infant and the lack of sleep is not my favorite. But, I bought a bunch of coffee beans today, I'm thoroughly sugared-up on Christmas chocolate, and God is merciful. Thanks to the sleep deprivation and a lack of motivation brought on by Christmas vacation, here's a peek into my scattered thoughts as the new year begins. 

After we returned from a short trip out of state 
to see family, one of our neighbors showed up with this beautiful
poinsettia. I am so grateful for our wonderful neighbors!

A steady drip drip drip of water is plunging off the roof to fall onto the snow-covered ground. Our tiny Christmas tree brings holiday cheer into a living room that is cluttered with the aftermath of unpacking and presents. Across the room, I see the fresh calendar that hangs on our wall. A month of (mostly) blank boxes offers hope, promise. After the [insert adjective of your choosing] year that was 2020, I'm sure we are all more than ready for a fresh start. Yes, we're still in a pandemic, and yes, we're still suffering from a deeply divided political climate, but there is always hope. 

We are still fully in the Christmas season over here, and as I contemplate the Baby Jesus figurine in our nativity--and as I see the Wise Men that my children have pulled out in anticipation of the Epiphany tomorrow--I am filled hope. I am sure that challenges will come this year, but God is with us. I don't know what this year will look like, and I am very hesitant to make concrete plans, but I am excited about the possibilities! 

A Weary World Rejoices

If there's one word I can think of that encapsulates a general feeling among people at this point in 2020, it's weary. Months of isolation, division, and frustration have built, leaving many of us exhausted. We are tired, but life keeps happening--bringing with it unpredictable curveballs and heartaches. 

Into this weary world, Christ enters. 

Over the past several weeks, I've been pondering the prophets as they prepared the world for the Messiah. Rather than their work being confined to a few weeks each winter, it was a process that took place over generations. It was long, slow work. Into a land that was filled with division and bloodshed, hope was proclaimed. 

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel." (Is 7:14)

We may not experience feelings of delight of happiness as we prepare for celebrations full of restrictions and masks, but we can still grasp onto the hope and joy that go beyond a mere emotional lift. We can gaze upon the Christ-child with wonder and awe as we contemplate just how incredible and deep God's love for us is. 

We may be worn out by the events of this year (I know I am!) but we cannot let our fatigue keep us from celebrating the tremendous gift of the Incarnation. Just a week ago, we lit a pink-colored candle on our dining room table. That rose-colored hue reminded us to rejoice, for the Lord is near! The Light is shining forth into the darkness of the world. 

Geertgen tot Sint Jans, The Nativity at Night (1490). Public domain.

We have just a few days left in this season of preparation, so let's persevere. The final days of Advent often slip by quickly, and are filled with many physical preparations as shopping is finished, food is purchased, and presents are wrapped. In this busy time, let's all try to remember to make space for prayer. It may be only a few minutes here or there, but setting aside small moments for silent reflection is a wonderful way to prepare our minds and hearts for Christ's birth. When we enter into the great feast of Christmas in just a few days, may we truly rejoice from the depths of our beings. 

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.

I don't understand people who decline Biscoff cookies (and other notes from Christmas travels)

My friends, it has been a whirlwind. Last week was the first full week that we've spent at home in about a month. I realize that lots of people travel and pack their schedules with activities regularly, but we usually take things slower around here. So, last week was a good one for catching up on sleep, finishing a re-watch of Anne of Green Gables (Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie are so cute in their roles!), and visiting neighbors, local friends, and the library. It's good to be back, but our little adventures were fun, too-we took a big ol' trip to the Pacific Northwest!

I have fond memories of the part of my childhood spent in Oregon, so I was ecstatic that I'd finally get to visit it again-for the first time in twelve years! My husband's family (and much of his extended family) also lives in that part of the country, so we decided to take a couple weeks around Christmas to spend some quality time with relatives.

The last time we had flown as a family was three years ago, when we had just one tiny baby. I was quite a bit nervous about flying with a preschooler and a 15 month old, but surprisingly it went way better than I had anticipated! (thank you, God!) Our firstborn was happily kept occupied breeding Pokémon with my husband while I tried to entertain the baby (who at times would not let himself be entertained). Everyone was really nice, though, and I discovered that it's especially awesome to fly with a baby because the flight stewardess just may load you down with extra granola bars!

On Family Traditions

Perhaps your family eats Chinese food on Thanksgiving. Or, maybe you always open one gift on Christmas Eve before slipping off to bed. You might participate in a "turkey trot" together each Thanksgiving, or alternatively you curl up on the couch to watch endless Christmas movies while you sink into that post-Turkey relaxation. Traditions vary from household to household, but many families have them. These family traditions can be reassuring and comforting. Knowing that a certain practice will happen on an upcoming holiday can fill us with gleeful anticipation.

But, what if our family traditions cause more stress than jubilation? What if they create more tension than harmony? What if they force us to fit a mold that we have outgrown?

A Mac n' Cheese Christmas

In the words of my toddler, "Happy Merry Christmas!"

The liturgical season of Christmas doesn't end until the Baptism of the Lord, which is on January 13 this year-so we still have this full week to continue our festive celebrations! I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. It's been a peaceful, fun, relaxed, and joyous Christmas.

Advent was uncomfortable for me this year. Yes, there are cozy happy memories of reading and praying by the light of the Advent wreath, our house filling with people as we drank tea and ate sugary treats to kick off the liturgical new year, and getting together with friends to bake and/or eat cookies. But there are also grim memories. As Advent began, I wrote a piece on the Advent journey. That theme, of a journey into an uncomfortable desert, remained with me the entire season-it really did feel like a "little Lent" in some ways. So, as December 24 dawned, I was really excited to celebrate Christ's birth :)  

Celebrating the Christmas Season

I love Christmas! It's such a fun, joyful, cozy time of the year. After the quiet and stillness of Advent, it's amazing to break out into exuberant Christmas celebrations. We celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior, the King of Kings being born in humble circumstances. This is huge! Hence, Christmas is not simply one day on the liturgical calendar, but it consists of a whole season. There are several days in which we can celebrate and contemplate the great, beautiful reality of the Word becoming flesh. As Bishop Barron states, "certain mysteries are so profound they need a lot of time to process." 

Christmas is an amazing season full of traditions, prayers, and feasts. I figured that it would be fun to make a list of ways to celebrate Christmastime, keeping in mind the feasts and flow of this liturgical season. 

The Magic of Christmas

When I was pregnant with my son, occasionally other people would mention what Christmas is like as parents. "It's so magical when you have kids!" they'd say, evoking images of children with beaming smiles opening presents and looking at Christmas lights.

I've noticed that many parents want to create a magical, special Christmas time for their children. Irregardless of whether or not they "do Santa" (that is a whole other topic!), many people yearn to make a heartwarming place where cherished  memories will be created. There is nothing wrong with desiring to create a happy mood in your home as you cozy up for hygge-style festivities. As we swirl candy canes in warm mugs of cocoa together, we can rejoice in the love that we share with our family and friends. 

However, there are some traps that we can all fall into. 

The Christmas Where I Failed at Making Chocolates

I love chocolate. I love eating chocolate, smelling chocolate, and looking at chocolate. And I really, really love making candies with chocolate. 

For most of my life, I've spent the holiday season making coconut  (and chocolate coconut!) filling, peanut butter filling, and peppermint filling, rolling these into different shapes, and dipping them into luscious melted chocolate. When I was a junior in high school, for our English class' business unit, we all had to do a mock interview for a job we'd like to have. I decided to interview for a position of "chocolatier," and brought a selection of candies to class with me. Let's just say I was one of the most popular girls in class that day ;) Last summer, just two days before giving birth, I hauled a tub of 300+ homemade chocolates into an art gallery, since a friend of mine had commissioned me to make them as refreshments for her art show. I really like working with chocolate. 

I was excited to spend Christmastime enveloped in all things chocolate, especially since I held myself back from chocolate-making during Advent. Well, I'm here to inform you all that I have been failing in my chocolate endeavors. Mishap after mishap has occurred, and the liturgical season of Christmas isn't even over yet!

A Solemnity, Bargain DVDs, and Books! (7 Quick Takes)

Happy Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God!!!!! I have to be honest: I always care way more about this solemnity than the fact that it's also apparently New Years Day. Nothing against the new calendar year or anything, but really. Mary being the Mother of God is way more legit than another year going by, in my opinion. But I'm just weird like that. So for the rest of y'all who happily party up the new calendar year, Happy New Year! I decided to link up with Kelly for some 7 Quick Takes today, because...why not? It's a great way to share random snippets from my life down here in in the land of red dirt & ice (I've been finding that Oklahoma apparently doesn't get snow, it just gets ice-which makes me feel like I'm living in Frozen, which is actually kind of exciting). 

Flexibility: A Christmas Tradition

Merry Christmas! 

Shortly before Christmas began, someone in a Facebook group posed the question: What are your special Christmas Eve traditions? I paused, looked at the screen blankly, and then it hit me: 

Flexibility. 

I love traditions-I love the comfort they bring, the way they can warm my heart, and the security that traditions provide. Many times in my life, I've felt a bit like Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof. 

When I first got married almost 2 1/1 years ago, I had this idea that we would need  to start a bunch of traditions at the beginning of our marriage, that would continue to be practiced and built upon for the duration of our lives. After all, I occasionally meet couples or families who do certain things around the holidays that they have always done-so why shouldn't we? 

Are There Only 12 Days of Christmas?

Who wouldn't want to
eat oatmeal with daleks and a
Christmas tree? ;)

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope that you all are having a glorious celebration of Christ's birth, and an awesome celebration of the feast of St. Thomas Becket. It's been pretty awesome over here-the roads were clear enough for me to drive to morning Mass at my epic parish, I prayed Liturgy of the Hours, and now I'm eating and blogging by the light of the Christmas tree. It's so heavenly! In the spirit of festive things, today, I'm linking up with Tuesday Talk to discuss Christmas. I love Christmas, and I really, really, really love how it isn't just one day. While stores are putting out their "after Christmas sales," Catholics keep the party going-and it's awesome. Yet, in all of this awesomeness, there is something that makes me a bit sad: many people miss out on a whole week of Christmas!

Mercy Monday: Christmas is Almost Here!

Happy Monday, everyone! Like the rest of you, I'm sure, I have a very long "To Do" list, and combined with pregnancy fatigue, I am so not motivated to get things done. In all honesty, I would love to sit around, eat guacamole, drink Abuelita hot chocolate, and watch movies. But, I need to get that list of things done anyway-so, I need to get off the computer and get working. Before I do that, though, I want to dive into St. Maria Faustina's Diary, since 1. It is the Year of Mercy, and 2. As we prepare for the Solemnity of Christmas, it is so fitting that we meditate on God's tremendous mercy and love! As you continue in these last days of Advent, I hope that you can find time in the midst of travels and decorating to embrace silence and peace. Maybe by taking a 10-minute break to spend in silence, perhaps by visiting Christ in a church, or by turning off the radio in the car. Have a blessed, final Monday of Advent! 

"Oh, your Baby Jesus has bubble wrap!" What's Bambinelli Sunday?

Happy third week of Advent, everyone! I hope that you all are having a blessed week! Today, as I try to reign in my excitement for the new Star Wars movie and catch up on projects around the apartment, I'm going to briefly share an awesome Advent tradition with y'all. So, I'm linking up with the lovely ladies of Tuesday Talk to share my experience of Bambinelli Sunday! 

In which my amount of homework keeps me from long digressions

Happy Wednesday! Since I'm battling a bad cold/mild sickness--and consequently, have much homework that I'm far behind on--I'm going to hit a few points to update y'all about the epicness I've been experiencing. Have a blessed, epic, beautiful day!

Me and my birthday cake! 

 I've officially been 22 years old for a week! Last Wednesday, I was blessed to turn 22 on the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, which is awesome (it was also the birthday of Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Which is awesome as well). I spent my day reading, eating cookie cake from a household sister, eating a birthday dinner (turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes), playing Dutch Blitz, eating Coca Cola cake, reading, and dancing to T-Swift. It was epic! 

Modern holiness epicness--Oscar Romero was officially declared a martyr. Jean Heimann has a pretty cool post about it, which is worth checking out. 

The Awakening of Miss  Prim. Read it. Just read it. This book has a timeless quality and is such a cute, fun, story! A modern woman takes a job in a small village where people escape the rush and craziness of life and many children have a Classical homeschool education. She learns about beauty and the joy and peace in small, everyday occurrences. This book is really hard to pin down; I guess I can say it's a partial story of a woman seeking purpose and beauty in the world.

The hymns of St. Ephrem are awesome! Amazingly beautiful! I especially love his Hymns on the Nativity. So much Eastern Catholic epicness :)

Yesterday, I took down our Nativity set.  Now, you may be wondering, "What, you still had your Nativity set up?" Yes, we did. It's an older tradition, and I think it is very fitting. Having our nativity scene up until Candlemas helped me to remember and contemplate the early childhood of Christ that led up to His presentation in the Temple. Plus, should we be in any hurry to take down our Christmas decorations??? (Because for some reason, most people rush to take down their Nativity sets. It's weird.)

The other day, Jacob moved the Holy Family
away from the shepherds and wise men.
Me: "Jacob, why did you do that?"
Jacob: "It's the exile to Egypt!" 

May the joy, peace, and love of Christ fill your heart!

It's the First Monday of 2015!!!!!!!!

Happy Monday! I hope y'all are doing awesome and having a great start to the year 2015. I usually don't get that excited about the whole "New Year's celebrations" thing (I mean, it's also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, which is way cooler) but it's still exciting that we have put 2014 behind us and have a whole new year, laid before us as a blank slate, waiting to be filled. I've noticed that everyone seems to fill the internet with reflections of 2014, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to jump on the bandwagon. So how about I just provide a random smattering of thoughts and events from this Christmas break? 

• First off, Merry Christmas! Yes, I know what you may be thinking: "Dude, the Epiphany was so yesterday. Christmas is over!" Actually, Ordinary Time doesn't start up again until one week from today (the day after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord) so keep up the Christmas music, parties, and music!! 

• You know what's really cool (though at times, confusing) about Catholicism? Living with a foot in each world sometimes. Or at least, that's what it can feel like. On Saturday evening, Jacob and I rearranged our nativity set, so that the Wise Men were with the Holy Family. On Sunday morning, I woke up and prayed Morning Prayer for the Epiphany. And then Jacob and I went to Low Mass, where we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (the Epiphany is celebrated in the Extraordinary Form on January 6). It was another one of those times where I do feel that I have a foot in each world. But we're Catholic--we're universal! It's exciting to take in all the rich awesomeness of the Faith!

Photo is from imbd.com

• You know what an amazing movie is? "The Hundred Foot Journey." Just watch it. But don't read the book. I only made it to Chapter 4 or so of the book, then threw it down because of all of the graphic, gratuitous sex references and scenes. But the movie is awesome. It blends Indian culture, amazing food, romance, rivalries, deep themes like discrimination, and family into a beautiful, timeless film! And it's completely appropriate for the whole family. How cool is that? 

• Speaking of food, my husband made me the coolest present ever for Christmas: A giant peanut butter cup!!! I'm not kidding, it weighed a couple of pounds. He used about two bags of chocolate chips, half a bag of powdered sugar (I think it was a 2 pound bag) and a whole jar of peanut butter! We've been eating a little of it each day, and we've only eaten about half of it so far. 

Right after I opened it!

• Games are awesome. Despite the fact that for the first few days of Christmas I continually lost and failed at games, I now am at the point where I've been winning bunches, which makes it all more exciting. More on the topic of games will come at a later date. Until then, look up "Innovation." It's an awesome game. 

• Our Epiphany/Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus celebrations yesterday were fun, involving many great things! The Muppet version of "A Christmas Carol" is wonderful. I can't believe that yesterday was only the second or third time in my life to watch it. Such a great movie! Beignets are delicious, fairy tales are great, and Celtic Woman and Seraphic Fire both have fabulous Christmas albums. 

• My husband and I jokingly talk about how there's only cold weather when non-commuter students are in town. Towards the end of the semester, it got really cold. As soon as students left, we had about a month of flip flop weather (seriously, it felt like Fall for December and the beginning of January!). But now that students are coming back, the weather's gotten cold again. And for the first time since the end of November or beginning of December, I'm wearing socks and shoes. Oh well, I guess it's redemptive suffering? : ) 

Concerning Weird Analogies for the Spiritual Life and Keeping Christ in Christmas

Hey there! We are in the final hours of Advent--I hope you are enjoying it! Gasp! So exciting!

As some of you are probably aware, I love to draw connections between random things and the spiritual life. Weird analogies for aspects of the spiritual life are one of the best things ever. When I'm not trying to create strange analogies, I love to hear what analogies other people create.
     It just so happens, Venerable Teresita Quevedo, a shining example of modern sanctity, had a very strange analogy for the spiritual life.

A letter from one of Teresita’s siblings to another mentions Teresita’s unusual fandom: bullfighting. 

Instead of being swept up in the pageantry or goriness of the event, Teresita sees a deep, underlying spiritual depth. Teresita’s sister, Carmen, writes: “This is how Papa quotes Tere to me: ‘The poor bull always reminds me of myself, Papa, and the picadores (the horsemen who incite the bull with spears) recall the legion of temptations that come my way to incite my soul. Like the toreador, Satan has hope of finding me a blind, raging victim, utterly confused—like the bull—when the picadores finish with me. Then he makes his final charge to overthrow my soul. Our Lady, however, helps me to toss him into the air, as the bull sometimes tosses the toreador…I love to go to the Plaza with you, Papa, because each time I do, I return with a renewed resolution to fight temptations with the strength of a bull—and the calmness of a saint.’”

I believe that where Catholics abound,
this bumper magnet is plentiful.
I even know a family that has
two of these on their van! : ) 

From this one story, we can see that Teresita--a fun-loving, modern, vibrant woman--brought the Faith into all aspects of her life. She tried to take every situation and glorify God through it, using every means she could to become a holier woman. The Faith was such an integral part of her that she couldn't not bring it into her daily life! Let's strive, during this upcoming epic season of Christmas, to bring God and the truths of the Faith into every activity, every ounce of awesomeness that we experience. 

"Keep Christ in Christmas," many people say. And lots of Christians try to do this. As we keep Christ in "Christmas," we go to Mass with our families, so that we "remember the reason for the season." But unfortunately, it can be really easy to leave Christ at the church. People "keep Christ in Christmas"--but keep Him out of their lives and celebrations. Their parties, meals, and down-time at home don't have any kind of religious celebratory-ness. Instead, they are all about a time of family, warm fuzzies, and the "spirit of Christmas" (which usually translates into "giving," it seems). Now, all of these aspects are good and beautiful, but if these are the main focus, I think there's a little displacement here. After all, it's Jesus's birthday-shouldn't He be a part of everything? 

I totally grew up with this book. And I loved it. 

There are so many ways to do this--Pray together at the Nativity scene in your home. Read the story of Christ's birth from the Bible. Sing Christmas carols to the Baby Jesus at home-heck, it's His birthday, after all! Pray the Liturgy of the Hours together. Watch a Bible movie about the birth of Christ (sometimes, while growing up, we would watch that specific portion of Jesus of Nazareth or we'd watch part of the animated video about Jesus' birth). Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary together. Read religious books about Christmas as a family (some that come to mind are The Legend of the Candy Cane and The Tale of Three Trees). Find something awesome that works for you, and do it! Don't just "keep Christ in Christmas," but let Him reign over your Christmas! 

May the Joy of Christ fill your hearts, homes, and lives for the rest of Advent and the glorious season of Christmas!