Tidings of Great Joy: Christmas Traditions

You don't have to be famous to have a stable of paparazzi clicking away trying to capture the perfect shot. My mom's birthday and our family's Christmas Eve gathering have a good share of "Smile!" "Look this way!" and "Wait! Just one more!"

My mom celebrated her 84th birthday on December 24.  Ever since the grandchildren were little, we've been taking a photo of the birthday girl with the troops.The first one with all seven of them was in 1994.

From left: Abby, Brian, Blake, Mom holding Madison, Jill, Brent & Paige

The grandchildren shot is easier these days.Wow! They're all looking the same direction.

From left: Abby, Mom, Brent, Madison, Paige, Brian, Jill and Blake

Grandpa gets in on the action in some of the photos, too.

 

These days, my parents' great-grandchildren are the little kids in the Christmas/birthday photos.

This year, we were missing one of the 10 great-grands. He was a sad little boy to miss the shenanigans with all the cousins, but the other mommies and daddies were glad he kept his stomach virus at home.

With the great-grands getting a little older, the yearly shot is getting somewhat easier.

 

Cake time! The troops disbursed. No more holding the pose.

Someone suggested an "outlaw" photo. So they got in on the photos this year, too.

We were missing one grandson-in-law who was home with the sick boy.

This was the entire gathering - minus my brother, Kent - who took the photo.

We've moved the evening meal to the shed to accommodate the crowd. 

The Moore "kids" have been the stars of Christmas photos for quite some time. Though my brother, Kent, was born in December 1966, he didn't make the Christmas card until 1967. This is the first photo card with all my siblings. I would have been 10, Lisa, 9, Darci, 6 and Kent was 1.

We haven't changed a bit.

***

We were glad to have some extra chore helpers around here last weekend. Kinley and Brooke helped Grandpa water the cows ...

 ... and feed hay and grain.

The cattle aren't the only ones growing this year. Kinley's 8th birthday is coming up soon, so it was time to add her height to the family growth chart.

Since Brooke's 5-year-old height hadn't yet been recorded, Grandpa measured her, too. Kinley is a bit shorter than her mommy was at the same age. Brooke is taller, but not as tall as Uncle Brent.

The girls helped light the Advent candle at their church in Topeka early in December. Then, on December 22, Kinley and I read the Advent devotional and Grandpa lit the candles at the Stafford United Methodist Church. It gave this Grandma a bit of deja vu, since it was something that their mommy and Brent did as children. They also got the candy bags that our church has been giving out at Christmas for 90 years now. This year, Randy and I got the candy and stuffed the bags, carrying on a tradition for one of our church's patriarchs who died this year.

And, of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without some presents. They might have gotten one or two.

Peace vs. Hatred

Advent wreath at Susanna Wesley UMC - Photo from their Facebook page

I sent this text to my family Sunday morning (December 8) after the girls and I arrived for worship at their Topeka church:

Irony of the morning: Peace candle is lit for Advent at church. Protestors from Westboro Baptist Church stand across the street as we arrive. Part of Advent litany talked about the hatred in the world. Thankful that Kinley didn't see them on the way into the church.

Jill says the protestors have been there before, though their presence is sporadic and had never coincided with one of my Sundays in Topeka.

Frankly, I wish my record of not seeing them had stayed intact. However, I've continued to think about the juxtaposition of hate vs. love and peace. So maybe it was an Advent message I was meant to ponder.

The Advent candle litany said, in part:

Because hatred is still so strong, because so many swords have not yet been beaten into plowshares, we light a candle of peace. May the light from this candle overwhelm the world. May the light from this candle say to all that God's peace is coming on earth as it already is in heaven! 

In his sermon that morning, Pastor Andrew talked about the preparations they, as a young family, made to get their home ready for Christmas. He talked about shuffling furniture to make room for the tree and then unwrapping the ornaments.

When I think about the tree, I also think about our lives - reflecting back on the things past or looking forward to the things to come ahead. What will be unexpectedly beautiful? What will break by accident? What events will occur in which we need to find our place?

His reference to shattered ornaments took me back to our own Hanging of the Greens at Stafford UMC in late November. As I made my way through the church foyer that day, a dad was sweeping up the remnants of a glass ornament. I smiled and asked him how many had succumbed this year. Only the one, he told me.

Children's tree at Stafford UMC - Children made the nativity ornaments this year in Sunday School

One broken bulb (or even two or three) is a small price to pay for involving young children in the Advent preparations - whether that's at home or at church.

Jon and Bryson shared their love of Christmas bulbs during our Hanging of the Greens event.

 Besides, sometimes, we need to be broken for Christ's light to shine through:

Blessed are the broken and cracked 
for they allow God's light 
to shine through them.

Unattributed

Yes, we are broken. The world is broken. Even if there aren't protestors standing on a street corner, there are plenty of disagreements and differences in opinion. Just take a stroll through Facebook or Twitter and the hatred isn't hard to find.

 

On that Sunday, the Advent choir anthem said, in part:

Soon a tiny child will come

A gift from God above

To teach us all to live in peace

And fill our lives with love.

He will teach us how to love.

May that be more than just a sentiment in a Christmas anthem or a saying hung from the Christmas tree.


Advent is when we name and remember our longing for and need of forgiveness, restoration and redemption in the present day, while we wait for Christ to come again in final victory. While we wait, Jesus calls us into the world to participate in acts of compassion, preparing the way for God’s love to be known by all who need to hear the good news, having their sight restored and experiencing freedom. During this season, we prepare our own lives for one of the most transformative understandings of Jesus’ coming - his mission to set us free.

From Susanna Wesley UMC's Facebook page

***

I will take a short hiatus from blogging as Christmas approaches. Adding to an already-packed schedule as CEO of Christmas preparations around here, we are selling feeder calves this week. That adds cattle sorting and loading to the holiday mix this week.Wish us luck!

Wishing you and yours PEACE on earth and tidings of great JOY!

Building Memories

Here's the Christmas-card-worthy version of gingerbread house building. 

 

And here's how it was behind the scenes! (Don't worry. No one but Brooke will eat her gingerbread house!)

Somehow, they didn't turn out quite like the cover on the box. However, we were building memories - not picture-perfect cottages.

My logic for purchasing that particular brand was the advertised "link and lock" building feature. Any help with construction is a bonus, so Mommy and Daddy helped put them together the first night to give the "mortar" plenty of time to set up. Then our interior (well ... more accurately, exterior) decorators completed the project the next morning.

While there were some candies in the box, we supplemented with sugar snowflakes I purchased separately, along with Jill's stash of sprinkles and a few packages of Halloween treats.

Sometimes, you have to hold your mouth just right to get everything in place.

They may not have been ready for their closeup when it comes to perfectly-appointed snow drips and strategically-placed candies to entice buyers on a store shelf. 

 

But that's what made them special, don't you think?

 

Perfection is overrated (or so I hear).

 = 

Kinley was ready for a close-up of each side of her creation. (She had the same request after last year's build.)

I've been watching the Holiday Gingerbread competition on Food Network this month. I don't think we're quite ready for that. But the girls were happy. And that made this Grandma happy.

 

House construction wasn't our only building project.

 

Kinley and Brooke also made several Christmas ornaments. Their tree got some additional bling and I brought some home for mine, too.

Kudos to Hobby Lobby kits! We put together ornaments and stockings. The girls will share the extras with their cousins when they come for Christmas.

 

We also made a couple of gifts for their mommy and daddy. But we can't be giving any previews of those. Secrets are part of Christmas, you know! (We'll see whether Brooke can keep from sharing before Christmas morning.)

 

The day ended with Frozen Junior, a musical at Topeka Civic Theater.

It was the perfect length for young audience members, even though Kinley did say they left out some key elements of the movie version. And I got a scene-by-scene synopsis of Frozen 2 on the way back to their house. Eric says I won't have to see the actual movie.

As they used to say in the newspaper society columns, "A good time was had by all" (including their parents who got away for the day for Christmas shopping and time with friends).

Path to Success

Check out a project our son, Brent, has been working on for the K-State College of Business Administration. His first interview is with K-State football legend turned entrepreneur Kevin Lockett.

A podcast interview series that asks successful Kansas State University College of Business alumni about the twists and turns in their career paths and what they’ve learned along the way.

Episode one of Path to Success features an interview with K-State football legend Kevin Lockett. In it, he discusses his time playing for Bill Snyder, his transition from the NFL into a decade helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses with the Kauffman Foundation, and his current role as a partner and CFO with Fulcrum Global Capital - a venture capital fund focused on investments in the agriculture and animal health sectors.

Listen here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/path-to-success/id1488162772?fbclid=IwAR3YwkTO_b9EKVPjoN_qhb8ZXhKipHCyKuhEliivq_hCkb3d0nTRjyAbpQk

Snowball Cookies

Sometimes, they are called Russian Teacakes. Sometimes they are Mexican Wedding Cakes. And this time of year, their moniker may be Snowball Cookies.

No matter what you call them, they can be a delicious addition to a holiday cookie tray or a fancy-looking offering for a cookie exchange.

I've been making this cookie recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook since I was a teenager.  I think it's the only cookie recipe from that cookbook that I still use. It may be an oldie, but it's also a dependable "goodie."

I made a batch in November to go on a cookie tray for a South Central Community Foundation grants award ceremony. I always think a reception deserves some "fancy" options that dress up a table.

While my cookies for that event were more fall-themed, the white little cookies are the perfect "ornament" for a Christmas holiday cookie tray, too.

Snowball Cookies

aka Mexican Wedding Cakes or Russian Teacakes

From a Betty Crocker cookbook

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup finely-chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla. Combine flour and salt and add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts, incorporating well, until dough holds together.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (I used a cookie scoop.) Place about 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake until set but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Roll in additional powdered sugar while warm; cool completely. Roll again in powdered sugar.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

MODIFICATION:
If you don't want to include nuts in a cookie because of allergies, you may substitute mini chocolate chips in this recipe. 

Splicing Life Together

Life's just a perpetual piecing together

 of broken bits.

Author Edith Wharton

The spliced electric fence caught my eye as we were building fence.

I thought about how that fence could be a metaphor for living life. Things break. Relationships break. But we build fences between people. We splice together relationships. We find a way to fuse the old and the new.

As Randy and I worked on the fencing project, he talked about doing the job with his dad. Those miles of wire we have stored on spools are reused until they are too rusty to splice. So for several years after Melvin's death, Randy would come across splices in the electric fence wire that had been put together by his dad. Melvin had his own way to twist the wire together that made his style distinct from Randy's handiwork. As a left-handed helper, I have my own signature style, too.

 

Those splices in the fence represent a place that was broken. But when the wire is wound together in splicing, it can create something stronger than the original version.

We seem to find those connections that bind us together - whether it's family or church family or friends. At church, I typically sit near a family with three elementary-aged kids. Our prayer hymn this past Sunday was "Jesus Loves Me."

From a couple of rows behind, I heard the crystal-clear voice of a little singer belting out every word. And I again thought about the things that tie us together.

Photos from a church Christmas program back in the 1990s

That little singer's Mommy was in my Joyful Noise choir with my kids at church years ago, and I taught her those same words. Now she's teaching those words to her own kids and other children at church. More years ago than I like to admit, when I was a little girl, my own mom led the group singing in the basement of the Byers United Methodist Church. Her mama had taught her the words years before. And the legacy winds its way backwards and forwards, connecting us all.

A poster on the wall in the Byers UMC nursery

Sanctuary, Byers UMC, Photo taken June 2011

The same sense of connection strikes me every week as I hear those children recite The Lord's Prayer, word for word, just like Christ followers for generation after generation.
Sunday afternoon, as I decorated the Christmas tree, the connections felt more secure than some of the ornament hangers.

The oldest ornament on my tree is one my Grandma Leonard made when I was a little girl. This little choir boy has lost his hanger thread and he seems to have a permanent crick in his neck, but I always nestle him among the branches in a prominent place so I can see him and remember my grandparents.

I have more ornaments than space to hang them these days. But I made room for another special little angel, too. My late mother-in-law made it one year. The little angel might be having a bad hair day, but she's still beautiful to me. Even though Marie never had the opportunity to meet her great-granddaughters, Kinley and Brooke will sit under a tree decorated with some ornaments hand-fashioned with her crafty skills long ago and look at wonder at the nativity set she made in a long-ago ceramics class.

My house doesn't look like the ones on HGTV. And that's OK. I'd rather have the memories than perfectly matched holiday finery. It's these little bits and pieces that help us to splice together the memories of holidays past and strengthen these present days - kind of like links in a paper chain wrapped around a Christmas tree.

This interconnection in life has been a recurrent theme in my world in the past few weeks. Just yesterday, these words were in the epilogue of a book I'd been enjoying: 

There is a river that runs through time and universe, vast and inexplicable, a flow of spirit that is at the heart of all existence, and every molecule of our being is part of it. And what is God but the whole of that river?

From This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

It's those things that splice our lives together ... and make us strong for our journey.

P.S.: I recommend the book. I also recommend Krueger's Ordinary Grace.