When I decided to stop blogging throughout Advent, my goal was two-fold: increased focus and spiritual growth. I knew that I needed to buckle down and get the shopping done, etc., but I also knew that I didn’t want to miss Our Lord when He came.
Now, about that increased focus thing. I don’t know, frankly, that being focused is my destiny. No ma’am, I think instead that I am called to be the classic ADD Mom that I am—forever spinning from one unfinished project to the next, forever hoping and praying that my to-dos will all come together in the end when they truly need to.
Spinning’s what I do. I’ve gotten good at it.
Well, surprise surprise. Who’d have thought that during my three weeks away from this blog I would have actually sat down long enough to read…a novel? I know! But I did! I read this book and for the most part, I really enjoyed it.
And then, believe it or not, this ADD Mom ordered some yarn and bought some needles. (Now if only I could figure out how to cast on…)
As far as being present when Our Lord comes on Christmas is concerned, that was my biggest goal and has been for quite some time. Ever since I read the book The Fire Within, I have been thinking about Father Dubay’s words in the chapter entitled “The Teresian Mansions:”
Living things grow in visible creation. Acorns develop into oak trees, tadpoles into frogs, babies into adult men and women. We are so convinced that living things slowly mature to a fullness of life that if we were to notice that a three-foot sapling suddenly stopped growing, we would immediately and without any need for reasoning about it conclude that something had gone wrong.
Many of us do not at all understand to be applicable on the supernatural level what we fully grasp on the natural level. We are not alarmed about truncated spiritual development. Yet Jesus said that He came not only that we might have life but also that we might have it abundantly. And St. Paul insisted that we are to live so intensely that we are to be filled with the utter fullness of God, nothing less. Unfortunately, many baptized persons depart this life without ever realizing that they were destined to a deep communion with God. (emphasis mine)
I am aching to grow in holiness. I’m aching to see Our Lord the way the great saints did—in mystical visions (yeah, well…) but more importantly, in their neighbor. The great saints see Christ daily in the people and events God sends them…daily.
He’s here. Have I been present to Him? His Spirit has been here all along.
It’s in little girls on Santa Lucia day.
Listen. I know they don’t wear Advent wreathes in Sweden, but the girls made their own crowns the night before while John & I were at a Christmas party. I was not about to correct them! Next year, though, they’ll all be wearing a proper crown hand-stitched by Mom. (Snort.)
It’s in the carols sung at a nursing home.
Good thing that most of the residents were deaf. ; )And it’s in watching a daddy take of his little girl.
Unlike her mother, Felicity is all about being present to the moment. She needs to know exactly what is going on.
I’d like to talk more about the fruits and failures of my blogging break but I am all out of time for the moment. Before I go, though, I’d like to ask you: when do you open gifts with your family? I am beginning to think that we are the only ones who unwrap our presents on Christmas Eve, after the vigil. This is what my family did growing up; this is what I’m used to. My friends, however, say no no no! It’s not Christmas until Christmas Day!
I feel another existential crisis coming on…
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
We too have always opened gifts after the Christmas Eve vigil and we love doing it that way. You may want to visit Testosterhome’s blog post from yesterday, she had a good one on family traditions.
Merry Christmas!
Margaret,
The best place on the ‘net for knitting advice is knittinghelp.com – they have short videos that show you how to do things. Also, you might want to check out ravelry.com for tons of patterns (many free) and advice about knitting and crocheting.
Regarding the gift opening, we always open ours on Christmas Eve so we can travel up north on Christmas day.
Blessings to your family!
We have always opened presents on Christmas Eve. Christmas day is for Santa. This year though, it’s a little smaller Christmas, so the kids are opening on Christmas morning so it will seem like a little more. My mom for the first time had Christmas this past Sunday…so it makes it seem like Christmas is over, and our Christmas Eve is free.
Just do what you do, it can’t be tradition if you don’t do it.
I really like the part of the quote you emphasized, really beautiful. I’m glad you took the time to write about your break. I have not, I think I am still contemplating the break and what it meant and how to apply the break with blogging again.
My family and my husband’s family open gifts on Christmas Eve. In my family, Mass is followed by an extended family gathering, then we get home as quickly as possible to open gifts (sometimes it’s quite late, so we open a couple and save the rest – the kids are not themselves at that hour of night!). We are usually away from our home on Christmas Eve, but I’m sure we’ll continue this when we eventually stay at our home.
I’m in agreement with you on the Christmas Season, too! Our Christmas letters have been early, and they’ve been later (like this year). Personally, I think it’s wonderful to recieve gifts and letters throughout the Christmas Season – it makes Christmas last.
Growing up we always opened our gifts on Christmas Eve (Santa gifts included). My husband’s family always opened all of their gifts on Chritsmas morning. After we had kids we decided to compromise and we now open all Santa gifts on Christmas morning and the rest of the gifts on Christmas Eve.
We open ours on Christmas morning after brunch, but I don’t think there’s a wrong and a right! Traditions like that are about what makes your family happy! (And you have one of the happiest families around, so I wouldn’t change a thing if I were you!)
That “ache” is the Holy Spirit, the same “ache” Our Lord has for us everyday. Can you imagine how He feels when we never even acknowledge that sorrow, that fire of love He has for us all the time? What a gift that is when you know it’s there and know you are longing to be with Him. I think you’ve gotten your Christmas gift early. 🙂 And we open gifts on Christmas. In my family, we did one on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day.
Margaret,
We do presents Christmas morning after we get home from Mass. I don’t think it matters Christmas Eve or Christmas day as much as it matters that you attended Mass first. In fact, in high school, my brother and I convinced my parents to open presents right after Midnight Mass at 2 a.m.!
Wonderful post. I need to get that priests book! I saw the sequel to the novel you read, but couldn’t find the one you read (at the one store I looked yesterday). Anyway, you asked a question. We have always opened most of the gifts on Christmas Eve after Vigil. On Christmas morning, they get their stockings and other gifts we set aside (unwrapped from Santa). This year, since we’ll be at a late service on Christmas Eve in D.C., I don’t know what we’ll do – maybe all on Christmas Morning. We have been ivited to a Christmas brunch with some of our fav Catholic neighbours. I’m bringing cookies. Regardless of when you open the gifts, just enjoy them.
Merry Christmas!
We open gifts on Epiphany (“Little Christmas”). We like how the gift-giving season begins on December 6th with Saint Nicholas and ends on January 6th with Epiphany presents and a visit from Old Befana who brings cookies. It also helps us focus on the gift of Baby Jesus on Christmas Day.
I’ll also second Margaret Mary’s suggestion of knittinghelp.com and add that youtube has a lot of helpful videos, too.
I wanted to learn to knit for years, so while I was pregnant with my last baby (and laid up with horrible morning sickness – again…) I decided to give it a try. It’s surprisingly easier than it appears!
Another knitting help is a video for children called “The Art of Knitting 4 Kids.” It’s helpful for Moms, too!
God Bless everyone and have a wonderful Christmas!
The kids open one gift on Christmas Eve, always new pajamas or slippers or something like that, and the rest on Christmas morning…I don’t think they would ever go to bed if they opened any toys on Christmas Eve, lol…
We open gifts Christmas morning.
We go to Midnight Mass. Leave around 10:00PM, home around 2:30AM, hopefully we remember to put Baby Jesus in His crib. Fall into bed. Kids get up whenever and are allowed to do stockings before we crawl into the living room. When dh and I wake up we start the coffee and I throw the cinnamon rolls (a must for Christmas morning) into the oven. When coffee is done we start opening presents.
We inherited a Christmas Eve party. That night my kids get their presents from any grandparents, godparents ect that come over. When everyone goes home the share their secret santa gift.
Santa leaves their stocking at the foot of their bed and they enjoy the juice box and pop tart and small toys while bleary eyed Teens and adults prepare for the early morning. Santa and parent gifts happen then–appropriatly mixed up so I don’t have to remember who gave what.
We’re a little (or a lot) non-traditional! For many years, we’ve opened our family’s presents on St. Nicholas’ Day – December 6th. The mysterious St. Nicholas fills their shoes during the night and leaves small religious presents as well. We’ve found that for small children especially (OK – maybe adults too), it makes it easier to keep the focus of Christmas on the newborn King.
Of course, that means the shopping HAS to be done early! Christmas cards can still go out “late” though 🙂
I’m looking for ideas to make this Christmas special – finances are such that we won’t be getting any gifts under the tree (though we’re hoping to swing a stocking), and we’re completely snowed in — so even figuring out a way to get to Mass is complicated. We don’t know anyone from the parish close by to ask for a ride (we just moved here three weeks ago or so), and our other parish will be over an hour a way in the snow (if we can get off our road). We’re desperately hoping for a break in the weather so we can at least make Mass — my boys don’t handle change well (a normal Christmas season is hard – one this “messed up” is a nightmare waiting to happen).
We normally would attend a Christmas Eve service and then come home and have our special annual blessing for the boys – we celebrate the anniversary of their baptisms every Christmas Eve with the lighting of their baptism candles and some Scripture readings and prayers. Then we open gifts and stockings Christmas morning… and then we’d go to Mass and the large family gathering afterwards. This year I have no idea what’s going to happen. I know the baptism blessing will go as planned — that’s something we do at home as a family — but it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to leave the house… 🙁 We’ve already been snowed in for two Sundays – it feels like ages since we’ve been able to attend Mass — and usually we’re daily communicants!
~Jenny
~Jenny
One gift on Christmas Eve – the traditional new pj’s- then all the rest on Christmas morn.
But who cares? You say potato, I say potahto. 🙂
Merry Christmas, Maggie!
The girls and I have been LOVING round loom knitting. I tried to knit with needles and just couldn’t do it. This, I can do and they can do it too…all by themselves!
Anyway, regarding opening presents…at my grandmother’s house, it was always on Christmas Eve after dinner but before Midnight Mass. I don’t know why. Growing up in my parent’s home (the years we didn’t go to grandma’s house) it was Christmas morning before Mass on Christmas Day (rarely did we ever go to Midnight Mass). Here in our house, St. Nicholas only leaves gifts in their stockings, everything under the tree is from us or grandparents so when they wake up on Christmas Day, they are allowed to unload their stockings but we wait to open the presents under the tree until we return from 9AM Mass.
I forgot to add that this is the first year that the children have made gifts for each other and that I plan to let them exchange those on Christmas Eve. They are small little trinkets but they will help diffuse some of the anticipation!
We do it Christmas Day. That was just the tradion in our family. We go to the Christmas Eve service, then go looking at the lights.
Then the next morning we try NOT to get up at O Dark 30, and if we can stay in bed till 6, we’re doing good!
I work with people who open theirs on Christmas Eve.
Some real good friends of ours would go to their Christmas Eve Service, and when they came home, Santa had come.
I hope you and your family have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
God bless ya’ll!
We did Christmas morning until my parents divorced, at which point we had to figure out a Christmas compromise. So we went to Mom’s on Christmas Eve and were back at Dad’s Christmas morning to open presents.
Mom always felt shafted.
I say there’s no right way – whatever works for you guys!
we always had our christmas pageant on Christmas eve and then came home to open 1 present…the rest were for the morning after Santa came of course.
LOL
We open on Christmas morning. Our kids are late risers so they don’t get up until after 6 (it’s great!).
Thank you for another wonderful post. Merry Christmas, dear!
Dear Margaret
So lovely to have you back. Have a blessed, holy Christmas.
Sincerely, Joolz
Margaret,
I’m glad you’re back too! I’d even missed the post before this because I finally reminded myself NOT to check your blog until Christmas (although I guessed Christmas Eve would work)!
We open Christmas morning.
Growing up, each kid got one Christmas Eve present — new Christmas pajamas. We’d put them on and take pictures putting cookies out for Santa and hanging stockings.
I continue this with my family — the kids and even DH get new PJs Christmas Eve — usually something Christmas-y. My husband has slowly nudged to open at least a couple gifts Christmas Eve too — partially because he’s impatient to give but also because he figures that individual items (like books) get more attention given separately. We don’t have mountains of presents (and have cut back this year), but even so, things can be “lost” in the shuffle.
Then the rest of the presents are opened Christmas morning. The kids know that it has to be light out before they can come get us! Then they have to wait (for HOURS they insist), while we get tree lights on, make a necessary stop, and get cameras out. THEN they can come into the living room to see the tree.
Margaret, I with you and your family a very Blessed Christmas!
Growing up we always opened our presents Christmas morning because my brother’s birthday is Christmas Eve – and we wanted to make sure he had his own day.
Now that I have my own kids, I’ve continued the same thing. Though this year my parents are coming for Christmas Eve (in a couple of hours) and the kids will get to open a couple of presents tonight.
Merry Christmas
I know I am late, but here is what we do. We have a family gathering on Christmas Eve with Nana,Pop-Pop, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. We exchange family gifts on that night. When we get home, after midnight mass, we exchange with just the 7 of us. The “kids” receive their traditional present of pajamas. This year I even bought Pj’s for myself and my husband LOL! The kids open their “Santa” gifts in the morning. The “kids” are not little anymore, so yesterday it was about 11am when they got up. My two girls don’t live at home anymore so they opened theirs when they arrived about 1pm.
When I was growing up, when I got to be about 13 Santa came after midnight mass, and we were able to open a few gifts then, while the younger siblings were in bed. I tried this last year, but ALL the kids rebelled. They told me it was DUMB! Back to the old tradition, which is fine with me!
I think I need to do what Margaret did next Advent. I was still shopping on Christmas Eve morning! Geeze! Talk about last minute Annie! That was me this year. Merry Christmas to all. Sorry so long, but I had a lot to say.
Unlike your sweet girls, I had to wear the Lucia crown with actual, flaming candles. Believe me when I say, theirs are far more beautiful and allow the dear girls to serve you bread with smiles on their faces and not a terrified look in their eyes and a fire extinguisher in one hand.
Merry Christmas, Baby!
P.S. We open presents Christmas Day because that’s when we have all the right family members assembled.
After Christmas Vigil and long into the night of Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning for breakfast — as the “children” aged into young adults and now adults.