A quiet sort of Christmas

[Andruschak]

We all have different stories about Christmas, and here is my modest effort. I would say it started about 11 PM Sunday night, when I had a supper of cold fried chicken and milk. Then sleep.

24 December is a day of fast and abstinance for us CFP members, so I had a quart of milk for breakfast, and that was that. No solid food for the rest of the day, just fluids like coffee. I worked at the Post Office, as usual, 3 PM - 11:30 PM.

I was able to just make it to the Midnight Mass, and was home at 2 PM. I fed the cats, had two cans of soup to end the fast, petted and adored the cats, did some prayerful reading. petted and adored the cats, then Compline, then bed at 3:30 AM.

I woke up at 11 AM with two cats on my bed (to be petted and adored.) A quart of milk was followed by a few prayers, and then I went to the Noon AA meeting.

After the meeting, the club was set up for our annual Christmas Dinner. This year, instead of the usual turkey and ham, we had Mexican food. As always, some of us contributed money ($100 in my case), others did the cooking, provided other disshes, and helped with the setup.

As usual, it was free to all. Club members, their families, their friends, and anybody else who showed up, even the street people. All free. A good time was had by all.

I am now back at home, petting and adoring the cats, reading spiritual books, and getting ready for the daily chore of scooping the litter boxes. Things will be quiet in this apartment this evening, and that’s the way I prefer it. It has been a most blessed Christmas for me. I hope the same for you

 

[whatevergirl]

Ours was a bit noisy–yours sounds quite nice, actually. lol We visited family, and just came home. I think next year, a quiet time at home will be nice. I am glad to see yours went so well–God bless you Andru!

I bet your kitties enjoyed it too!

 

[CarrieH]

Ours was actually pretty depressing. Being a convert, I was alone at Midnight Mass except for my fellow musician-friends, but that was OK. Today I stopped by my parents’ house first. My mother is not well and didn’t have it in her to decorate the house this year, so the place looked pretty dismal. Then we went to my brother’s house where there is some major family drama going on, but everyone was white-knuckling it to be “nice” for Christmas. I took refuge at the old pump-organ and played Christmas carols – a great way to avoid unwanted social interaction, and more healthy than sitting around swilling eggnog (or just rum minus the 'nog). On the way home, I stopped by the Adoration Chapel and spent some time with Jesus (the best part of my day so far!) and I said a rosary for my brother. I’m glad that the family Christmas is over with. But I still have until Epiphany to celebrate real Christmas! Now I’m unwinding, and I’m about to go downstairs and watch Midnight Mass from the Vatican, which I recorded. And I’m going to give my cats their Christmas dinner – a can of tuna!

 

[whatevergirl]

Ours was actually pretty depressing. Being a convert, I was alone at Midnight Mass except for my fellow musician-friends, but that was OK. Today I stopped by my parents’ house first. My mother is not well and didn’t have it in her to decorate the house this year, so the place looked pretty dismal. Then we went to my brother’s house where there is some major family drama going on, but everyone was white-knuckling it to be “nice” for Christmas. I took refuge at the old pump-organ and played Christmas carols – a great way to avoid unwanted social interaction, and more healthy than sitting around swilling eggnog (or just rum minus the 'nog). On the way home, I stopped by the Adoration Chapel and spent some time with Jesus (the best part of my day so far!) and I said a rosary for my brother. I’m glad that the family Christmas is over with. But I still have until Epiphany to celebrate real Christmas! Now I’m unwinding, and I’m about to go downstairs and watch Midnight Mass from the Vatican, which I recorded. And I’m going to give my cats their Christmas dinner – a can of tuna!

Hi Carrie–your Christmas doesn’t sound depressing from an outsider’s point of view. I think it is rather unique and special that you prayed a rosary for your brother. In some ways, all of our families have ‘drama,’ and the fact that you made the most of it, is quite uplifting to me. Really–I like that you played Christmas Carols despite what was happening around you. I dunno…I think it was somewhat inspiring.

 

[puzzleannie]

worked all afternoon Sunday decorating church and rehearsing children for parts in Christmas eve Mass processions (Mary, Joseph, assorted shepherds & angels, music cues etc.), worked all day Monday in office, 4 Christmas eve Masses, supervising children, helping w/ handing out candy canes to kids after Mass, blessed ornaments to visitors, and being a runner for those preparing meal to serve the needy Christmas day. We had about 170 the first time we tried this, on Thanksgiving, so prepared food for 250 today, actually served 375 based on number of plates gone (we had bought plates and cups for parish party on Thursday, which are gone, means a Sams run tomorrow). we had a real “loaves and fishes” miracle with the food. Planned to go to 9 am Mass but started coughing to much. worked in CCD office waiting for MIL, but went home. I stayed in “couch” most of the day fighting my cold, MIL and DH got home from the dinner at 3 and took naps, and we just ate leftovers and opened presents, and are watching a Christmas Story which was tivoed earlier. DH grew up in NW Indiana where the story is set so we really enjoy it. won’t call kids until tomorrow because they are all at in-laws today.

 

[CarrieH]

Hi Carrie–your Christmas doesn’t sound depressing from an outsider’s point of view. I think it is rather unique and special that you prayed a rosary for your brother. In some ways, all of our families have ‘drama,’ and the fact that you made the most of it, is quite uplifting to me. Really–I like that you played Christmas Carols despite what was happening around you. I dunno…I think it was somewhat inspiring.

I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that…thanks for your perspective. I didn’t include the really depressing stuff in my post because I didn’t want to rant or whine, knowing that there are others here who have things ever so much worse than I do. But hey, it’s still Christmas, and if ever there is a time when we need Jesus, it’s when the going gets tough. So let’s rejoice at His birth, and praise Him with “the playing of the merry organ,” or in this case, the rickety old beast of an organ with dead notes and only half of the stops working. Christmas blessings to you and yours.

 

[whatevergirl]

I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that…thanks for your perspective. I didn’t include the really depressing stuff in my post because I didn’t want to rant or whine, knowing that there are others here who have things ever so much worse than I do. But hey, it’s still Christmas, and if ever there is a time when we need Jesus, it’s when the going gets tough. So let’s rejoice at His birth, and praise Him with “the playing of the merry organ,” or in this case, the rickety old beast of an organ with dead notes and only half of the stops working. Christmas blessings to you and yours.

rickety old beast of an organ? oh, well you didn’t say THAT… Kidding. Yes, as you say–we need Christ…which is why He came to us. And I think that in the jubliee of the day, there is a solemn reality that life is far from perfect for every one of us, and that is what we should be celebrating really…the fact that life is all that much sweeter because of Him. Imagine if we didn’t have Him! Blessings to you, Carrie!

 

[Teeliumtrozzle]

I had a really fun Christmas…

I wanted to go to Mass in the cathedral, but there were no purple trains(the place where I live is usually full of special purple trains), so I had to walk all the way into the city. It was miles and miles! As I walked, I made up a lovely song called ‘Theres no purple trains on Christmas’ and I sang ‘Ding dong merrily on high’, which is one of the best hymns. Then I got there and Mass was fun and afterwards I wandered around in the city for a while, and tried to go to St. Stephens green but it was closed. I felt exhausted after such a long walk and called my uncle to come and bring me home. He did, but he was upset to find me out unchaperoned. Then I opened my presents (I didn’t really want presents but got lots. Father gave me a telescope) and then I spent the rest of the day thinking very deeply.(I was thinking about Jesus, because he was only a little baby, and about Mary, because she was so sacred and special.) In the evening I sang some hymns, and the best one was ‘Sonlight in December’, which I composed.

 

[Just_wondering]

My Christmas was different than I’d hoped for but better than I’d feared. The plan was that my boyfriend and I would have dinner together on Christmas Eve, then go to Midnight Mass together (my first time going to Church - what better time to start?), and then invite several of his friends back to my place after Mass. (My place can sleep ten - boys in one room, girls in the other.) We’d all get up early on Christmas morning and prepare a nice meal and invite a few more people over for Christmas dinner.

Well, my boyfriend ended up having to work late on Christmas Eve and also all day on Christmas Day. I was really upset to hear that! He’d finish around 10:30pm on Christmas Eve, but we couldn’t go to Mass because there was no train back to his town before work the next morning. We ended up calling all our friends and cancelling our Christmas party, which was a real disappointment.

Instead, we watched a Christmas concert in his town after my BF finished work, which was really nice, especially because a few of the musicians were our friends, and I spotted a few more of my friends in the audience. A large group of us ended up going to a karaoke after the concert, and sang the night away. We stopped at McDonald’s for Christmas breakfast - not exactly what I’d planned, but whatever.

When daylight came, it turned out I was the only one of the group who didn’t have to work on Christmas Day! Everyone else went off to work (is nothing sacred?) and my boyfriend called his roommates and told them that I’d be spending the day there, sleeping. I slept most of the day, then spent the afternoon sending Christmas messages to all and sundry. When evening came and everyone else had finished work, we ordered pizza and fried chicken and popped a bottle of champagne, and had Christmas dinner together. (I couldn’t have cooked, because the gas wasn’t working at my BF’s place!) Then I had to hurry back to my place (about 90 minutes away) because I had to work the next morning.

 

[whatevergirl]

I like all of these spontaneous Christmases! What beautiful stories…everyone celebrating a bit differently, maybe not exactly as planned…but so much of life is planned, isn’t it?

My husband is a planner…he kept saying before we got into the car to head to our relatives for Christmas dinner…‘we are 6 minutes behind schedule. we are now 7 minute behind schedule.’ I said…honey, take a break from planning for a day. He said…I don’t think I know how. lol

So having an unplanned day sounds really cool to me!

 

[Katie1723]

I had to work Christmas. We had a really busy day. Truly “no room at the inn” kinda day. I work in an in hospital Birth Center. So the day flew by. Then it was home to a nice quiet evening with my BF.
Kathy

 

[AngelRose81]

I sometimes wish I had a quiet Christmas. Went to the in-laws in Louisville this past weekend. Didn’t go so well. DH’s uncle was really a jerk to me so I bit my tongue and said a lot of prayers. Its terrible to say but I was completely miserable the entire time. The highlight of the weekend was getting to go to the 6 pm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral in Nashville on the way home. Christmas Eve, went to Wal-Mart with Dad & DH to buy something to eat for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Went to my grandparents to open gifts at lunch time. Then went back home and Dad, DH , and I had a nice Christmas dinner of Meatloaf, Broccoli casserole, and potatoes and bananna pudding for dessert. Then we opened gifts. Got some really nice things. We all went to Mass Christmas morning and it was wonderful. The church was decorated beautifully and the new nativity outside looked lovely. I commented on the 3 wise men who are currently in front of the convent since they’ve not yet seen Baby Jesus. Then went to eat with some people from my Dad’s church (that’s become a tradition for about 6 years now. Went home hoping for some rest but got a call that my grandfather is in the hospital. Then today I went to work. Some parts were calm and some not so calm.