obscure delights of Christmas

"...the spirit of Christmas is a paradox precisely because its largeness is made manifest in the smallest of ways: in little kindnesses, tiny pleasures, and obscure delights among ordinary people in the simplest of circumstances."

                                                      - from Christmas Spirit, by George Grant and Gregory Wilbur

again

I had just said to my brother two weeks ago, "Can it be your clients all know that you're not eating so many sugary things?"  He hadn't come home with anything; and if you've been reading here for a while, you know the mountains of stuff he gets at Christmas.

Well. I just needed a little patience.

He brought all of it home last week.

I've been trying to keep it under the tree just on one side, so the cats can get under there if they want to. This is growing. There's more, though.

This, plus three plates of cookies on the kitchen table; three cakes in the freezer. 

When I came home this evening, I found Henry between two tins of goodies, looking as if all he wanted was to figure out how to get them open. They had been left right in the middle of the doorway to the living room, although my brother insists he didn't leave them like that. Will we ever find out what that was all about? I doubt it. 

Right now, Henry is laying under the tree with his cheek resting on one of the tins. Yes, Henry, we do have Too Many Cookies. No, you won't be getting any.

how lovely shines the morning star

Christmas gifts

O rich the gifts you bring to us,

yourself made poor and weak; 

O love beyond compare that thus

can foes and sinners seek!

For this we raise a gladsome voice

on high to you alone,

and evermore with thanks rejoice 

before your glorious throne.

little by little

A man came in the library today wearing a Santa hat. It was red, but he was not Santa.

I keep getting asked if I'm ready for Christmas, and surprisingly, I say that I'm doing pretty well. Wrapping one present here and there when I have time is working out well. The cards aren't done yet, but a few of those at a time, without getting too overworked about it, and I'm getting them out little by little, too. Even the cookies are being baked, a batch here, and a batch there. I am trying not to feel that I "must" do this or that; I am doing what I honestly can, and what I'm seeing is that right in front of me is what I should do next. It's a different way for me, and interesting. May it continue.

the King comes on in might

Hope, O you broken hearts, at last!

The King comes on in might,

He loved us in the ages past

When we sat wrapped in night;

Now are our sorrow o'er, and fear

And wrath to joy give place,

Since God has made us in his grace

His children evermore.

"a delightful land"

"Thus says the Lord; observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come. .."

-   from Isaiah 56

"Then all nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts."

- Malachy 3:12

Santa's favorite cookie

Santa came in the library today. It was Santa Claus himself - he couldn't have been anyone else; a full, snowy beard, and a Santa hat. Except it wasn't red.

His shirt was tan plaid flannel, and the hat was also tan or some other neutral color; I got the idea he was having some time off. There was a lady with him who was researching something, and he stayed quietly nearby. When she approached me to ask a question, I said, sotto voce, "He needs to get back to the North Pole!" She assured me he was working Very Hard, so I let it go. She would know better than I, wouldn't she?

As they left, I called out, " 'bye, Santa!" He turned to me and, with a thumbs up, said, "Remember - chocolate chip!"

You heard it here.

Dolly down under

the tree, I mean.

snow, and some wrapping, but maybe no ornaments

I said it was supposed to snow last week, but the snow didn't appear. Last night, however, it did!

And it covered the ground, and was still there this morning, but then it turned to rain and melted eventually.  But it was enough to make me play some Gabrieli brass music, for a festive air. And I made cookies. There is not enough time to do everything.

I got the tree up yesterday, and in a different spot than usual - you can see it from the kitchen. I had to shift around only a couple of things and it's all so perfect! We'll never put it in the corner again. It needed a garland, so I decided to use my precious length of wide red satin ribbon - it's just barely long enough. I told my brother that I'd eventually get around to the ornaments, but not yet. He surprised me by saying he didn't care if I left them off, because he likes it. That's how I feel! I'll take them out next week, but don't know what I'll do with them. Dolly and Henry love to lay under there, ornaments or not.

I've been wrapping one thing each day, and it's working out pretty well. Better than getting overwhelmed.

look up

Arise, the kingdom is at hand,

the King is drawing nigh;

Arise with joy, you faithful band,

to meet the Lord most high!

Look up, you souls, weighed down with care,

the Sovereign is not far;

Look up, faint hearts, from your despair,

Behold the Morning Star!

Dolly gets cozy

Sometimes Dolly likes to get inside one of the dresser drawers

and sometimes we let her.

snow soon

It sifts from Leaden Sieves -

It powders all the Wood.

It fills with Alabaster Wool

The wrinkles of the Road.

-  Emily Dickinson

Christmas at the library

Well, we had lots of fun decorating the library last week, and I got some pictures.

We copied this from pinterest, and it looks almost the same.   The topper up close -

these page trees were on each end cap in adult fiction and non-fiction - twelve in all.

The main tree in front of the big window isn't that big, but Katie found a very large star in her basement (the girl is BIG on decorating, and good at it), which made a huge difference hanging above it.

I found it difficult to get a good photo of this, but it draws the eye very well; also looks beautiful at night driving by. All the ornaments are made of book pages: fancy star/snowflakes, a paper chain and little banner. Also, Cheryl found some ornaments she'd made a few years ago, clear balls with curled paper inside.

For a small tree, I made several of these -

we were running out of time, and those were quick and easy.

Here's how Katie's small book tree ended up -

delightful!

At the end of the hall, we put another tree with some blue lights, then somebody made some stars.

Just right.

A menorah display near the elevator

and a book menorah, too

made with the Encyclopedia of Judaica, which happened to be dark blue. 

Trisha did a good job with the columns in the children's department.

Now they have pale blue snowflakes on them. And two columns downstairs plus one upstairs are nutcrackers.

Doesn't he look great? Katie did most of it. You can see here in the background how effective that big star is on the main tree.

A rather scrawny tree got a funky look with just two ornaments on it

Can you tell what they say?  Read and Books. And that's all for now. 

a certain "something"

"Advent is the time of expectation. True, Christ has already come upon earth. He has been crucified, and has risen. He is with us now, in his Church. And yet, somehow, as the season for commemorating his birth approaches, something stirs in us, something deep and profound, as if we are expecting a great miracle. 

As the Christmas season approaches, everyone feels a certain 'something' that cannot be put into words. There are no words that fit. We begin to realize that we are expecting 'something' - or 'Someone' - and we become a little bit more aware of our insides, of a 'burning' in our heart.

We will find that it is like a candle within us. It is not a big candle. We must keep this flame alight, so that it burns through the layers of whatever we have put on top of it, and allow the expectation that is within us to come forth.

This is so important because, if we can burn away each layer that we have put on through the years, then we will be filled with joy. We will become full of gladness, knowing that a great gift is about to be given to us."


                                          -   Catherine Doherty  

cake and tea

I have a birthday coming up, and Tracy, my pen pal, sent me a card with a sweet calendar inside, and a tea bag. Australian Afternoon tea.

I'm sorry, Tracy - I had it in the morning. It was good! I couldn't wait.


Today at work, Katie called me over to see something. It was on my desk. A winter cake!

She had signed up for my birthday. The tree is made from fresh rosemary; the "ornaments" are sugared cranberries. There are cranberries all around, too. The instructions can be found here.
A chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream. We even ate some of the cranberries! Okay, but raw cranberries are nothing to rave about, although I'm sure they were good for us.

Lovely, lovely surprises.

"the time for rousing"

"Advent is the time for rousing. Humanity is shaken to the very depths so that we may wake up to the truth of ourselves. The primary condition for a fruitful and rewarding Advent is renunciation, surrender."

                                                        -  Fr. Alfred Delp