12 Days of Christmas - Breakfast

Family traditions are steep when it comes to food. Growing up in San Diego, especially in my teen years our Christmas traditions for food was as follows: the morning usually began with coffee and it was hard to wake up because there were many years that we attended midnight services. We would often have a session of gift opening while the breakfast cooked and by the time it was ready the whole house smelled like sausage casserole. We would get to eat many helpings while cleaning up the wrapping paper. Then after everything was tidy, we would begin to set up, assemble, or otherwise 'play' with the new things we just were gifted. Magically (and I say magically because I don't ever remember helping) there would be deli platters set out on our table with all sorts of cheese, bread and meats to make sandwiches. These trays would stay all day long along with platters of home made cookies. I really appreciated the all day feast situation because I could invite my friends to stop by any time, people came and went all afternoon. The cooking was minimal having all been prepared beforehand. The cookies included the coconut haystacks, herseys kisses snickerdoodles, powdered sugar nusse balls, and butterscotch bars! 

I saw recently a TV show about how to preserve recipes that were hand written onto tea towels. What a clever idea! Below is an image of my mom's handwritten version of our family breakfast casserole. It has now been passed on to my daughter and she makes this for her circle and I couldn't feel more love in the tradition moving on....yum and thank you to all the moms and dads that share special treats at this time of year.

12 Days of Christmas - Legacy

What will you leave behind when you die? Ouch! I know that is a morbid thought...but I will tell you a story that is relative to Christmas. When my dad passed, he had in his car, an arm rest from our patio chair set. It had broken and he had loaded it up to take it to the hardware store to find the right size wood to repair it. He was busy 'replacing and repairing' for our family until the moment he died.

When Greg's grandma Lenore passed away, I was invited to her apartment to see if there was anything I wanted to retrieve for keepsake. Here's a couple things I found and my heart was moved to keep; I found a nutcracker. The nutcracker had a missing boot.  Somehow that nutcracker reminded me of my childhood and I took him home with me and ever since then, I have collected nutcrackers, and it all started with the bootless one. The other thing I found, was her Christmas cards, stationary and some poems. One of the poems I found moved me a great deal. You see, Grandma Lenore wasn't on the top of anyone's friends list, but I believe in her last days she longed for family and love; that poem reminded me that Christmastime is the best time to reach out to others- marginalized, friendless, depressed and lonely. My heart remembers this every time I read the poem and I have shared it many times over the years.....I am glad this was the legacy I discovered:

"Christmas Eve" (a poem)

The door is on the latch tonight,
The hearth-fire is a glow
I seem to hear soft passing feet-
The Christchild in the snow.

My heart is open wide tonight
For stranger Kith or kin;
I would not bar a single door
Where love might enter in.

12 Days of Christmas - Greetings

I have a notebook that contains the Christmas letters I have written over the years, some are a whole page and some are just photocards. I think the farthest back I go is 1990! There are some years missing and some years I have multiple different photocards. I have saved the last Christmas card I received from my mom, and keep it with the Nativity set - it is super special. Since the days of social media, it seems that sending a postal 'Greeting Card' may be on the way out of fashion. No need for that annual letter to sum the year up - since many post regularly about what is going on in our lives. I have to admit that is an easy way to catch up with friends that live far away or are only in contact with via social media. We still enjoy receiving cards and our family still hangs them on the wall at Christmas. I admit, I save my cards for the whole year and only 'retire' them once I begin the next year's batch. Since this year I am only sending a few cards (I am sending cards to those who still send cards...) I will post what I wrote in my note for this year as one of my '12 Days' musings:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2020!

Greg suggested that I write a note that says, “Nothing has changed this year, so we don’t have much to write…” He is funny! I would love to announce that our family is growing! In the photo below you see Harriett celebrating Birthdays with Linda and Darrell – She is Ben’s fiancée! Ben and “Harry” have not set a wedding date yet, but I am really looking forward to having a daughter-in-law!

Veronica and Jason are living and working in Western Washington…much of my family is there now, in fact, all of my siblings are there except my sister Cindy, who lives in South Carolina. I have made many trips up to visit Seattle and the area this year!

We wish you the very best life has to offer, and an abundance of courage and strength when the journey is challenging, and faith and joy to keep on! Take care of each other!

Peace and blessings always – From Greg Murray and family

Pat, Ben, Veronica, and Harry and Jason, too!

I chose this photo to accompany our greeting this year because I love how good Darrell and Linda look! Ageless! AND that is Harry - our newest family member, celebrating right along with Mom and Dad! Such a sweet and joyful memory - and I so look forward to the many more memories to come!

12 Days of Christmas - Darkness

Last Night I rode my mountain bike on a dark ride. As I grow older, it becomes harder to see in low light situations and those moment punctuate aging eyes, aging body...time passing. It was cold and it was a challenge to stay motivated to keep pedaling. I thought about how I celebrate the solstice each year, and in fact, Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, is about the Christmas season ending in the changing of the length of days. (That hearkens to the title of my blog!)

Creator:David Michael Bellis

Copyright:Blue Rockfox Productions

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

When I consider these words, they bring a great comfort to me. Without darkness, we do not know the aid of light. Without cold, we do not know the warmth of the heat. I am always turning on extra lights in my house and maybe that is because I can't see well, but maybe it is another way I am reminding myself I need the light for freedom - to move, to progress. Have you ever suddenly had a power outage? You freeze for the moment because you are blinded with darkness! This is how the Christmas season is for me - it helps me recognize that I need a leader and a healer to be mobilized. Enjoy the dawn this day and allow the light in your heart to grow!

12 Days of Christmas - The Virgin

A grateful heart today have I, a simple 'yes' was her reply. "Be done to me as you request, and with great love a savior blessed."

My heart is full. My eyes are open, my spirit is whole. 

12 Days of Christmas - Lifesavers

At the holidays, sometimes family can be abusive and use gatherings as opportunities to express a dissatisfaction with others.

I try to share positive experiences and memories. In this story, I am sharing a Murray family classic about how someone acting mean was actually an opportunity for another to act beautifully generous and gracious! It is often the case that there are family favorites...you know a favorite aunt, favorite son, daughter or grandchild. Adults sometimes unashamedly show that through the gifts given at Christmas (or not given). In our current world of social media it can be displayed even more easily, but that is for another blog entry.

One Christmas, Greg was given a box of lifesavers. It was one of those storybooks, like with 4 rolls of candy in two halves. Greg was a young boy, probably under 7 years old and while his cousins were enjoying the many gifts they had-fancy toys they were engaged with, he opened his candy and went to every family member in the room and offered some of his gift to all. Linda, Greg's mom relates this story proudly because she was pleased with Greg's gratitude at such a young age. She felt that he was so innocent, he wasn't aware of the slight handed to him through the Lifesavers candy book. Today while shopping with my daughter I asked her if she has seen any lifesavers storybooks...she knows this story. That small box of candy represents gratitude to our family. Gift giving isn't always easy! But I pray this year that all givers and receivers have hearts of love that always find joy in the exchange!

12 Days of Christmas - Angels

I have written about Angels before. I have a collection of angel knick-knacks and collectables. The fascination with the angel is something I have possessed for as long as I can remember. Today I encountered a statue of Michael, the Archangel. As I looked on, I said the prayer in my heart...and when I came across the part of the prayer that says 'cast into Hell all the evil spirits that roam the world seeking ruin of souls...' The angel, Michael, is always depicted with a great breast place and sword.  As I stood in front of the statue, this thought occurred to me: What if there are no evil spirits, just tormented people that create Hell for themselves through darkness and sin? Certainly there is discussion about the existence of Heaven and Hell and I can't deny, I believe that there is a final judgement. At Mass today the priest said, don't ever try to comprehend the extent of God's mercy. God wants you to live in heaven, and now, while on Earth, have peace. There are angels. We are the angels, to each other. When we are kind, we are an angel. Does that mean when we are bad, we are devils? The virgin mary told the children she has appeared to over the years, that Christmastime is the period the greatest number of souls enter heaven. Is it because when we are kind, we create Heaven on Earth. Saint Michael, share Christmas with me this year!

12 Days of Christmas - Entertaining

I was asking a friend about their family Christmas traditions and hoping to find inspiration for my next blog entry, but he told me instead about some trauma that happened when he was 3....yes, the holidays can bring out trauma for little ones as adults are doing their best adulting, sometimes they fall short. It made me wonder about how far back I could remember the holidays at our house (certainly not as far back as 3 years old) and I can remember decoration traditions pretty far back. One decoration in particular I remember is a santa seat cover that had Santa on the top and when the seat was lifted/open the same Santa face had his eyes cover with his mittens! It was so cute!

Our family did a lot of entertaining! My military family held luxurious house parties and I remember always the smell of coffee in the early morning hours (yes these parties went after midnight very often) and I remember seeing the pastries my mom would put out for her guests with the coffee to help them get home safely after having imbibed quite a bit of alcohol and gourmet foods. I remember the appetizers she used to make (bell pepper and cheddar cheese toast) and I remember silly games (cha-cha-cha train?) and I have been told about the 'great omnipotent' with the sheet. (My mom told me that story! How guests would be put under a sheet and told to take off the least valuable thing they had on -- some people took off watches, then some took of clothing....HA HA they were supposed to take off the sheet!)  Holiday entertaining is fabulous and overwhelming at the same time - be soulful and mind your own stress! I still don't know how my mom did all of it!

12 Days of Christmas; JOY

Psalm 98:4 - JOY! Gaudate - Rejoice!

If you know me well, I have said (in the last 10 years or so) that my job on the planet is to be joyful.

Sometimes its easy to just keep to myself and disengage but then, sometimes, some thing inside of me longs for laughter and child-like delight! I love the sound of JOY and I love it when I can exchange JOY and joyful energy with kindred spirits.

It takes a bit of practice to choose joy - I was created this way, but it is up to me to stay tuned into that part of me that is such a great gift from God, a joyful heart! The name of this blog is resulted in the revelation that my job, if nothing else on the planet, is to bring joy to hearts, including my own. My daughter's middle name is Joy, and yes, she is a great source of Joy to me and that namesake was because of a presentation I heard entitled 'How's your Joy?' It was a keynote at my husband's high school reunion. For truly, there is no greater joy than realizing the love of God! When I see smiles on the faces of my friends, I think to myself - this must be what heaven is like!

Bring your joy this holiday, the more you share, the greater the gift!