Month: December 2017

For all the hustle and bustle, planning and scheming, buying and wrapping, cooking and cleaning, you might think Christmas Day is anti-climatic. One day and it’s over; at least that is how our society has grown accustom to the celebration of this Holy Day. However, in our Catholic tradition, those busy days leading up to … Continue reading Let the Celebration Begin

Nothing says Merry Christmas more profoundly than having a scheduled mammogram during the third week of December. The very idea of a mammogram is humiliating, painful, stressful and physically degrading - immediately before Christmas, the most hectic time of the year, adds a degree of unnecessary worry to the season. Conventional comparisons of the procedure … Continue reading My Mammy

It is that time of the year when television networks parade out an assortment of Christmas movies for our holiday enjoyment. Old classics such as White Christmas (excellent), Christmas in Connecticut (funny), A Christmas Carol (many versions) and A Christmas Story (hate it) will air continually during the season. Gone are the days of the … Continue reading Deck the Hallmark

At some point in my hectic existence, I may have dreamed of a family reenactment of the Norman Rockwell painting of the perfect Thanksgiving - family gathered at the table with the mother placing the turkey, ready for carving, in front of her husband. In this fantasy world, everyone is perfect, smiling and sharing the … Continue reading A Thanksgiving Rose