Christmas Eve 2012

On the fourth Sunday of Advent, we were delighted to be able to attend a solemn high Mass in the traditional rite at a parish an hour north of us. The building itself was exquisitely beautiful. Chris captured the above sweet image when both girls were kneeling (moments before with hands folded in prayer) in the narthex (where Margaret had been brought for too-loud cheerful chatter).

On Christmas Eve, we spent the morning cleaning the house top to bottom, with the children as my cheerful helpers (seriously--it was great). Then in the afternoon, we decorated the Christmas tree. (Those two things alone made it a very physically challenging day for this mama--boy, am I slowing down in these final weeks!)

I did have Chris keep Margaret at bay, but I think this might have been the first year I allowed John and Mary to help me decorate. Mary lasted about half the project, but John persevered to the end and quite enjoyed it. I tried not to be too controlling, just dictating that glass ornaments went on the top half, all other material of ornaments went on the bottom half. The only two ornaments broken were broken by me.

The finished tree--with gifts to be put out after the children were asleep! This year I put out about one-third of our decorations (mainly just decorating the tree itself) to keep things simpler at the end of pregnancy.

I had some pretty tearful moments coming upon the above box with my mom's handwriting on it: "Mom + Katherine Angels." That same tattered-and-taped box has been opened every Christmas for 30 years.

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Inside the box are stored the wooden angels commissioned in Mexico by my mom's stepmother when I was a little girl. The angels have our names on them. On this first Christmas without my mom--even in her very reduced state, bedridden, and available to me only by phone--I miss her.

In the evening, we enjoyed a simple but somewhat celebratory dinner (Christmas Eve having traditionally been day of fasting and abstinence according to the Church until the 1983 Code of Canon Law--see here). I served breaded tilapia (oh yes, from a box, said this pregnant mama), fettuccine Alfredo, and roasted asparagus ("Mama, may I have some more of those green sticks? I love them!").

We read the nativity account according to St. Luke and prayed the family Rosary by candlelight only (which is always special and awe-inspiring for the children) before hopping in the car to view the Christmas lights in our neighborhood: This was much easier and more satisfactory than our failed attempt to see McAdenville!

Three sweetpeas were in bed by 7:00, asleep shortly thereafter, while Mama and Daddy scurried about doing more preparations!