My husband and I spent Christmas by ourselves this year. Most of our 46 Christmases together have been whirlwinds of activity, usually with travel to one set of our parents or the other. In more recent years, one or both of our adult children have usually come to visit. But […]
Continue readingTag Archives: Christmas
Christmas Lights
I feel like a curmudgeon this year because our house is one of only two or three on our cul-de-sac that does not have Christmas lights on the front of the house. I like driving through the neighborhood and seeing all the lights, but I don’t want the effort (or […]
Continue readingBuying Christmas Gifts for My Granddaughter
I’ve always been amazed by this photograph of the gifts I received on my first Christmas. Granted, we spent that holiday with my maternal grandparents, and I was their first grandchild. They doted on me. I think my grandmother bought everything in sight for me that year. But really? An […]
Continue readingSt. Nicholas Day
Today, December 6, is St. Nicholas Day, a feast day honoring St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop of Myra (now part of Turkey). St. Nicholas was known for his charitable deeds, particularly toward children. For centuries, St. Nicholas Day was celebrated in many countries in Europe. It was a religious feast, […]
Continue readingThe Pause Between Years
I usually post about Oregon history during the last week of the month, but this week I am feeling the pause between years. The week between Christmas and New Year’s has always felt to me like time to heave a big sigh and relax, to sit in the moment suspended […]
Continue readingPerfect Christmases
When I think of my childhood Christmases, I think of going to my grandparents’ home in Klamath Falls, Oregon. They moved out of that house when I was six or seven, and some of my earliest Christmases were spent at my home rather than traveling to my grandparents’ house. So […]
Continue readingYou Know Your Children Are Grown When . . . [Part VIII]
This might be the last time I post on the topic of grown children because I don’t have a lot to add to my many earlier posts. Still, the recent holidays had me reflecting on my adult children again. I posted about my two grown children after Christmas 2018, when […]
Continue readingDid My Younger Siblings Ever See Santa?
I’ve written before about how my brother and I got to see Santa Claus when he visited our home one evening just before Christmas. I’ve also written about when my children got to see Santa at their grandparents’ home. My son took the experience in stride, but it took my […]
Continue readingA Picture I Wish I Had: My Son’s Solo
Each year, my kids were in Christmas programs at their school. The programs were held in the church of the parish that operated their Catholic school, and religious Christmas carols made up the bulk of the program. The whole school was in the program. Each class, from kindergarten through eighth […]
Continue readingMERRY CHRISTMAS! . . . Excerpts From My Latest Novel
My latest novel, My Hope Secured, featured scenes of two family Christmases. One Christmas celebration depicted Hannah Bramwell at her brother’s home in Oregon City. The other showed Zeke Pershing at his father’s farmhouse outside of town. Neither character enjoyed their holiday festivities. Here is a description of Hannah’s Christmas: […]
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