I don't think it's possible to capture the Spirit of Christmas any better than a child's Christmas play! Our  morning started off a *little* rocky.  Clare wanted to wear her purple outfit (you know, the one she wants to wear EVERY day because purple is her favorite color).  I gently suggested she save the purplicious outfit for after school and put on her Christmas shirt because it was play day. Wrong. Thing. To. Say. We're lucky we got out the ...

Bless me Father, for I have sinned. Years ago, when I converted to Catholicism, this was one of the biggest challenges I had with the church.  Why couldn't I just tell God my sins and call it a day?  Why the priest?  Why the examination of conscience?  Why was it a sacrament? Back in December 2008, our oldest made his First Reconciliation and I had this to say about what it all means. As early as the 1st century, just after ...

For years, my mom took me to see the infamous Nutcracker ballet.  It was one of the highlights of the Christmas season.  The Amarillo Ballet can definitely compete with the big boys and you can thank philanthropist Sybil Harrington for that.  Favorite Nutcracker ballet story?  One year, my dad accompanied us.  During intermission, he leaned over to my mom and asked, "So, when do they start talking?"  That was the last year my dad ever went. My mom and I ...

We may have gone on the hunt for the perfect tree the day before Advent started, but I'm still counting it as an Advent tradition.  We always have a blast.  For five years running, we've ventured up to the Salado Christmas Tree Farm.  Worth every mile.  They have a cute little hayride, hot chocolate, awesome swings, the nicest folk and most importantly, the most beautiful trees! Here, it is all about the atmosphere.  Scott and I have had artificial trees, Lowe's ...

Ok, not technically, but I've been known to subscribe to the Vatican Information Service listserv.  In last week's edition, the Pope shared his three Christmas wishes and I thought they were worth sharing.  Trust me, if the Pope really does guest blog, you can catch me hovering over the moon! B16, take it away... "My first wish, therefore, is that our gaze, that of our minds and our  hearts, not rest only on the horizon of this world, on its material things,  ...

I don't think one can think of Christmas without thinking of Mary.  She's the new proud mom, the one cradling her newborn infant with such admiration, pride and awe.  No nativity scene would be complete without her and Joseph admiring the King the Kings.  I suppose that's what I've always envisioned when someone asks me if, as a Catholic, I worship Mary.  How could I?  She's the mother of God.  I admire her, I venerate her, I look up to ...