Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 18

Merry Christmas by Liz Flaherty

 I want to thank everyone who's been a guest writer on the Window during these holidays, as well as everyone who's visited, commented, or shared the wonderful posts. Window Holidays will continue through the end of the year, and then it'll be back to...whatever 2024's normal is!

Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyous entry into the New Year. Be safe, be happy, and be nice to somebody. 

Why Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas by Susie Black

What makes the holiday season most special are thetraditions we create and share; and in that way, make them uniquely our own. Eventhose of us who do not celebrate Christmas have still found ways to participatein the joy of the season. For us Jews, eating Chinese food on Christmas day hasbecome an international tradition that started in New York in the 1930s. Theysay that necessity is the mother of invention. Jews looking for a special wayto celebrate a day off on December 25th in a friend...

Finding Peace Amid the Holiday Craziness Kyra Jacobs

Hello all, and Merry early Christmas! Liz graciously invited me to stop by during her Holiday Window Over the Sink feature and I’m so happy to be with you all today.

I actually wrote this post mid-month, while trying to stay ahead of the craziness that comes with the holiday season. Good craziness, of course. Though, there have been years when it certainly felt like I was drowning in activities.

Holiday concerts, holiday events. Holiday parties, shopping, baking, decorating, churching, more part...

A Light Will Dawn by Kristen Joy Wilks

This is our first Christmas without our sweet Newfoundland dog, Princess Leia Freyja.
This is our first Christmas as the parents of an adult child who has moved away.

This is our first Christmas welcoming a grown son home for the holidays.

This is our first Christmas with a new roof that doesn’t leak, not even a little.

This is our first Christmas celebrating with a daughter.

So many firsts. So much joy and pain, all smashed up and mixed together.

One moment I’m sharing photos of our dear Newfoundland...

What It's All About by Joe DeRozier

ave and I would tear down our checkerpatterned hall, wearing only our pajamas that we had outgrown the previousyear.

It was 6:00am... 

Of course, Dave and I had already been awake for over anhour. We were early risers, anyway, but today...

 ...today, was Christmasmorning.

 Starting at five am, Dave and I crossed that checker patterned hall every10 minutes into mom and dad's room. 

Mom possessed that sonar "momhearing" that always jolted her awake when we entered their room, whiledad pretended ...

And Now It’s Christmas Nan Reinhardt

Carriage at YuletideChristmas has started out very low-key this year. Some years, it’s like that, isn’t it? We aren’t shopping much because as a family, we’ve chosen to donate our gift money to folks in the world in crisis, so gifts are small remembrances. I haven’t wrapped anything yet. I’m just now starting my baking for the neighbors, Son and Grandboy are sick, and life has been so rushed and overwhelming as I’ve been finishing a book, doing promotion, and starting the new book in the Walkers...

Memories Are Made of This by Beth Carpenter

Merry Christmas, and thanks to Liz for inviting me to be a guest today. I’m Beth Carpenter, sending you greetings from Alaska. After my husband retired, we began spending some of the year in Arizona, but we always go home to Anchorage for a white Christmas, where I set up the tree (we finally caved and bought an artificial one) and get out all my favorite Christmas things.

I’m a great admirer of people who can pull off “theme” decorating—the candy land extravaganzas, the nostalgic woodland cottag...

Where Has The Time Gone? by J. C. Kenney

As I write this, my house is quiet. It’s midafternoon. My wife Nancy is at work, and kitty cat Maria is in another room, napping in a patch of sun. The only sounds are the clicking of my keyboard keys, the whoosh of warm being pushed around by the furnace, and the gentle tinkling of water from Maria’s drinking fountain. All is quiet.
Yes, I’ve arrived at a new stage in my life. One that, as a parent of two kiddos, I spent a few days wondering whether I would ever get there. Yet, here I am.


Welcom...

Their First Christmas by Roseann McGrath Brooks

Starting in the fall, this time of year seems to rush by, and I sometimes have trouble keeping up. What helps me stay grounded are my memories: Dressing up for Halloween as Batman, which engendered severe disapproval from my second-grade nun. Cooking my first not-so-bad-if-I-say-so-myself turkey for family Thanksgiving. Peeking around the corner early Christmas morning to see colorfully wrapped boxes, as well as the unwrapped trucks, bikes, and Barbie houses. Developing a new appreciation for my...

A Florida Christmas by Carol Light

In 1989 my parents and I drove from Indianapolis to Naples, Florida, where my sister and her family had moved six months earlier. We’d always spent Christmases together, so we were willing to make the long drive to celebrate with the four of them, including my nephew and niece, ages four and one. We couldn’t wait to see the little ones wide-eyed with wonder at the tree, the lights, and Santa. Besides, Indiana was experiencing a bone-chilling cold that winter. Escaping to the Sunshine State was p...