IT IS THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

This is the first Christmas in a few years that i have been well enough to really enjoy all the wonderful fuss and bother of it all. I have not just one tree, but 3!! One in my bedroom, one in the living room an done outside the door. Mischi has bows and bells on and is making a musical noise whenever she walks by. My Germanic and Danish heritage is fully represented in my home and that of my family.

Christmas eve we have a Danish Christmas dinner: roast goose with prune and apple stuffing, caramel potatoes, red cabbage and green vegetables...a nice colourful feast. The dessert is a fluffy rice pudding. In the pudding is an almond, whoever gets the almond wins a mazipan pig.
After dinner we have coffee and cookies and stronger stuff for the hearty ones to fortify themselves for midnight church services. Christmas during my childhood was always a bitter-sweet affair. My Mother would become homesick for Europe and weep a bit over the Christmas box that family always sent. We all still get weepy. Now that i am a member of St. Luke The Physician it will be my turn to say Grace.

I wish all of you the joy and peace of this season and may God grant you all yur wishes.

Christmas wreath
the fourth candle now lit
a hush pervades

Christmas tree
hanging memories
one by one

Lights on the tree
making wishes
this dark night

Still christmas night
the sound of rain
no snow at all

Snow covered temple
lone woman in a red coat
kneels to pray anyway

Grandmother
a blue haze covers
the old eyes
memories come
creeping in

THE JOY OF MUSIC

I had my Christmas party for friends and neighbours yesterday. Without the addition of wonderful music it woudl not have been so nice at all. I played The Brothers Cazimero Christmas album. A Dragon Boat team memeber was ther, she had lived in Honolulu as a child and she was so happy to here this music from Hawaii. We shared a few happy memories of the island. I will be there soon.

One of the most ancient satisfaction known to man is music. The brain can now be mapped to see what goos on when we listen to music. Music is language and is a neurological fact. Recent developments in MRI scanning has offered new infromation on how we respond to music. Music has an immediat eimpact that triggers the release of chemicals into the blood stream that creates pleasure. Yes, life would be less special without the wonderful music in our lives.

I gave all the people at my party a gift of the latest collaboration between my friend Sandra Moorhouse-Good, a local artist. Last Spring i spent a few hours writing haiku for her paintings for the book we have planned. We have yet not found time to get together and discuss how the book should look, so in the meantime, i came up with the idea to take a few of her paintings to my printer. He scanned them and added my haiku. They are beautiful. I let my guest each choose one. The cards will be sold in shops.

Christmas party

the cat has a red bow

around her neck

Bottles of bubbly

a pink glow on

my cheeks

Music of Hawaii

colours blue and green

come into my mind

Advent wreath

two candles light

the dim room

Silent night, Holy night

all talk ceases in the

noisy room

Red dress and shoes

after a few hours

pinch, pinch pinch

( i hate shoes and never wear them unless i have to)

ST. NICHOLAS DAY

December 6th in most of Europe, is St. Nicholas Day. Children will find a potatoe or some chocolate in the shoe they left out last night.

St. Nicholas died on December 6th in 345. He was the Bishop of Myra. He spent his life doing good works and performing miracles. The Church made his a Saint. Even today his relics in the city Bari produce a substance, which is prized for it's healing properties.

He was very kind to children. Today he is known as Santa Claus.

So Santa Claus is REAL!!!

December morning
a child crosses her fingers
will she get a potatoe

Frosty streets
the old man in red carries a sack
for good children

A child finds
a potatoe in her shoe
soft crying

December morning
frost on a shoe
chocolate inside

In the doorway
my son's shoe stands
full of chocolate
his happy grin
also a puzzled expression

My shoe is outside
is it too big for St. Nickolas
to leave anything?

IT IS DECEMBER

It is the Advent month. My church had an Advent service yesterday. It was a wonderful time and as we all we in the dark and then lite our Advent candle one by one a feeling of peace and wonder filled the small church.

This Sunday i am having a tree decorating party. Family and friends will come over for some bubbly and sweets and we will all help to decorate my tree. I still have a small angel that i have had since i was 3 years of age. She is my favourite decoration. I hoep we will get another snowfall for Christmas, i will pray.

Decorating the tree

hanging memories

one by one

In the church

Advent candles are lite

Jesus is coming

In the small church

December's dim light but

white candles lighted

In the church

all is in blue cloth

and white candles

The Bishop

round and jolly

gives me a wink

Happy Advnt to you all