This is a good story about community spirit, appropriate for our Christmas season at Q Tree. Curl up with a hot coffee and join me.

Because we have a B&B, our annual holidays are little different than most families. Years and years of retirement parties, birthday celebrations, weddings, corporate events, etc., meant that the townspeople viewed our house as THEIR house, they are personally connected.

It set up a strange situation, both good and bad (not really ever bad). I live in a “goldfish bowl” where everyone knows my business, but on the other hand, “almost” everyone helps me to succeed… and often at the strangest times and in odd ways… because it’s “their house”, too. Does that make sense?

Our home is next door to the town’s school, and it’s the biggest house in town, a real beauty built at the turn of the last century. Yet, the house was abandoned for 24yrs when we bought it. Thus, a generation of townspeople wondered about the house, a grand dame, but dark and cold (and maybe haunted)…… until we moved in……. and ALL the lights were turned on.

After 6 months of a massive renovation, we opened for business in late September, with Christmas approaching. Yet, decorating such a large home was a monumental task. Women began to approach me, offers of help, wanted to work for me, because I needed help. I kept resisting, thought I couldn’t afford it, because I couldn’t afford it. Members of my local bank board licked their chops like a hungry wolves, quarreling amongst themselves, waiting for my pipedream to go bust, so they could buy my lovely home at a bankruptcy…. which only made me more determined to succeed.

There came a point were several women had …. what can only be described as….. “an intervention” …..with me. They forced their way into my lives and became a coven of girlfriends, staff members, aunts to my kids, a shoulder when I needed it, and a sort of sorority, a fierce clan of protectors. But it wasn’t just women, it was the men as well. If I needed something…. anything……. all I had to do was whisper……. and the word went out like a quiet firestorm, and suddenly….. that item would appear, often from a kind stranger, who became a friend. It was amazing, and would NEVER happen in large cities, but it did happen in small town Mississippi. I never really got used to the wonderment of it all, the kindness of strangers, but it happened over and over again.

Women bringing me things became commonplace. For instance, an old experienced gardener would show up, compliment my specific flower bed, but insist it needed “XYZ” flower in a corner, which she brought to me, usually in a WalMart sack. BECAUSE it wasn’t just my house, it was her flower bed as well, and she wanted to make it perfect. Stuff like that happened all the time.

But it was the men who were most surprising. The gentle giants surrounded me but were often silent. Cornstalks, cattails, fieldstone, river rock, cotton, clumps of daffodil bulbs as big as washtubs, Birdhouses, pumpkins, fresh field corn, and thousands of pounds of peaches, plums, beans, blueberries, and tomatoes, would suddenly appear from the ether, sometimes with a note if I wasn’t home. The bounty of their generosity and impeccable timing was astounding.

Yesterday, I told the story of the mistletoe. Mistletoe grows high up in oak trees and has to be shot down. My grandparents always had a sprig of mistletoe between the kitchen and dining room when I was a kid. Grandpa swept grandmother into his arms to dip her, and kiss her, to great fanfare at the most inappropriate times. She pretended to protest but loved it. Of course, we needed a sprig of mistletoe. It turned into an annual town hunt, at the opening of deer season, with presentation trophies (old trophies from the high school), for the biggest piece of mistletoe, which would be ceremonially hung with a big red velvet ribbon from the keystone on our wooden arch.

What I didn’t know was that the men became competitive about the Mistletoe Hunt. Mr. Elton had the biggest horse stables in 3 counties, huge farm. For months, he eyed one tree with what he was sure was a grand prize winning piece of mistletoe. His daughter told me the story…… He shot at the piece a few times and missed, but he was more afraid it would fall apart and lose berries. Mistletoe is fairly fragile. He sent a farmhand high up into the tree to manually cut it down, but that didn’t work. So, he chopped down the whole tree….. Mr. Elton won that year, an old repurposed golfing trophy, and he could not have been more proud. We took his picture. He became a legend.

One year, we were working on Halloween, and I was upset with the high prices of colorful Indian corn in the grocery store, 3 ears for $2.99. We needed hundreds of them for what we wanted to do. I whined and moaned, but was grumbling about something I could not afford. We ended up doing something else. The following year, a local farmer brought me a truckload….. he planted 5 acres of the most beautiful Indian corn, small raspberry corn as well, and bushels of brightly colored gourds. Total surprise to me. He stayed for hours, and ate chicken salad, drinking iced tea, while the girls and I fussed all over him, and assembled the front door decorations. Mr. Ralph was thrilled and told everyone in town about “his” corn. Every now and then, strangers appeared on my front porch…… to see “Mr. Ralph’s corn” and take autumn pictures with their kids.

Another year, we planned a back to school party for the local teachers. I thought a front door surround of sunflower heads would be pretty. We thought about using artificial silk flowers but that was cost prohibitive…. We mulled over our options looking for something creative, we were stuck for a good idea. Three days later, the farmer’s co-op called, it was my buddy “Pork Chop”. He said, “Your sunflower heads are here……”. Huh? I never ordered any. I didn’t know there was such a thing as ordering sunflower heads. From Pork Chop, “Well, they’re here. Do you want to come and get them or do you want me to send him to your house?” We dropped everything and rushed down to the co-op.

We were twelve women, hugging and loving on a kind farmer, genuinely grateful, and our affection was a powerful force. Again, a whisper of a request went out, and a benevolent farmer, another county over, brought in a whole truck load, ready to dry, with seeds, and still had yellow petals. It was a gold mine….. and the birds… loved them. Walking through the door was like a Disney movie with all the birds around. When his wife died a few years later, the girls and I made the flowers, returning the kindness.

Sometimes we needed strange things. Once, we needed BIG acorns, for Christmas wreaths and decorations, preferably with the caps on, like the thumb-sized ones when I was a kid. Our house is surrounded by oak trees but we have small puny acorns. I mentioned it casually…. and forgot about it. About two weeks later, I was standing in the kitchen when one of the girls came back and said, “There’s a bunch of men here to see you.” I wiped my hands and went out front. In front of me were six of the dirtiest Marlboro-looking-men I’ve ever seen. They were so handsome they practically took my breath away, tall, rugged, strong men, but they were FILTHY and the image of them standing in our pristine parlor was a perfect picture of contrasts.

The smallest one, who was probably 6’2″ with deep blue eyes, spoke up, “Are you Miss Daughn?” I nodded, and could hear the girls giggling behind the archway like they were still in high school, looking at the guys….. He grabbed my arm a little too tightly and leaned into me in a whisper. For a flash of a moment, the thought of being ravaged by this man in my parlor was strangely appealing…… He said, “We found your tree.” I was confused. “What tree?”, I said. He replied, “Your tree with the big acorns, it’s a white oak. I looked it up, and we found one, plenty of acorns for you.” Shaken from my trance, I was thrilled, “Really?!??” The girls came out from behind the arch to join us. He was a lumberman and they were clear-cutting land nearby.

He said, “You have to come now though, because they’re cutting this afternoon. We’re only in town for lunch.” From one of the girls…. grinning from ear to ear……”We’ll be happy to make you boys some lunch and then follow you out to the land where the tree is.” And…… we did….. baskets of acorns, enough for years of supply.

The whole thing was bizarre. Six lumberman, completely unknown to us, removed their boots to dine at my table….. They looked like Knights of the Round Table who just completed a quest, for BIG acorns…… The chance of our meeting was even more noteworthy. Not only had our desire for big acorns gone out into the wind like a quiet firestorm, but strangers, handsome lumbermen, took the time to look up the SPECIFIC KIND of tree needed, and then, spent weeks looking for the particular tree we needed. Amazing…..no, THAT would never happen in Manhattan.

But nothing was better than the Yew, Holly, and Douglas Fir delivery.

I had it in my head that every corner where your eye falls, there should be something which was Christmas related but not overly fussy. With over a dozen artificial Christmas trees in the house, we still needed another layer, the fresh greens, rosemary, and the smell of Christmas. We did baskets of fresh greens, dozens and dozens of baskets, big and small. To get enough greenery, we cut down an overgrown boxwood at Grandma’s house, pilfered her magnolia tree with minivans full of greens, raided her neighbor’s holly bush, stripped another neighbor’s nandina berry bushes, cut down a 60′ tall cedar tree…. but we really needed Douglas Fir, mixed pines, and more holly. We needed the kinds of conifers which don’t grow in Mississippi.

Buying fresh Christmas trees was too expensive, but we went to the tree lots to negotiate. One lot manager told me to come back on Mondays. They often had a stack of branches, from trimming the trees up, and I could have a little bit. Back home, the parties we booked were requiring our raw materials, but the house was only about 1/4 finished. We needed MORE pine boughs, the pretty stuff, …. when Mr. Fred’s semi-truck arrived.

Mr. Fred was an over-the-road truck driver, the kind of wonderful man I would never have met in my former life. He was in his mid-50’s and had a Santa Claus belly. His wife was the aunt of one of our staff members. He returned from a run to…. I can’t remember where, but he came home “empty” which was unprofitable and unusual for a truck driver. Therefore, he brought us trees and bushes. Some were chopped down, but some still with the dirt on their roots. When he opened the back doors of the truck, small birds flew out. It was a miracle.

For days and weeks, we used the greenery Mr. Fred brought us. We had enough to be lavish with our stash. For years, Mr. Fred brought me pinecones, long and thin ones from California, big fat ones from Florida, and reindeer moss from the side of the road in Missouri, because he thought we would have fun playing with them. Mr. Fred was our Santa Claus.

In later years, Big T, hoped to replicate the bounty of natural greens for Christmas. Yet, he was returned to our home by a local constable with a good sense of humor. The forefathers frowned on trimming of their trees in local Boston, but allowed him to keep the boughs…. and they were beautiful. He loved me….. best Christmas gift, ever.

Is it odd, that as the years tick by, the Christmas gifts of gold and diamonds fade into the background? Yet, I long for the gifts of Indian corn, pumpkins, BIG acorns, rosemary, holly, and evergreens.

Indeed, the kindness of strangers is simple, heartfelt, long lasting, and priceless.

Merry Christmas.

Isaiah 7:10-16
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel
15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your strength, and come and save us!
3 Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!

Romans 1:1-7
Greeting
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-25
Christ Born of Mary
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [literally, Savior], for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and kept her a virgin till she had brought forth her a Son. And he called His name Jesus.

---

The following homily is prepared by Reverend Monsignor Russell G. Terra, Pastor Emeritus of Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Redding, CA.
http://www.stjosephredding.org/parish-homilies.html

---

4th Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019
“The Obedience of Faith”

Is 7:10-14
Rom 1:1-7
Mt 1:18-24

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –

One of the challenges we continue to face throughout our life is to take good and sound advice when we are on the wrong track. Taking advice is often difficult because our minds can be pretty well made up before that advice is forthcoming. That advice might be how to do something in a better way. It might also be a warning against something that will do harm to ourselves or to others.

When we heed sound advice, we are usually pleased with a good outcome – or with the resolution of the problem we were facing. However, when we fail to take good advice, we have no one to blame but ourselves when we are faced with the negative consequences of our decision.

Some of the best advice we can receive sometimes comes directly from God Himself. God is continually calling us to good and better things. God speaks to us, often, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, this is usually a quiet or subtle intimation. But it can also be powerful and overwhelming as well!

Of course, the most difficult advice to accept is that which comes from someone we dislike – or from someone who opposes us on other levels. This was certainly the case of the advice given to King Ahaz in the passage from Isaiah today.

Prophets always call us to task – They usually face us with unwelcome truths! Israel and Syria wanted Judah to join their coalition against Assyria. Instead, Ahaz sought to be united with Assyria itself. However, this was not God’s way. God had a better plan – a hidden plan – which would, somehow, preserve the Chosen People of Judah. King Ahaz was even told to ask for a sign from God. But in his intransigence, he refused.

So God gave him a sign anyway. One of the maiden wives of Ahaz would
conceive and bear a son. His name would be Emmanuel which means “God is with us.”
God would not abandon the Chosen People – He would continue to be with at least the faithful few, the “Remnant”, – until the Eternal Emmanuel was born in their midst!

In the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph is one of the greatest examples we can have of someone who listened to the voice of God and followed God’s plan. Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant with someone else’s child. Since betrothed couples had conjugal rights, any unfaithfulness was considered to be adultery, which was punishable with death by stoning.

However, Joseph was better than that. He planned to divorce Mary quietly – thus allowing her to marry whomever fathered her child. So God spoke to Joseph – and Joseph listened and obeyed. Being a truly good man, he, somehow, understood that God had a master plan that would save a sinful world – So Joseph accepted his new role as part of a mystery that required great faith and trust.

St. Paul was so conformed to the call of God in his life that he tells us that he is the slave of Christ Jesus. Initially, it took a vision and blindness to get Paul’s attention. However, it really changed the course of his life. Paul tells us that we must have the “obedience of faith”. The word “obedience” means “to listen, to harken and accept” – to implement what we have been told. And “faith” is our relationship with God. Faith is something intangible, beyond anything material – that we cannot even begin to describe!

Brothers and Sisters, the Child born to us in just 3 days will always make demands of us. His Gospel is truly Good News – but it requires much on our part. It requires that we are always open to what God asks us to do or be. Hopefully, we will not be like Ahaz who refused to listen, and lost everything. Instead, we are invited to be like Mary, our mother, who said “yes” to the angel of God – and like Joseph, who was unafraid to set his plans aside and embark upon a path only gradually revealed to him by God.

So, let us pray today, that we can listen and respond to God’s call in obedience – however and whenever it comes!

Amen.

December 22, 2019                                       Msgr. Russell G. Terra

---

---

This 4th Sanctuary Sunday of Advent Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.

It is also a place to read, post and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.

In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.

We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.

Please show respect and consideration for your fellow QTreepers.

Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure you’re addressing the issue only, and not trying to confront the poster.

If you feel the need to bare your fangs, we have a companion site – called The U Tree – where you can run wild and free with the Wolfpack where all legal free speech is allowed.

But NOT HERE in The Q Tree. Personal attacks, name calling, ridicule, insults, baiting and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.

In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.

Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here. Let’s not give the Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.

---

With the Storm upon us…please remember to Pray for our President.

---

AND WHAT TIME IS IT?  TIME TO….DRAIN THE SWAMP!!! 

Our movement is about replacing a failed and CORRUPT political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People. ~ Candidate Donald J. Trump

---

Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights.
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

---

On this day and every day –

God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up

---

Hopefully, every Sunday, you can find something here that will build you up a little . . . give you a smile . . . and add some joy, very much needed in all our lives.

“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” . . . “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

---

4th Sunday of Advent ~ Love

---

~ Love ~

Matthew 22:35-40
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The whole Law and the writings of the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Love – how important? So important that all of the Old Testament Law and all of the writings of the Old Testament prophets depend on it!

---

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Love – the characteristic that Christians must embody by which the world will recognize us!

---

1 Corinthians 13:13
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Faith, hope and love . . . all important! But the greatest of the three is love!

---

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

There is no greater love than Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

---

The culmination of Advent, after faith & hope, peace and joy is love, agapé love . . . and rightfully so.  God’s agapé love for us is the reason for the entire existence of mankind.

Agapé love is a specific kind of love.  It is founded in willful actions to put the welfare of others above yourself as in “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  And “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

An example: Empathy or sympathy may involve understanding of and emotion toward an old, frail bag lady struggling painfully up the stairs, but agapé love walks over to that foul-smelling lady and takes her bag and her arm and helps her up the stairs.

God chose us in Him before He laid the foundation of the earth and has destined us for a wondrous eternal future with Himself and Jesus.  God’s plan, all that He has done from the Creation, through the Garden of Eden and all the events of the Old Testament; the birth, ministry, sacrifice, resurrection and 2^nd coming of Jesus; through the events of Revelation . . . all of that leads to our eternity with God and Jesus . . . and has been and will be carried out because of God’s agapé love for us.

Why do I think it’s all because of God’s agapé love for us? Because “In love [agapé] He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.”  In agapé, God planned each person’s existence, from birth through eternity, all before He laid the foundation of the earth.

“Wondrous eternal future” . . . what do we know about that?  Well, certainly not a lot, but since “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has anyone imagined the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”, we can be assured it will be wondrous.

And since “The kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”, I think we can solidly plan on righteousness, peace and joy in God’s eternity.

We even have a foretaste of what we’ll be doing . . . God granted Jesus “authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”

The word “know” (γινώσκω, ginóskó), used above, means to know, especially through personal experience.  It will take an eternity, getting to know God, Who is omniscient, and Whose thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways His ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.  And “How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”.

“Take an eternity” . . . we shouldn’t overlook the enormity of this statement.  “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years,”.  We are only on this earth for an infinitesimally short time, compared to eternity, before we whither, like leaves, and are blown away.  Eternity is forever.  Never ending.  Our true home.

This is the future love that Advent points us to.  When this sinks in, it’s very difficult, perhaps impossible, not to experience the hope, peace and joy associated with the first three Sundays of Advent. Give to God the thanks, praise and love He deserves many times over.

---

---

May we all experience the hope, peace and joy of this Advent season as a result of God’s agape love, and may we return our praise, thanks and love to God for the unmerited favor we have received and will receive from Him.

---

People are nicer during Christmas. Strangers hold a door open a little longer, we give of ourselves a little more freely. We more kind to each other. Even poorly mannered children say “Please” and “thank you” because Santa is watching. I wish it was that way all year long. The world would be a better place. It’s the Christmas spirit, a chance for rebirth during our holiest season. It’s hope for peace, health, and prosperity in a new year.

Christmas Story:
I have this magical “thing”. Not sure what it is, but at this point, well into my 50’s, it is undeniable that I possess “it”.
I consider it a gift.
I have Christmas “spirit”, and it oozes out of me and gently covers everyone around me with love and joy, cinnamon and peppermint. It’s impossible to be around ME, during Christmas, and not sing and dance, or decorate something.

Every year, someone crosses my path who is a Scrooge, a lost soul, torn and wrecked because of personal trials or disappointment, and who has lost the spirit of Christmas. It’s easy to lose the spirit of Christmas, but there is nothing like that feeling of rebirth. Personally, I think it is the best gift I could ever give.

One year, Dad was dating a cute lil’ sprout of a redhead named Pam. She was in her mid-40’s, an ICU nurse, had grown children, and 3 grandchildren. I was in my late 20’s, just cashed out from the firm in Miami, and moved home to resolve my mother’s problems. I was living with Dad that year. As Christmas approached, Dad and I made the annual trek to the tree lot, and brought home the big tree for the living room, and regular 8′ ones for the family room and dining room. We were putting them up, trimming a few boughs, and Pam was sitting at the bar, nursing a bourbon and water. I was mildly annoyed she wasn’t helping us because Dad and I needed 12 arms each.

I went to grab another pair of snips, walked past her when she said, “I haven’t seen a Christmas tree in the house since I was 7yrs old.” I took a few more steps, slowing down like an aircraft carrier, and turned to her, “What did you say?” She told me the story…… Horrible childhood. No presents that year when she was 7yrs old, and she actually received coal in her stocking. I had heard the legend of people who received coal but never met ANYONE who actually received coal in a Christmas stocking. She did. At that time, she still believed in Santa and Santa brought her… coal. Her father was cruel and left her mother the following day, December 26th. Her mother, feeling the loss, never put up another Christmas tree, and died young, when Pam was 14yrs old. Pam carried the loss into her adulthood. Her kids and then grandchildren, never had a Christmas tree. Pam was an accomplished woman, no one would have ever imagined the pain underneath……..

Between the Bourbon and the tears, I finally said to her, “So, you mean to tell me, you’ve been carrying around that $hit baggage for almost 40yrs, anxious about the month of December, hating on Christmas…… full of old dred?” She nodded. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “For 40yrs?”, I asked. “Yeah”, she admitted. “Well, don’t you think 40yrs is long enough?”, I proposed. It was time to pack the old crap up and throw it away, especially for the kids and grandchildren. She admitted she thought about breaking up with my Dad, “since we were such a big Christmas family”. I looked at her like she was crazy, “You mean, you would rather hang on to 40yrs of weird misplaced grief, than spend Christmas with a guy you love?” Just talking it out, realizing the oddity of it all, saying the words, gave her a little bit of hope. She agreed to……….. try.

Dad, the Marine, has a “thing” for Christmas. He decorates the outside to the hilt. People drive by his house to see his lights. So, he goes to garage sales all year long to buy stuffed toys, comes home and launders them (some don’t make it but most do). Then, he dresses up in a Santa suit, every night, in front of the house, and gives stuffed animals to the kids in the cars who have driven by his house to see the lights. THAT was Dad. Pam didn’t know if she could handle it and was anxious.

Well, she turned into a Christmas elf. Don’t get me wrong, I could have been Mrs Claus, but for Pam, it was 40 yrs worth of pent up Christmas spirit all coming out at the same time. It was slow at first. But she was always over for dinner and we were always doing something related to Christmas. Pretty soon, I was the right hand and she was the left hand. We worked together beautifully. One night, I came home from a late class, and there was a 6′ tree at the end of the kitchen peninsula. She was humming in the kitchen. I motioned to the tree, teasing her, and said, “You want to explain..?” She looked guilty, “It was on sale, and I thought we needed another one.” I nodded…. we did….. and it was beautiful!

We made Christmas stockings for her kids and grandkids….. they didn’t have any.

We MADE peppermint that year (I’ll never do that again), popcorn balls, peanut butter balls, fudge, and all kinds of breads and casseroles. One night, we sat on the kitchen floor, still making meatballs at 2:00am…….. it was her mother’s recipe……. which she had saved but hadn’t made in 40yrs.
We made enough for a diabetic coma! She had the nurses over for a party – she had never done anything like that before. I was so happy for her…. in the lead. She was a natural, and I swear, you could SEE the light shining from inside her. She glowed like an angel.

On Sundays, we usually had her kids over for a big lunch. Her son cornered me and asked about “the Christmas thing”. I told him the story Pam told me. He never knew the real reason why his mom hated Christmas. She had never spoken about it.

A few nights a week, Dad slipped over to Pam’s apartment to spend the night. Mid December, out of the blue, Dad hugged me bigly. She had told him of our conversation. Pam’s apartment was decorated to the hilt……. overblown Christmas explosion. Dad was exhausted though, no sleep for him, Pam insisted on sleeping with all the Christmas lights on.

Middle of December, Pam decided we had to “make a trip to the country for pine boughs”. Okay fine, a trip to the grocery store is fun for me. Dad was supposed to go but for some reason, he couldn’t make it at the last minute. Pam was sad at the prospect of canceling. “No problem, we can do it.”, I said. Off we went. We drove almost 100 miles into Mississippi before finding “adequate” pine boughs and cedar…… one of the best days of my life. Pam was beaming, brimming with Christmas spirit. We came home loaded with clippings and ANOTHER tree, tied to the rooftop, for the deck. We then decorated the BACK yard.

We went to church on Christmas Eve as one big family. Pam didn’t have a church but that was okay, our’s was big enough for spares. She softly cried most of the way service, raw emotions right at the surface, especially when it came time to sing. Dad kept trying to hold her hand and ask her what was wrong. I already knew. Happy tears, and bittersweet for all the years she lost. She was back, among the living.

And along the way, she kept inviting people to Christmas dinner. We had 24 that year for Christmas Eve. It was GREAT! And our living room was small, but by the time Christmas morning rolled around, there were so many presents, you couldn’t get INTO the living room…… grandkids……. you know how it is!

And that was the year Pam got her Christmas spirit back.

So, this year, if you find someone who is in need of a little Christmas spirit, give them some of yours. If you need spirit, find it. We only have so many years on this earth, don’t waste a single one…… by holding onto the sadness of years gone by. Cast out the dred. Let it go. Warm your cold old heart. The year 2020 looks to be a promising one for us all.

Here’s the video: He’s cagey. Doesn’t appear to like Comey. No determination yet.

Welcome to the Open Thread! Wow, December is flying by quickly. We’ve decorated, wrapped gifts for friends and family, and we’ve partied with our buddies. This weekend, right before Christmas, is our most holy. Take a moment for remembrance and charity. Give of your time or your money. It means so much.

This Justice Is Coming December open thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA / KAG! / KMAG world.

Please feel free to comment. We have a new policy, starting 20191110. Keep it SOMEWHAT civil. Our rules began with the civility of the Old Treehouse, later to become the Wolverinian Empire, except of course that Q discussion is not only allowed but encouraged, and speech is considerably freer in other ways. Please feel free to argue and disagree with the board owner, as nicely as possible.

Please feel free to comment. We have a new policy, starting 20191110. Keep it SOMEWHAT civil. Our rules began with the civility of the Old Treehouse, later to become the Wolverinian Empire, except of course that Q discussion is not only allowed but encouraged, and speech is considerably freer in other ways. Please feel free to argue and disagree with the board owner, as nicely as possible.

Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here in the January 1st open thread. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven.

We have a new board – actually a new SITE – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation. NOT HERE. This board will remain a REFUGE for those who need civility, either some or all of the time.

Please keep the President, his family and team in your thoughts and prayers. If you run into the President, SPEAK THE FIVE WORDS BOLDLY. “I AM PRAYING FOR YOU!“

TIME TO….

DRAIN THE SWAMP

Our movement

Is about replacing

A failed

And CORRUPT

Political establishment

With a new government controlled

By you, the American People.

Candidate Donald J. Trump

---

Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights.
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

Years ago, I joined a Fortune 100 company. As the newbie, I was drafted to head the toy drive for a migrant camp for the following year, but first, I had to attend the ceremony for the present year. Our office brought in SIX gifts. What? That’s right, six gifts – not even wrapped – from over 500 people, plus a big check. Standing next to the Annual Drive Chairman, at the ceremony, I was humiliated in front of the Marines, who were Toys For Tots. My Dad was a Marine. Next year, we had over 8000 gifts, and we wrapped them all. It was supposed to be about the kids, Christmas, and giving, …..not just a check.

And don’t forget to chip in your handiwork at Church. Order a poinsettia and help decorate.

Please be patient with our Police and Fire Departments this year. They’re kind of busy with the crazy people.

And yes, I know, I know, but it would not be Christmas without a little bit of Elvis. You can sing along, it won’t hurt too much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9-ifPTvy0M

Merry Christmas, QTreepers, from our house to your house!