“Why do they say Happy Christmas instead of Merry Christmas?”
We had received a card from some English friends and our daughter was intrigued by the change in term. For the rest of us this is too nuanced to be considered. But to her it seemed important. Loving words the way I do, it was all the inspiration I needed. So first, here are some definitions I found in Merriam Webster: Happy: a. enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment- or b. having or marked by an atmosphere of good fellowship Merry: marked by festivity or gaiety At this point I had an issue. After a long autumn which culminated in Friday’s tragedy I have been feeling neither terribly content nor very festive. Perhaps I could live with the ‘good fellowship' part, but I wondered if there might be a word I could use to help me feel in the spirit of the holidays without dismissing the overwhelming grief which lingers. I tried another word - Joyful: a. the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires- or b. a source or cause of delight Nothing really resonated here either until I looked up the origin of the word: Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudēre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gēthein to rejoice. And finally I had it… rejoice. Christmas this year could be a time for finding joy in in the prospect of possessing what I desire; that is, the conquering of evil by the birth of Jesus. It was a word for me that was filled with hope. So while it may be little tricky to get onto my holiday cards… Rejoiceful Christmas… at least I will wish it with my whole heart. A Rejoiceful Christmas to you and yours!
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“Once upon a time I was flying aboard a giant candy cane…”
I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post how my daughter’s class is given a weekly writing prompt and required to write a page on the topic. This week the prompt was: Imagine you are flying aboard a giant candy cane. Describe where you are going. The resulting story was so fantastic I told her I would share it in my blog today. So, here it is. My daughter’s first published work. The Christmas Surprise - by Faith Wilsted Once upon a time I was flying aboard a giant candy cane when suddenly the plane broke down. I fell and fell and fell until I finally fell with a big splat into what seemed like a big pitcher of milk. I saw the candy cane airplane land in it too. I stuck out my tongue and took a taste. Pretty good, I said to myself. Then I found an island of a really huge marshmallow, climbed up, curled up and fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning I saw around me on my marshmallow five presents, all to me. And in the distance I heard: Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Hope your holidays are as full of joy as Faith’s story. |
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June 2020
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