For sure, I will pray for Paul Kim’s child. I have a great granddaughter, Emilia Schmidt, who turned 5 in September, one of a set of twins. Her mother recently rushed her to the Emergency Room because Emelia was experiencing severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis was that she has experienced a pseudoblastoma, which is a tumor that sometimes occurs in children her age. Subsequent diagnosis revealed that it is cancerous, but not aggressive. Emmy, as we call her, will begin chemotherapy sometime after Christmas. We ask for prayers for her and her family.
JD’s post was an unexpected gift. I had the impression from reading Ed’s Friday post that there would be no Pillar posts this week because of Christmas. Thanks, JD!
Pistachios in the stocking is crazy. You seem aware of the gigantic mess, yet you recommend them anyway. I suspect that the pistachios are a prank you’re playing on all of us.
It used to be mixed in-shell nuts for my childhood, and I loved it. The Brazil nuts and whatever the small round ones were (hazelnut? chestnut?) were an impossible match for the silver crackers and had to be smashed under the legs of the kitchen chairs. Grocery stores used to put out big cardboard bins of the mixed nuts. I miss that.
Wow! We just somehow cracked the hazelnuts with the silver crackers anyhow (all things are possible with God but probably more possible with God AND kitchen chairs)
My Irish-born Mother came to the United States at age 16 in 1926. She told me about a Christmas when she was a little girl. Her Christmas gift was an orange. One orange. She was thrilled. Most people in County Monaghan had never seen an orange. So my mom kept it for as long as she could. She even slept with it, enjoying the sweet smell until it last she ate it. She said it was one of the best Christmases ever.
My Irish born grandmother came to the U.S. back in the 1880"s and reading your comment I now realize that the oranges my brothers, sisters and I found every Christmas in the toe of our stockings must have been an Irish thing. Sometime after the war my parents dispensed with the tradition as fruit became more available.
Brandies Alexander: the official drink of the Pillar
JD: apparently not getting the new baseball glove after home repair bills…
I also like dark chocolate. Kids do not. I shall now start putting dark chocolate in their stockings—thanks for the pro tip.
Our archbishop in KCKS recently stepped down from some boards he was on. I thought it was due to time pressures, but now I wonder if he heard about the lawsuit.
Merry, Merry Christmas to all of you at the Pillar and thank you for what you do, Merry Christmas to all of you Pillar readers and God bless all of you, Holy Mother Church and Pope Leo. May the peace of Christmas be with always.
My Swiss mother raised me right, and I prefer dark chocolate above ALL other chocolates. As an adult, I discovered the bonus that dark chocolate and bold red wine is a pairing from God.
JD, how did you know the contents of every Christmas stocking my parents ever stocked for me?! This brought back fond memories. And made me realize we haven't thought about the stockings yet :D
Dear JD, having gone to Catholic School in Hershey Pa, which did not have air conditioning, our windows would be open on warm days, and we could smell the peanuts roasting at the Reese’s Plant… on other days, the milk chocolate from the Hershey Factory…
Thus, my addiction (which is why I spit out my pasta when I read the word “crack”) to the Reese’s Tree. 🎄♥️
Great reflection. Here's a Christmas prayer for which I am grateful. https://catholicphilly.com/2020/12/commentaries/a-christmas-prayer-of-the-imagination-to-hold-the-baby-jesus/
Yes,He is coming. Let’s not keep Him out of the Catholic school system by charging student fees which the poor cannot afford.
One subscription gifted. Merry Christmas to all who work for the Pillar. You have been a true gift to me.
thank you!
For sure, I will pray for Paul Kim’s child. I have a great granddaughter, Emilia Schmidt, who turned 5 in September, one of a set of twins. Her mother recently rushed her to the Emergency Room because Emelia was experiencing severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis was that she has experienced a pseudoblastoma, which is a tumor that sometimes occurs in children her age. Subsequent diagnosis revealed that it is cancerous, but not aggressive. Emmy, as we call her, will begin chemotherapy sometime after Christmas. We ask for prayers for her and her family.
of course!
I have prayed for Emmy, Mr. Kim’s child, and all concerned families and treatment teams. ❤️
JD’s post was an unexpected gift. I had the impression from reading Ed’s Friday post that there would be no Pillar posts this week because of Christmas. Thanks, JD!
well, I thought maybe people would need guidance on stockings.
Pistachios in the stocking is crazy. You seem aware of the gigantic mess, yet you recommend them anyway. I suspect that the pistachios are a prank you’re playing on all of us.
Pistachios in the stocking is a time-honored Christmas tradition.
Not part of my family's tradition, but they are often about the house. :-)
It used to be mixed in-shell nuts for my childhood, and I loved it. The Brazil nuts and whatever the small round ones were (hazelnut? chestnut?) were an impossible match for the silver crackers and had to be smashed under the legs of the kitchen chairs. Grocery stores used to put out big cardboard bins of the mixed nuts. I miss that.
> smashed under the legs of the kitchen chairs
Wow! We just somehow cracked the hazelnuts with the silver crackers anyhow (all things are possible with God but probably more possible with God AND kitchen chairs)
I am from the south, so we were very accustomed to the ease of cracking pecans. Anything more substantial was confounding haha.
“Please don’t forget to empty the dishwasher.” You had me laughing so hard I could hardly breathe! Thanks for all you do - love The Pillar!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Happy Christmas! :-)
(almost)
My Irish-born Mother came to the United States at age 16 in 1926. She told me about a Christmas when she was a little girl. Her Christmas gift was an orange. One orange. She was thrilled. Most people in County Monaghan had never seen an orange. So my mom kept it for as long as she could. She even slept with it, enjoying the sweet smell until it last she ate it. She said it was one of the best Christmases ever.
My Irish born grandmother came to the U.S. back in the 1880"s and reading your comment I now realize that the oranges my brothers, sisters and I found every Christmas in the toe of our stockings must have been an Irish thing. Sometime after the war my parents dispensed with the tradition as fruit became more available.
Brandies Alexander: the official drink of the Pillar
JD: apparently not getting the new baseball glove after home repair bills…
I also like dark chocolate. Kids do not. I shall now start putting dark chocolate in their stockings—thanks for the pro tip.
Our archbishop in KCKS recently stepped down from some boards he was on. I thought it was due to time pressures, but now I wonder if he heard about the lawsuit.
Thank you for all the hard work of this year, and for the Erik Varden quotes in this issue - absolutely spot on.
May St Nicholas throw many chocolate subscribers down your chimney in 2026.
Excellent Christmas post JD. We had oranges and eventually someone ate them. Same with the gold coins. Chocolate is chocolate even when last chosen.
God bless you and your family.
Merry, Merry Christmas to all of you at the Pillar and thank you for what you do, Merry Christmas to all of you Pillar readers and God bless all of you, Holy Mother Church and Pope Leo. May the peace of Christmas be with always.
My Swiss mother raised me right, and I prefer dark chocolate above ALL other chocolates. As an adult, I discovered the bonus that dark chocolate and bold red wine is a pairing from God.
JD, how did you know the contents of every Christmas stocking my parents ever stocked for me?! This brought back fond memories. And made me realize we haven't thought about the stockings yet :D
Prayers for Micah Kim and his family...
Best wishes for the Christmas season to both Ed and JD and their families! Thank you for all you do for your readers and the Church.
Dear JD, having gone to Catholic School in Hershey Pa, which did not have air conditioning, our windows would be open on warm days, and we could smell the peanuts roasting at the Reese’s Plant… on other days, the milk chocolate from the Hershey Factory…
Thus, my addiction (which is why I spit out my pasta when I read the word “crack”) to the Reese’s Tree. 🎄♥️