“If I had more time, I’d write a shorter letter.” - Blaise Pascal
Family Christmas
Gifts!
Family is important. My family Christmastime includes many traditions, as well as newer routines. Now that my youngest sister is married and living far away, we have to share her, every other year, with her other family in Australia. The years we get to have her and her husband are even more sacred now. This year it is our turn to have the Wilkinsons.
I have looked forward to this Christmas since last year’s celebration. Though last year was special, it is distinctly precious having the entire family together for the holidays. I believe we all feel this way, our feelings being shaped by the fact that our dad has been missing from Christmas since his death in 1992, meaning that we only had nine years of Christmases with all four of us kids (Tandy was born in September 1983) and mom and dad together. Not enough.
Since 1992, we have celebrated Christmas very similarly to how we did before, but some traditions have changed, and some new things added. Over the years, new family members have been added due to marriage and children coming. These events bring their own changes to traditions.
Our traditions include gifts, of course. We also have our favorite foods and desserts. For me, Christmas is almost incomplete unless I have had some pecan pie. It is customary for us to wake up (early) Christmas morning and open our gifts, still in our pajamas. As children, we were allowed to open one small gift on Christmas Eve, to tide us over until morning. These days, we may watch a movie together – those of us who aren’t still frantically wrapping gifts – and eat finger foods, including shrimp, Lit’l Smokies®, crackers and cheese, or this year, even brats. Christmas day, we have a traditional type dinner with turkey or ham (or both sometimes), potatoes and gravy, noodles, corn, green beans or green bean casserole, dinner rolls, fruit salad, and depending on who else may come for dinner, loads of menu items more. The desserts mom makes every year are pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon rolls, but if other guests come for dinner, we may have an entire side table of desserts.
A new “after Christmas” tradition we enjoy is sledding. If there is snow, we have started to have a sledding day, which is captured on video so that we may enjoy it on DVD next year when we are together as a family. We love to laugh at ourselves, and it isn’t hard with all of our antics on the sled slope.
Another new family activity is playing the Wii. I don’t know if other families get as many belly laughs out of competing against, and watching each other play, but we are sold on the entertainment value of “group Wii”. This year we have added Wii Sports Resort to the mix. Very entertaining.
This year, we are starting what could become another tradition. We are going to have a New Year’s Eve party, including lots of games, music, finger foods, and good friends and family. This party will be the culmination of my sister’s visit to Missouri, and it will be 2011 before we get to have her for Christmas again.
I have taken some photos and video of the family, in expectation of putting them together for another installment to our Christmas video. Putting together a video of the preceding year’s events has become my new tradition and gift to the family. I collect photos and video from any event we do as a family, and highlight our laughs and experiences to show at Christmastime. It is these experiences that strengthen our bond as a family.
What traditions does your family have. I would love to read about them in the comments section below.
Marilyn Murphy
Marilyn Murphy
As a college Freshman, I lived at home. My first year of living with housemates was Sophomore year. Friday, February 26, the day before my 41st birthday, I learned one of my housemates, a dear fraternity sister, and friend passed away after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer. I had wonderful housemates. I miss you Marilyn.
Marilyn was a Senior the year I moved into the house with her, Monica, and Karen. I looked up to all of them. They were all bright, talented, and fun to be around. As fraternity sisters in Sigma Alpha Iota, Marilyn, Monica, and I were together often for functions within the fraternity, but perhaps most of our bonding time as housemates came while in the little living room on the second floor of 609 S. High.
Sitting on our plaid couch, we watched Bill Clinton play his saxophone, and we all knew he would be the coolest president ever (that was then). Our house was the hosting place of many band lectures. Our lectures were always very well attended, and for a bratty underclassman like me, that meant a wonderful opportunity to experience traditions of all kinds. Enough said.
A few things I learned from Marilyn stand out. She introduced me to the music of Boston (I was sheltered!), and I still think of her when I hear More Than A Feeling. It was Marilyn who decided to improve our living room walls by checking out different works of art from the campus library, (NMSU, now Truman State) and telling us what they were and who painted them. I can still see the Degas hanging in our cheaply-decorated living room, and I never see it without thinking of her. The only thing I brought to the mix was a music stand and the TV. Marilyn seemed to have a spirit “self-improvement”. She not only worked hard at maintaining her own appearance, but the appearance of our little apartment. I think she really enjoyed helping others learn and grow. If she was stretching or exercising in the living room floor, she was explaining what she was doing and why.
In the empty lot next to our house was where we sometimes sunbathed. Other college students sometimes used “our” lot. On one such occasion, the kids were playing a ball game, and blaring their music loudly. Obnoxious! I don’t remember who’s idea it was for sure, but we decided to play some opera music – very loud opera music – out our window to show our disapproval of their use of “our” lot and their loud music. I still laugh when I think of it.
At the end of that school year, Marilyn graduated. We all moved from “The Aquarium”. Marilyn went on to graduate school. All of us eventually lost touch. Within the last couple of years, through FaceBook, Monica and I have reconnected, as well as Karen. This summer, Monica and Marilyn got together. While at Monica’s house, the two of them called me, and we got to talk and reminisce just a little. I had hoped that one day, we could all get together in Kirksville and have a reunion. God had other plans, and to them we must submit. Though I haven’t seen her in years, Marilyn is still an influence in my life through all I learned while living on the corner of Normal and High.
Marilyn Elizabeth Murphy
Friday, March 5, 2010
6:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Winfield-Evans-McCleery Funeral Home
202 E. Washington
Knoxville, IA 50138
Service:
Saturday, March 6, 2010
11:00 AM
Collins Christian Church
Collins, IA 50055
After college Marilyn joined the Peace Corps and lived in Guatemala helping families for three years. She moved to Des Moines and worked for Latino Affairs. After two years she moved to Ecuador. She lived in Ecuador for five years helping the Peace Corp. Since 2005 Marilyn has been working for Heifer International and she was also a certified Yoga instructor. Marilyn was currently in the process of moving to Ames, Iowa.
Marilyn passed away on Friday, February 26, 2010 at her sister’s home in Ames at the age of 42 years, six months, and 15 days.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents Paul and Hannah Murphy, and her grandfather, Paul Vander Linden.
Marilyn is survived by her parents, John and Carolyn Murphy of Knoxville; grandmother, Betty Vander Linden of Ames; one brother, Patrick (CeAnn) Murphy of Juneau, Alaska; and one sister, Dianna (Dan) Jordan of Ames. Marilyn is also survived by three nephews, Craig, Nicholas, and Joseph Jordan.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, March 6th, at Collins Christian Church of Collins, Iowa, with Pastor Scott Jones officiating. A private family burial will be held at Little Flock Cemetery in rural Knoxville at a later date.
A celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M., Friday, March 5th, at the Winfield-Evans-McCleery Funeral Home in Knoxville. A rosary, will be led at 6:00 P.M., also on Friday at the funeral home. Marilyn’s family will greet friends from 6:30 P.M., until 9:00 P.M.
A Memorial have been established to the Peace Corp. partnership program concerning Guatemala and Ecuador, orps.gov, or to the Young Survivors coalition, www.youngsurvival.org\donate.