Christmas Eve

Our stockings several year's ago

Tonight is Christmas Eve. We usually wait until Christmas morning to open gifts. That means I have one more day to finish and wrap! And unfortunately, I have a lot to finish...

Agenda Today:
1. Prayer of Your Peace

2. Prayer journal queries
3. Read a novena

4. Make Danish Prune Bread

5. Hang our stockings with care

1. Prayer of Your Peace:

God, who is more than we can ever comprehend,
help us to seek you,
and you alone.
Help us to stand before all that we could do
and seek what you would do,
and do that.
Lift from us our need to achieve all that we can be
and instead,
surrender to what you can be in us.
Give us ways to refrain from the busyness
that will put us on edge and off center,
give us today your peace.

- Author Unknown

2. Prayer journal queries:

This week of advent my focus is the Guiding Light of God. My idea of God is Creation, Light, Love, and Mystery. Today I  shine the Light of Truth on my soul and ask:

What is truly my priority today? What can I set aside in order to create space for peace?

What can I do to inhabit the peace of Christmas?

From my journal: Today I have more errands to do than I'd like, bread to make, and one important gift to finish. But it's Christmas Eve; I will take it slow and funnel love and peace into every activity.

3. Read a novena:
I've been reading this Creation Novena from the Indian Catholic Matters site:

Day 9: A Prayer of Thanks for the Creator

Creator God, we give thanks for You—for your coming among us, and among all that you have created.

Thank You for the magnanimous gift of creation itself, which heralded the birth of Your Son, and to which You joined in the water, minerals, and living flesh of Jesus Christ. Thank You for every aspect of creation, as every bit of its goodness and order reveals You.

Thank You for the love that You manifest in creation. Pope Francis has said that “creation is of the order of love.” We thank You for the gift of Your love beyond measure, and we thank You for bestowing on us the gift to love in return.

Thank You for the sustenance, strength, and peace that Your creation gives us. Thank You for our place within the fabric You have woven. Thank You for the unique gifts bestowed on each of us, and especially for the gifts of resilience and beauty in our poorest sisters and brothers.

We ask that You increase our capacity to love, that You give us the resolve to love in deeds and not simply in words.

We pray this through the newborn Christ, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

4. Make Danish Prune Bread:

Christmas sweet bread is a tradition in most every country. Since I grew up in a Scandinavian-American town, I’m partial to this bread from Denmark. You can easily make the dough and filling in advance and shape it to bake fresh on Christmas morning.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 c. chilled unsalted butter 
• 3-1/2 c. flour 
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 c. warm water (105-115ºF) 
• 1/2 c. heavy cream 
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/4 c. sugar 
• 1 c. pitted prunes, packed 
• 1 c. sugar 
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 
• 1/2-tsp. vanilla 
• 1/2-tsp. cinnamon

Yield: 2 loaves-

1- Cut cold butter into chunks; combine with flour, and cut with a pastry blender until the butter is the size of kidney beans.

2- In another large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, cardamom, salt, eggs, and 1/4 c. sugar. Mix very lightly with a fork.

3- Turn flour and butter mixture into the yeast mixture and mix lightly with a fork or spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 days).

4- Filling: Put prunes, 1 c. sugar, and 1/4 c. of water into a saucepan. Heat and simmer until prunes are soft and plumped, and have absorbed most of the liquid. 

5- Puree in a blender, transfer to a bowl and stir in lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

6- You can finish this tonight, or on Christmas morning: Prepare a baking sheet with lightly buttered and floured parchment paper. Take dough out of the refrigerator, divide in 2 parts, and put half back. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Place on the baking sheet.

6- Spread half the prune filling down the length of the center of the dough. Cut strips along both sides with kitchen scissors. Fold strips over the filling in a crisscross manner.

7- Repeat for the other half of the dough and filling to make a second loaf.

8- Let rise 1 hour or more, just until the pastry appears puffy (it will not double.)

9- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.

5. Hang our stockings with care