The festivities started with decorating the community Christmas tree after dinner on the 17th of December. It was the first time we had a Christmas tree that was not cut from our own property. All of our trees have grown too large. This year a beautiful Frazier fir was provided by Mulhall’s Nursery. On this occasion we also celebrated Bro. August’s birthday.

Decorating the chapel began the Saturday before Christmas and as always it was expertly directed by Bro Jerome. Fr. John provided abundant greenery harvested from the Mount Michael grounds while Bro Luke and Bro. Joseph also provided helping hands.

Christmas Eve dinner featured the traditional oyster stew, chili, various side dishes and the “first” servings of Christmas sweets. The 8 pm Christmas Vigil was well attended with a near capacity crowd with very few open seats. Afterwards guests gathered with the monks in the school dinning room for punch and cookies. It was nice to visit with our many friends and catch up on happenings in each others lives.

On Christmas morning, the monks who do not have a parish assignment are treated to sleeping in a bit with morning prayer not being held until 9 AM! A wonderful brunch was served afterward to begin the day. At 11 AM we had Christmas Day mass attended by the monks and about 2 dozen guests.

Christmas afternoon is a quiet time at the Abbey as people take naps, read, visit family members who live in the area, and perhaps do some last minute wrapping of gifts. Throughout the afternoon Santa’s elves drop off gifts beneath the Christmas tree in the abbey’s community room.

After 5 PM Vespers the monks gather in the community room for appetizers followed by dinner. After dishes were washed and the dinning room cleaned up the community once again gathered around the tree in the community room for a gift exchange. Clothing, books, and gift cards were particularly popular this year. Among some of the more humorous gifts were Fr. Michael’s traditional Husker gear (He’s a Kansan) He has more Nebraska sweat shirts than the rest the abbey combined! He also received a special “Judge Judy” outfit in honor of serving on a jury this past summer. Bro Mel also received a George Bush calendar. (He is a mildly discontent Democrat)