The heart of Christmas for me is family. The Mosher family has always looked to the Holy Family as an inspiration, especially at Christmas, when we rejoice with Saint Joseph and the Blessed Mother over the birth of Our Savior.
Population Research Institute, founded by Father Paul Marx and my father, has been a part of my extended family ever since I can remember. I grew up traveling with my parents and siblings to conferences, where I helped man the book table and got to meet many of you! Its pro-life work is woven into my life, as deep as any tradition we have in my family. Our faith and beliefs were expressed as much in our work as they were in our home life. That I am now able to continue to participate in this life-saving work is a blessing.
Since you are part of our PRI family, let me give you a glimpse into what Christmas is like at the Moshers.
Christmas Day always began with Midnight Mass. My brothers were altar servers year after year, and for that Mass they dressed in red and white cassock and surplice. Mom and I would arrive an hour early at mass to claim an entire pew. There were ten of us to begin with, but that number grew as my older siblings married and came with their spouses and children. Until I was six or so, I couldn’t stay awake for the entire Mass and, after the final blessing, my dad would carry me out of the church to our family van.
When we got home from mass, we would gather round the Nativity set to place the Baby Jesus in his creche, which up to that point had been empty. As the youngest in our family, I never experienced the excitement of mom bringing home a new baby. But every year, as we celebrated the beauty of the incarnation, I felt the renewed excitement of Baby Jesus coming into the world.
We would then follow this with a toast before bed. All of us would get a small glass of what my mom calls “sweet dream milk.” (If you were wondering whether we’re on Team Eggnog or not… we definitely are.)
Christmas morning was magical. My parents had a rule that we couldn’t come into the kitchen until 8am. We woke early, and the wait for eight kids all brimming with the excitement of Christmas always felt like an eternity. But when we were finally allowed in, it was worth it.
My mom would be ready with the pancake batter, spruced up with vanilla extract and a hint of nutmeg, ready to make her famous Santa Pancakes. As each golden pancake came off the griddle, it would be given two chocolate chip eyes, a red cherry nose, and a whipped cream beard and hat.
The tradition of whimsical Santa Pancakes goes back to the beginning of my parents’ marriage. We have pictures of each of us ceremonially displaying our Santa Pancake every year going back to the 80s. Of course, I don’t show up in the pictures until the 2000s.
The traditions don’t end there. After a hearty breakfast, begun with a prayer of thanks, everyone received their Christmas stocking which had been “hung from the chimney with care.” These have been stuffed with various treats by Mom and Dad. But not everyone enjoys the same treats. So we engaged in a raucous round of “stock exchange” where we would trade our stocking candy in carefully crafted deals across the table. Typical Trade: “I’ll give you three Almond Joys for two Milky Ways.” “Make it four and it’s a deal.”
Then we moved into the Christmas Tree room, where our Christmas Tree topped with Angelica, our handmade angel tree topper, awaited us, almost brushing the ceiling. Piled around the base were presents, lots of presents.
Now Mom and Dad wanted all of us to remember the spirit of Christmas as we opened gifts, and so our family had a hard and fast rule. There would be no “feeding frenzy” around the Christmas Tree. Instead, Dad would hand out the presents one at a time. The rule was that each time you received a gift you had to sing the first verse of a Christmas carol before you were allowed to open it. And, after you opened it, you had to thank the person who gave you the gift.
There was one final rule: You were not allowed to repeat a Christmas carol. No exceptions.
During the opening rounds of present opening, it was easy to come up with a new carol. But as the rounds of presents progressed, it got harder and harder. At the end, some of us were reduced to singing a stanza from the Twelve Days of Christmas. Since there were twelve stanzas, that gave us twelve more carols that we could use to open presents.
When I first told my new husband—we were married this July—about wanting to continue this particular tradition, he was (I truly mean this) gob smacked. He hadn’t grown up in a musical family, but promised that he would try to carry a tune with our kids out of love for me.
So this Christmas, since you’re part of the extended PRI family you are welcome to the Mosher Family traditions. Try singing the verse of a carol for each of your presents (it’s harder than it sounds!) or make some Santa Pancakes for breakfast! All you need is your favorite pancake recipe, chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, and a whole lot of whip cream.
Know that, this Christmas Eve, the Mosher family will be praying for all members of our PRI family around the world. We will beg the intercession of the Holy Family to bless and protect you and yours during the coming year.
As we welcome Christ into our hearts once again, we are blessed to be able to share this holiday with you.
Merry Christmas,
Chiara McKenna
