The best Christmas gift of all...

... is togetherness.

Meeting Santa for a sandwich

Chris and Stephanie met Santa and Mrs. Claus when the famous couple stopped by a Chick-fil-a restaurant in the Columbus, Ohio, area.

Cathy has posted some more scenes of Christmas in Columbus in our Picasa album. Click here to see.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours

Holiday spirit at choral concert

Christine and her singing schoolmates presented the winter choral concert at SPFHS on Tuesday.

Below is a brief video clip from a tune called "Way Down in Bethlehem."

California update: Dan completes degree

Dan last week finished his classes and exams, and has now earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from San Jose State University. He will likely return to SJSU in the fall of 2011 as a graduate student and teaching assistant, but plans to explore other options in the meantime.

Services held for Daniel

Family and friends gathered Monday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Yonkers for a Mass of Christian Burial for Daniel, who died Dec. 15.

The family's long-time pastor, now retired, Msgr. John Gallagher, celebrated the Mass. Burial followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.

Daniel's sons and daughter were deeply touched by the outpouring of love and prayers from relatives and friends during their dad's brief illness and in the days since his passing.

Please visit our page dedicated to Daniel

Shanna will be student-teaching close to home

Shanna has received her student-teaching assignment for the coming semester -- and it couldn't be more convenient. She'll be working with a kindergarten teacher at Yonkers P.S. 21, right in her home neighborhood. This student-teaching term is the final requirement for the master's degree she will receive from Mercy College.

Doug & Lisa returning from the West

Doug and Lisa spent one more weekend hiking in the West, visiting Coyote Buttes, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges and Arches on Dec. 3-4-5. They're scheduled to return to Maryland on Dec. 19. Doug has wrapped up his work on a design-build highway project near Las Vegas. His next assignment may be in Florida.

In memory of Daniel (Updated with arrangements)

The family is saddened by the passing of Daniel, devoted husband of Lorraine, loving father of Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin, beloved grandfather of Marie, Dan, Genevieve, Vivien, Patrick, Shanna, Kevin, Christine and Andy and great-grandfather of Xander.

After a brief illness, Daniel died peacefully Wednesday at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, with his children beside him. Over the previous several days he had received many visits and calls expressing the love of his family members and close friends. He spoke with gratitude of the wonderful life he'd lived, and spoke with joy of his deep love for his wife and family. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.

UPDATE: Calling hours will be at Flynn Memorial Home, 1652 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers, on Sunday from 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. (Directions here.) A Mass of Christian Burial will take place Monday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m., at St. Paul the Apostle Church. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

Visit our page dedicated to Daniel's memory

Signs of Christmas are appearing

It's coming... And here's an early look: Shanna provides this photo of the Christmas tree at her family's house. Ho ho ho!

Thanksgiving gathering at Riderwood

Doug and Lisa returned from Las Vegas to host a Thanksgiving weekend gathering at the homestead in Maryland. They had a good turnout from both sides of their family, as Lisa's three siblings, Doug's two siblings and parents were there along with spouses and children. There was much feasting, conversation and game-playing, along with a clarinet performance by Stephanie and an appearance by Nappy the pet rat. Good times.

For a brief time, all of Hugh and Dolores' grandchildren were in the house. Liz was home from RPI, Becky from RIT, Andy and Christine were down from New Jersey and Stephanie and Christopher were in from Ohio.

Hugh and Dolores share some time with their three children, Julie, Doug and Cathy

Just one of the games played over the weekend. Joining Andy, Christine, Liz and Becky are their friends Ashley and Nathan.

Nappy the pet rat got to come out of her cage and join the party for a while.

Doug and Lisa expect to be moving back to Maryland during December, as Doug finishes his work on a Nevada highway project. His next assignment may involve frequent flying to Florida.

Thanksgiving gathering in Yonkers

The holiday season is under way! Please share your stories and photos of Thanksgiving and other family gatherings.

Click the image for a larger view

On Thanksgiving evening Daniel and Lorraine hosted a crowd of 15 children, grandchildren and spouses for coffee and dessert at the Yonkers homestead.

Kathy and Ted were there with Patrick, Vivien (home from Cornell) and Genevieve and John (in from California). They were joined by Brien, Kevin and Kathy, Shanna, Kevin, Dan and Julie, Christine and Andy.

There was lots of great conversation and catching-up - and lots of cookies and pie.

We look forward to getting more photos from this and all the other holiday gatherings this weekend. Remember you can e-mail to birchstreetweb@gmail.com -- or upload photos directly to our Picasa site. Let's all keep in touch!

Best wishes to all for Thanksgiving

Here's hoping everyone in our extended family has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

May there be bounteous food, joyful reunions, cheerful conversation... and pie!







Please let us know how your holiday goes! Send a few words, photos, links to photos or anything you care to share to the Birch Street Web. Thanks for keeping in touch!

Xander and the Big Boy Bicycle

Now that he's four years old, Xander's ready to ride.

Here he shows off his new bicycle, and gets some lessons from Dad.

How long 'til the training wheels come off? Here's betting it won't be very long.

Fordham Prep's great season comes to an end

Congratulations to Pat and his Fordham Prep soccer teammates on their excellent season.

The Rams, with Pat as starting goalkeeper, finished with a 14-2-3 record and the NY Archdiocesan Class A title.

In 15 regular season games, the Rams won 11 and lost just one with three ties. Pat and the Fordham defense allowed only 5 goals while notching 10 shutouts.

In the post-season, Fordham Prep played both Iona and Molloy to draws and then won those games on penalty kicks. Under the peculiar CHSAA playoff system, despite defeating Iona for the Archdiocesan title, the Rams ended up facing the Gaels again in the intersectional final. In that game, Nov. 7 at St. John's University, Iona turned the tables by scoring one goal in the first half and then holding off Fordham to win 1-0.

As the Journal-News web site LoHud.com reported, Iona's goal came "after a defensive lapse in the box. But the senior keeper from Scarsdale had a terrific second half to keep the Rams in the neighborhood."

“I tried to do my part,” Pat was quoted as saying. “We played strong at the end. We put a lot of chances there. The ball didn’t roll our way. … It’s tough. We played well. They played a great game.”

READ THE PRESS CLIPPINGS

We've collected some of the coverage of the season from the New York Post and the Journal-News/LoHud.com. Check it out!

Brennan is engaged! Proposed before entering USMC

Brennan has taken two big steps recently: He has enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps - and is engaged to be married.

Brennan on the basketball court earlier this year.
He graduated from Saratoga Springs High School in June.

His grandmother, Pat, writes: "Brennan was supposed to leave for boot camp on Halloween. They called him up a week earlier so he left on Sunday the 24th of October. Luckily we had a farewell Halloween - Thanksgiving - Birthday - Christmas - New Year's Party for him a week earlier.

"His last night home he proposed to his longtime (since 7th grade)
girlfriend Shauna Rae -- and she said YES!"

A wedding is being planned for late January.

Patrick is NYPost's "Athlete of the Week"

As Fordham Prep advanced to the final in the New York Catholic high school soccer playoffs, the New York Post selected Pat as its high school "Athlete of the Week."

"In two tension-filled shootouts in less than a week, the Fordham Prep goalkeeper has come up huge, helping lift the Rams to their first CHSAA Archdiocesan title since 2007 and into the Class A intersectional final for the fourth time in five years," the Post's Dylan Butler wrote.

In its semi-final game on Tuesday night, Fordham Prep played Archbishop Molloy to a 1-1 draw, then came out ahead 4-3 on penalty kicks.

Fordham Prep will face Iona Prep in the final on Sunday at St. John’s University. Iona upset St. Francis Prep in their semi-final - which was also decided on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.

NY Post coverage of Pat and his team:
Oct. 28: League championship game
Nov. 3: Fordham Prep wins tournament semifinal
Nov. 3: Pat is Athlete of the Week

Share your Halloween stories and photos (Updated 11/1)

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Here's Christopher the hippie and Stephanie the fire wizard.

Below is Batman Xander.

Here, courtesy of Hugh, is a Halloween weekend view from Garrett County, Maryland - where the trees are already bare. "Autumn's glory has departed, but the glory of a sunset remains," Hugh writes.