December 2018
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CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS FROM MY CHILDHOOD TO NOW
How I celebrate Christmas with my wife, Carrie, and daughter, Addy, is both different and similar to how I experienced the holidays growing up. Most of what we do for the holiday now centers on long-held family traditions that we keep alive, but plenty of our Christmas festivities are new. We moved into a bigger house this summer, and it’ll be our first year celebrating Christmas in the new place. Addy is really excited about the whole thing, from hanging decorations to setting up our tree. This year, we’re putting our Christmas tree on the second floor, which is similar to a balcony, and she is excited for this fresh arrangement. Addy’s also been busy writing letters and sending packages to Santa Claus over the past couple of months. I had a chance to look at one of the letters she wrote. In it, she asks Santa to make sure he remembers to bring presents to the neighbors across the way. It really warmed my heart that she’s compassionate and cares so much for other people at such a young age.
One thing that remains from my childhood that I incorporate with Addy is to make sure that she has the best Christmas experience every year. I was raised with my parents making a huge effort to ensure that we kids had a great time, whether it was going out to visit family, sitting down for dinner, or opening gifts. Christmas was a pretty big holiday for my family. We have a large family, and for Christmas Day, we’d go to both my grandparents’ houses. One celebration had a lot of cousins present, and my mom and one cousin always made a big deal of making the festivities special for everyone. They made sure that we all had stockings and presents, including the adults. Making us each feel special and included was important for them during the holiday celebration. On Christmas Day, my brother and I would get up in the morning and run to the tree. Mom would have been working all night doing everything she could to make sure we had the full experience. We even had a traditional brick fireplace and stockings; it was very Norman Rockwell. This is also different from how things
are done now with Addy. Carrie and I do our best to make sure she has a great time, but there are always a lot of hectic, last-minute things we do. I usually throw things together the night before. It’s definitely not as structured as my mother did it. One tradition that has continued from when I was growing up is spending time with family. On Christmas morning when I was a kid, we’d open all our gifts from Santa, then we’d visit each of our grandparents’ houses to have lunch and dinner with everyone. This is where all our relatives would come and visit each other. Today, Addy gets up early, and the first thing she does is run to see what’s under the tree, much like how I used to do. At lunchtime, we go to Carrie’s folks’ house for a good-sized meal, and then we head to my mom’s house for a large family dinner. For our Christmas dinners, my brother likes to make interesting dishes that aren’t really what you’d find at a traditional holiday meal. One year, he made a rack of lamb complete with cutlet frills at the end of each bone. Both he and my mom come up with a recipe each year, and I’m looking forward to the end of the month to see what they’ll do this year. From each of us at Compton Law, we wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays! May you honor old traditions and make fresh ones with your loved ones this season. –Dustin L. Compton
“CARRIE AND I DO OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE SHE HAS A GREAT TIME, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS A LOT OF HECTIC, LAST-MINUTE THINGS WE DO. I USUALLY THROW THINGS TOGETHER THE NIGHT BEFORE. IT’S DEFINITELY NOT AS STRUCTURED AS MY MOTHER DID IT.”
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3 WAYS TO USE LEFTOVER CANDY DURING THE OH-SO-SWEET HOLIDAY SEASON
Sometimes we get a little too much of the sweet stuff. Between Halloween and New Year’s Day, candy is everywhere. It’s at home, at work, and on store shelves. Then, as the year comes to an end, many people start thinking about eating right and losing weight. When those are your New Year’s resolutions, you have to do something about all the leftover candy so it’s not around come Jan. 1.
donating wrapped and packaged candy to your local food bank or other nonprofits, including local homeless or women’s shelters. You can also look into donating candy to nearby schools. Many teachers will gladly take candy off your hands to reward students (or themselves) with treats throughout the rest of the school year. Bake with it. Whether you have an excess of candy corn or candy bars, you can bake with your sweet leftovers. The next time you make chocolate chip cookies, swap out the chocolate chips for candy corn. Or the next time you make brownies, chop up leftover
candy bars and add them to the batter. From peanut butter cups to mint patties, there are so many different types of candies that can take traditional baked goods to the next level. Store it. Although not great for you, candy is fine to eat in moderation. A good way to moderate your holiday treat intake is to store your leftover sweets in the freezer. That way, you can pull a little from your supply each month to make sure you aren’t overdoing it. That said, be sure to check the expiration dates on all candy you save.
Here are a few ways to get rid of your leftover candy ASAP.
Donate it. While you may have an abundance of sweets, not everyone does. Consider
TESTIMONIALS THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS!
Our clients were once scared, but now they have the closure they need to move on. Here are a few testimonials from people we helped through troubling times. Thank you for these kind words.
“Mr. Compton is very professional and always responds quickly to questions and concerns! I’m so glad he is going to be local now.”
“I’ve hired several lawyers in the past, and now that I have Mr. Compton, I don’t want to lose him. He is the only lawyer I can trust. He has earned my trust.”
“I was in a much better position after I read some free articles. I have been able to handle a few matters without an attorney. Thank you, Compton Law.”
“This is an awesome law firm, staffed with very helpful and courteous individuals. My whole experience was stress-free, and I felt confident that I had the right people on my side. I felt like they had my best interests in mind and didn’t just see me as a client. This law firm was there for me, and I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a top-notch law firm that wants to help people.”
–Kendra K.
–Bill H.
–Michael
“We have used Dustin for several issues, including advice for our family-owned business. He is knowledgeable and helpful in every instance! I highly recommend him!”
–Victor S.
–Chris
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TECHNOLOGY FOR YOUR DIVORCE AND CUSTODY CASE
HELPFUL APPS TO REDUCE STRESS
KIDGANIZER This app is designed for people who struggle talking face-to-face, have time constraints, or involve other caregivers in parenting decisions, such as grandparents, nannies, or babysitters. The app provides a central location where everyone can communicate, make schedules, and add notes about each child. Kidganizer comes with a simple $1.99 fee to download. TALKING PARENTS The function of Talking Parents is to help ensure that written communication isn’t edited, deleted, or altered, which means both parents will have the same verified records. The app also logs the date and time of each message and shows when the latest message was viewed. Talking Parents is a free app, though for $4.99 monthly you can remove adds, and for an additional fee, transcripts of conversations can be exported. At Compton Law, we understand that divorce and child custody proceedings are stressful events that require a clear head and thorough communication. If you need help understanding Oklahoma family law, call our offices today.
Co-parenting can be difficult in the best of times, but during a divorce, it may be overwhelming. In addition to going through a painful divorce and custody proceedings, parents still have to find time to continue regular parenting duties. It’s important for parents to keep communication channels open, as this helps them stay organized, ensures the kids remain cared for, and furnishes the court with information and evidence on request. It’s crucial for the best interests of the children involved that their parents continue to co-parent effectively. Although many people try to keep tasks structured through texts and emails, there are now divorce-specific apps that help make communication more manageable. OUR FAMILY WIZARD (OFW) OFW is the most popular app for divorcing or divorced couples. The app facilitates messaging and offers a slew of tools, helping parents track expenses, make reimbursements, put together schedules, and post notes. It also comes with a feature called ToneMeter, which autocorrects the tone used throughout each message sent. The app is designed to flag sentences, phrases, and words that project confrontation and anger, which can be quickly edited and modified. OFW comes with a basic subscription fee of $99 a year per parent.
MEME ME
HOLIDAY ROAST PRIME RIB
INSTRUCTIONS
INGREDIENTS
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1 bone-in prime rib (6–7 pounds) 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1. 30 minutes before cooking, remove roast from fridge and let sit until it reaches room temperature. 2. Heat oven to 350 F. 3. Make small slits in prime rib and stuff with slices of garlic. Liberally season with salt and pepper. 4. Place a rack inside a roasting pan and roast prime rib for 2 hours, until medium-rare. 5. To make au jus, place roasting pan with drippings from roast over 2 burners on high. Add wine and scrape pan as liquid reduces. Add beef stock and cook until reduced by half. Finally, sprinkle in thyme. 6. Slice roast and serve topped with au jus.
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2 cups red wine
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4 cups beef stock
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1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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Inspired by Food Network
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1
Old and New Traditions
2
The Best Ways to Use Leftover Candy
Hear From Satisfied Clients
3
Tech That Can Help Divorced Parents
Holiday Roast Prime Rib
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The History of the 3 Wise Men
The story of the three wise men visiting Jesus is a focal point in the Judeo- Christian telling of the birth of the Christ. Their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh demonstrate reverence for the child through symbolism: Gold symbolized kingship; frankincense was commonly burned in temples and represented the spiritual stature that Jesus would hold; and myrrh was used in preparing bodies for burial, foreshadowing his eventual crucifixion. While the Magi’s role in the birth of Jesus is well-known, not much is understood about the men themselves and their connection to the baby in the manger. Historically known as Magi, the three “wise men” are known for their study of the stars. The Magi were some of the earliest astrologers. Until the 17th century, astrology and astronomy weren’t separate fields of study. Astrology included both the WISE MEN OR SORCERERS?
study of how the stars and planets affect human life and the position and motion of the cosmic activity. In the Persian Empire, Magi were known as astrologer- priests, delineating the fate of men they saw written in the stars. But while they are known for interpreting the significance of planetary movements for human life, many historians suggest there could have been more to their jobs than astrology. “Magi” comes from the Greek word “magos,” which means magic. Early interpretations of magos include alchemy and sorcery along with astronomy. Speculations swirl among many biblical scholars about the true nature of the Magi, as some tellings portray them as illusionists or fortune-tellers.
knowledge, they had stature and wealth that allowed them to bestow gifts upon those they deemed important. The act of giving presents to a child wasn’t a regular practice for the Magi, and thus the event was significant for the time. While only three Magi are portrayed in the familiar nativity story, the real event would have included many servants. As a matter of fact, the Bible never mentions the number of Magi who visited Jesus, leaving interpretations open as to how many Magi traveled to Bethlehem. In the early seventh century, the Magi were pushed to the outer rims of Africa and India due to the rising popularity of Islam. Since someone could only be considered Magi by birth, it is widely accepted that the line of succession eventually ended, and the Magi faded into history.
In a cultural context, the Magi were revered across the Middle East. Along with their
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