goblet gob-let /  gŏb-lĭt noun 1. a vessel with a foot and a stem, used for drinking Those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 1940 – 2. (archaic) a bowl shaped utensil, without handles, used for drinking

rejoice re-joice / rĭ-jois verb 1. to feel joyful and happy He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.  Epictetus, 55 – c. 135 2. (archaic) to make glad or joyful She is a girl who rejoices my heart, and, please God, she will rejoice it yet more.  From “Under the Willow... Read More

blessed bless-ed / blĕs-ĭd   adjective 1. worthy of or regarded with profound adoration, devotion, or worship Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurled, and still their heavenly music floats o’er all the weary world; above its sad and lowly plains, they bend on hovering wing, and ever o’er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing. Lyrics from “It Came Upon the Midnight... Read More

package pack-age / păk-ĭj   noun 1. something packed, wrapped up, or tied together; a parcel When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package.  John Ruskin, 1819 – 1900   2. a container or other such wrapping into which something is placed to store, transport or sell The best things come in small packages. Latin Proverb   3. a group of components... Read More

Scrooge or scrooge scrooge / skro͞oj   noun 1. one who is miserly, stingy or selfish Within one’s own family, money is not the measure of things, unless the person is an absolute Scrooge. Margaret Atwood, 1939 –   etymology From the made-up name of the tightfisted, hardhearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ novel “A Christmas Carol”, perhaps inspired by the British dialect... Read More

jolly jol-ly / jŏl-ē adjective 1.  merry; full of good spirits The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. George Carlin, 1937 – 2008 2. exhibiting or causing a feeling of good cheer; festive Have a holly, jolly Christmas; And when you walk down the street Say Hello to friends you know and everyone you meet Lyrics from “A... Read More

tinsel tin-sel /  tĭn-səl   adjective 1.  decorated with or made from sparkly strips or threads Overhead, on the topmost branch, the waxen Christmas angel with tinsel wings hovered over this family gathering. From “A German Pompadour” by Marie Hay, 1873 – 1938   2. gaudy and cheap looking; showy but worthless Unsustainable growth churns out tinsel products that consumers have to be seduced into buying... Read More

thankfulness thank-ful-ness / thăngk-fəl-nəs noun 1. a feeling of gratitude and appreciation; gratefulness . . . a basic law: the more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.  Norman Vincent Peale, 1898 – 1993 etymology A combination of the English verb thank, which is derived from the Anglo-Saxon verb thankian (thank) through the Middle English verb thankien of the same meaning, the English adjectival suffix -ful (full of),... Read More

gather gath-er / găth-ər   noun 1. the act of drawing or bringing together Curly knew the story of how in one drive he had made a gather of outlaws that had brought fame to him. From “Crooked Trails and Straight” by William MacLeod Raine, 1871 – 1954           2. something that has been brought together Since knits tend to get really tight and fitted across the bodice,... Read More

host host / hōst noun 1. one who entertains guests A merry host makes merry guests.  Dutch Proverb 2. one who is an emcee or moderator for a broadcast program I cannot sing, dance or act; what else would I be but a talk show host. David Letterman, 1947 – 3. one who runs an inn, hotel or similar facility The body is not a permanent dwelling, but... Read More