It surfaced while I was scouring through all of my Grandma’s writings … her Christmas synonyms word game. I didn’t get the chance to know her as well as I wish. But it is in reading through her poems and stories that I am finding her – and also learning about her love for Christmas! It seems only fitting, in the honor — and irony, of writing for the World’s Largest Christmas store’s blog myself, that I share the fun of Grandma’s Christmas synonyms word game. I asked Grandpa and he has kindly permitted me to share them with you, here. Ready to play?!
Games
If you, like me, love word games like the NYT’s Wordle, Spelling Bee or Letter Boxed … or the quadruple challenge of Quordle, than I think you’ll really enjoy this nerdy wordy brain tease!
I do realize, however, that word games are not everyone’s cup of tea. So don’t worry, if this is not your thing you can skip to some of the other varieties of Christmas Games we have shared here on the blog, too!
Meet Jacqui Murphy, aka- JEM
For The Love Of Language
I like to say that my Grandma had the gift of language. Though I have not always been familiar with her writings, I was always aware that she was an accomplished poet with published works. Grandma used the penname JEM, which are her initials. How befitting it is, because her works are becoming treasurable gems I hold dear.
While she was certainly not famous like a Maya Angelou or Emily Dickenson, her writings did garner her attention within the poetic community during her lifetime. Just before her passing, Grandma shared a special album with me of one such honor bestowed to her through the Poetry Academy. In 1993 she, and other poets, joined the Poetry Academy in Beverly Hills in awarding Milton Berle with a Lifetime Achievement award on the occasion of his 85th birthday celebration in Beverly Hills, CA.
Of course the event was star-studded. And, no doubt, it’s quite remarkable to see the photos my Grandma captured from the event… Unquestionably, you’ll recognize some of these famous faces of Hollywood from her album!
(Pictured at top left, Mike Meyers who is famous for his stint on SNL, Wayne’s World, Austin Powers and as the voice of Shrek! At top center, is Gary Coleman of Different Strokes, far right is none other than “The Hoff” … David Hasselhoff. But I was especially geeked to see COUSIN EDDIE!!!, played by Randy Quaid, because National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is my all time favorite Christmas movie. And yet, it wasn’t until writing this article that I happened to catch that tiny little frame standing beside “The Hulk“, Lou Ferrigno, which happens to be my Grandma! Finally, at lower right is the Golden Girls actress, Bea Arthur beside John Astin of The Addams Family. )
Grandma + Christmas
Whether it’s grace or cruelty, time has a sly way of fading memories. It’s been over a decade since my Grandma passed away. Upon discovering many poems, short stories and even a few drawings from her in Christmas themes, I asked her sister if Grandma loved Christmas.
“Are you kidding?! She LOVED Christmas!”, she told me. “Every piece of tinsel was laid on the tree just right. And I remember going over there to help her wrap all the presents. She would wrap everything so perfectly with bows and curling ribbons in pretty paper. ”
And now those faded memories are coming into focus once again. I do remember … I remember how every little thing was wrapped. The bows and trinkets adorning the presents. I pause to reflect on the irony that her granddaughter is surrounded by CHRISTmas, all year long, now writing herself. The woman Grandma was comes to me through her writing, but also in reflections of myself. And what starts as a somber discovery turns to “The Thrill Of Hope!“
Christmas Carols Synonyms Word Game
If you find yourself wondering, “what is a synonym?” Here’s a quick refresher, thanks to Google:
syn·o·nym
“a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, for example shut is a synonym of close.”
To illustrate, here is a word association to help you remember: A synonym is SY-milar.
As opposed to an antonym which is ANT-agonistic, or opposite, in meaning.
With this in mind, and now that you have been introduced, how about I share Grandma’s Christmas word game?
✍️GRANDMA JEM’s CHRISTMAS WORD GAME
