He is still here.

The packages are opened and the wrappings are tossed aside.  The dinner is cooked, eaten, and the leftovers put away.  The needles and tinsels fall from the tree.  The day of Christmas is gone.

But He is Still Here.

Christmas Heirlooms

Up in the attic

Down on my knees

Lifetimes of boxes

Timeless to me

Letters and photographs

Yellowed with years

Some bringing laughter

Some bringing tears

 Time never changes

The memories, the faces

Of loved ones, who bring to me

All that I come from

And all that I live for

And all that I'm going to be

My precious family

Is more than an heirloom to me

Wise men and shepherds

Down on their knees

Bringing their treasures

To lay at His feet

Who was this wonder

Baby yet king

Living and dying

He gave life to me

Time never changes

The memory, the moment

His love first pierced through me

Telling all that I come from

And all that I live for

And all that I'm going to be

My precious Savior

Is more than an heirloom to me

My precious Jesus

Is more than an heirloom to me

~"Heirlooms" by Amy Grant~

A Glorious Impossible Christmas

Angelia - This is for you

The Smith Family's one-of-a-kind, missed-when-it's-not-put-out

Christmas Pineapple.

Shown here with your sister's nativity.

Added note:  It was brought to my attention that I failed to mention anything about the nativity that is shown here with the 'pineapple'.  It was made by daughter #2 (she might not want me to mention her name) and when I pulled it out to display it, we couldn't help but to notice that Joseph has a mullet and Mary has a receding hairline.  These are things not seen on other nativities.  That alone makes this a rare addition to our decorations.

Also, the question has been raised 'Where's the pineapple?'

It's right there.  That 'tree' was made by daughter #1 when she was in high school (she graduated in 1991).  The first time I put it out as a Christmas decoration one of her sisters called it a Christmas Pineapple.  That's stuck all these years.

Sharing a Special-Occasion Tradition

     Twenty-plus years ago we went to my aunt and uncles home down in Baxley (south Georgia) for Thanksgiving and my aunt had started something that I have since done.  She had a cloth tablecloth on her table and everyone who was there for the holiday meal signed the tablecloth.  Afterwards she would carefully embroider over each signature as it had been written, thus creating a memory cloth of the occasion and who had been present.  I thought it was a wonderful idea and started my own.  Actually, I have two of them that I keep and I regret that I never got around to starting a third since I have the three daughters.
   I write the occasion and the date on the cloth and then everyone who is present writes their name indicating that they were present.  The date and all corresponding names are embroidered in tiny stitches of the same color.  So you can look at the date, see what color it is, and then all names done in the same color represent the individuals.  Our first documented special occasion on my clothes is Larry and Angelia's Wedding on November 11, 1995.
     Tuesday morning I stood and ironed each cloth, remembering the past occasions and paying close attention to all the signatures on there.  What a wonderful heirloom I'm creating to hand down someday.  They're special to all of us and everyone makes sure that all the names are written on the cloth before anyone leaves.

For the Grandbabies, we outline their hands and I embroider them.  Here, I've done Shelby Jo's hands one year over another showing how she's grown.  She's now almost 8 years old and can write her own name.

Sadie Vanessa was my sweeter-than-sweet dog that we lost this past January.  I'll be adding her name one more time this year to indicate her passing.

A couple of years ago I gave each of my three daughters their own blank plain tablecloth to start their own for their own family occasions.

Each day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.     - Charles Swindoll

The Legend of the Candy Cane

from a children's board book by Lori Walburg

     One rainy night, a man rode his horse up to the door of an empty store.  He stopped his horse and smiled.  "This will do just fine," he said.  The man worked hard to fix up the old store. "Pam! Pam! Pam!" went his hammer.  "Snish! Snish! Snish!" went his saw.  The people in town did not know who the man was.  Nobody knew what he was building.  The grown-ups just watched...and waited.  The children just wondered...and wished!

     One day a little girl named Lucy knocked on the door of the mysterious store.  "Hello," she said.  "My name is Lucy.  Do you need some help?"

     "Can you unpackboxes?" the man asked.

     "Yes, I can do that," answered Lucy.

     She came in and saw dozens of boxes, barrels, and crates.  Lucy opened the first box.  She picked up something wrapped in paper.  It was round and heavy.  She almost dropped it!  When she unwrapped the paper, she saw a glass jar.

     Lucy unpacked another glass jar.  Then another...and another.  Fat jars, tall jars, thin jars, round jars. 

"Now what shall we put inside the jars?" the man finally asked.

     Lucy wished a secret with!  She did not tell what it was.  She waited to see what the man would say.   Then he took the top off a big box.  Inside it, Lucy saw lollipops, chewing gum balls, peppermint sticks, taffy, and her favorite candy -- gumdrops!  Lucy's secret wish had come true.

     The man laughed when he saw Lucy's eyes light up.  "Welcome to John Sonneman's Candy Store," he said.  "And now, Miss Lucy, we must fill all these jars with treats."  So they worked and worked until all the jars were full of colorful candy.  In the very last crate, Lucy saw a candy she had never seen before.

     "What is this, Mr. Sonneman?"  Lucy asked.

     "This is a very special Christmas candy," he explained.  He picked up the red and white candy.  "It is called a candy cane.  Do you know what letter this candy cane looks like?" he asked.

     Lucy took the candy and looked at it. "J!" she said.

     "Yes," Mr. Sonneman smiled.  "J is for Jesus, who was born on Christmas day."

     "Now, turn the candy cane this way," he said, and he turned the "J" upside down.  "What does it remind you of now?"

     Lucy looked at it and thought.  Then she said, "I know!  It's like a shepherd's staff."

     "That's right," said the candy man.  "The shepherds in the field were the first people to find out that Jesus had been born."

    

     "Why does the candy cane have red and white stripes?" Lucy asked.

     Mr. Sonneman looked sad.  "When Jesus grew to be a man, some Roman soldiers arrested him.  They beat him so hard that his blood ran down like red stripes.  He forgives all people when they ask him.  So the red stripes remind us that Jesus gave us the great gift of forgiveness when he died on the cross.

     "The white stripes remind us that Jesus rose from the dead and our hearts are washed clean from sin when we give our lives to him."

It was December and it was cold outside.  But every morning Lucy and Mr. Sonneman went to houses and farms near their town.  They told the candy cane story and left each family a gift and an invitation to come to the grand opening of Sonneman's Candy Store on Christmas Eve.

     On Christmas Eve, everybody came to the new candy store.  They were happy and excited because they shared gifts and candy together.  But they were especially happy because they shared something more.  Something better.

     On that night, the people shared the story of the candy cane.  They shared the miracle of Christ's birth and the mercy of God's love.  They remembered what he had done to wash our sins away and they thanked Jesus for the greatest gift of all.

Sharing an eMail: Jesus is Better than Santa

Jesus is Better than Santa

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited

JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO.

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.

Santa's little helpers make toys

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength..

While Santa puts gifts under your tree

JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.

We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

We need to put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

May the Lord Bless and Watch over you and your loved ones this Christmas

And may He prosper and bless the work of your hands in the New Year.

Claymation: Carol of the Bells

I've always loved the claymation features though the first ones were a bit rough looking back.  Remember Pokey and Gumby?  They ran back in mid 50s and early 60s. 
But this one has always been a season favorite of mine.  I hope you enjoy this little bit of Christmas cheer....and humor.  Smile!

A little ClayMation history: 
My most favorite claymation movie of all time is the original Jason and the Argonauts (1963).  Really?  1963?
The California Raisins in a TV commercial - 1986
Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993
James and the Giant Peach - 1996
The Incredible Adventures of Wallace & Gromit in 2000
There's been many, many more.  Definitely an improvement from the oldest cartoons and animations.

Disclaimer:  Polly over at 5thsister posted a claymation item and I just wanted to let her know that I had this scheduled to post before I saw your.  Great minds running on the same track, huh, Polly?  When you've watched this here, go see Polly's 'We Three Kings'.

Dear Santa.....Cardboard will do

I spent some time with Leah this morning  while her Momma met with GrandDad for their annual Christmas Cinnabon meeting at the mall.  Poor Leah.  She had the hardest time finding something to play with.

First there was the old piece of cardboard she found in the bottom of my book bag.

 

While I was cleaning up from her breakfast I heard her searching for something else and she showed up with the empty cereal box. 

I asked her what she was doing with all of that 'stuff' and she told me that if she had some toys that she wouldn't need to go hunting for things to play with.  She said that she'd been looking and that that was the best she could come up with.

Sharing info from an eMail

 "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.

Legend has it "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment.

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"
The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day: The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.

The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day: The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day: The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day: The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day: The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day: The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day: The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day: The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day: The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

10th Day: The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day: The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day: The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

So the next time you hear "The Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.

That part's done

The decorations are on the tree.  It's not my best effort but for some reason the branches on the tree are flimsy so I wasn't able to use all the beads and some of the heavier ornaments that I would normally use.  It's a fully decorated tree, nonetheless. 

There's a story that goes with many, many of our ornaments.  We've been married for almost 31 years and in March 1979 we combined two households.  He had his ornaments; I had mine.  He had no children; I had Angelia.  So our collections were different.  Some of each collection is a part of what we use today.

We were living in Virginia and his parents came to visit at Christmas.  We had a 2-story house and the bedrooms were upstairs.  Giving my in-laws the master bedroom, and having them there for the holidays, early on I decided to put a decorated tree in the master bedroom for them to enjoy since they were away from their own home.  Many of those ornaments are still being used on our tree. 

The three girls have grown up and many of the ornaments they made in school are there.  Shelby Jo is now almost 8 years old and the ornaments she made and gave to Weezer and GrandDad are there.  We've celebrated major events of many years with Christmas ornaments.  Our decorated Christmas tree is a Family History Tree.

I'd like to share some of these ornaments with you.

2002 - My first Christmas as a Grandmother. 

1981 - Jessica's first Christmas.

Her daugthter's first Christmas ornament will be added this year.

1975 or 1976 - an ornament made by Angelia from an egg shell.  I've managed to keep it intact by putting it in a glass jar when I put the ornaments away.  That's supposed to be baby Jesus in there.

1979 - a wedding gift from a dear friend now gone on to be with Jesus

2005 - Shelby Jo made this in Sunday School when she was 3.

1982 - Ashley's first Christmas (left) and

2008 - Ashley Marie's (Ashley's daughter) first Christmas

1994 - the year I broke my ankle on a bike ride.  This is a knit wine bottle cover that I used to keep my toes warm while I was still in a cast.

Bell-ringing for the Red Kettles

Terry and I rang bells for the Salvation Army's Christmas campaign this evening.  This was the second time we've done it this season and the first time for us ever.  What a great experience we had!  Each time we spent about an hour and a half wearing our red volunteer aprons, standing with our bells, greeting perfect strangers, and wishing them 'Merry Christmas' as they dropped their loose change into the kettles.  We volunteered through our Missions group at church and look forward to being able to do it again next year. 


About The Red Kettle Christmas Campaign

The Red Kettle Christmas Campaign enables the Army to provide food, toys and clothing to over 6 million people during the Christmas season and helps more than 34 million Americans recovering from all kinds of personal disasters nationwide.


The Red Kettle campaign, first started in San Francisco in 1891, has traditionally been The Salvation Army’s most prominent fund-raiser. In 2004, the campaign raised over $100 million in communities nationwide, with the nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars all remaining in the towns where the money was deposited into the kettles. The funds raised help support many of the 37 million people in poverty who turn to the Army for food and toys at Christmas, utility and homeless assistance, senior and child care, drug abuse treatment and many other social service needs. (from http://www.ringbells.org/)

I'd like to suggest that if you're looking for an activity that you can do with your children or grandchildren, this is a great opportunity.  I understand that all you have to do is call the local Salvation Army and tell them that you'd like to volunteer.  It's just that easy.

Christmas Jars

What is a Christmas Jar?

A Christmas Jar is a pickle jar, peanut butter jar, Mason jar or whatever else you have around to collect your spare change each day.

All coins are dedicated to the jar, and during the week before Christmas you carefully select someone to give it to anonymously. Was a neighbor laid off? Is a coworker struggling with health problems? Has a friend lost a loved one?

Simply put your jar on their porch, in their car, on their desk--wherever--and you could change their life for good!

$50, $100, even $200, you'll be surprised how much change you can generate and how much you can affect someone's life.

Will you pledge to give away a Christmas Jar this year?


To answer a comment:  No, I haven't read the book.  I saw Jason Wright on TV (Fox News, I think) talking about the jars and got more information from his web site.  I'd love to read the book.  I'll be doing up-dates on how it's coming to get my jar filled.  I'm looking for a recipient.

Thanksliving. Go read Jessica's blog, please.

I was going to write about the impression that was made on me by our preacher in church on Sunday.  The topic:  Thanksliving

I had something all written out that I was going to enter and let it go at that, giving you an update on what I planned to do.  Then I read Jessica's blog at Adjusting to the World.  She has such a caring and fluid way with words that after reading what she'd composed, I decided that she wouldn't mind if I just linked you to her blog.  We attend the same church and were affected in the same way Sunday morning.  I sat and listened and thought, wondering what I would do to help anyone with less than what I've got.

     We spend a lot of money on Christmas.  It's just what we've always done.  We spend hours on Christmas morning opening gifts.  Afterwards we all make some comment on how blessed we are to have the opportunity to give to each other, blessed to have so much, and blessed to keep getting. 

   After the service I thought about some of John's comments and the statistics he gave about children starving to death.  He said that a child dies every 6 seconds from hunger, and had figured that during the delivery of his message that 350 children would die.  That's a heart-breaking statistic and I couldn't help but to cry, knowing that there are children anywhere living with such a short life expectancy because of no food.  So this is what I've decided to do. 

There were three mail-orders that I was planning to make when I got on the computer here.  I was going to order some fruit or preserves or cheeses for my godfather in Massachusetts, my godmother in Ohio, and my brother and sister-in-law in Florida.  Instead, I've sent a donation in their honor to Feed the Children.  I don't think they'll mind that I've done this instead of sending them the things I've done in the past.  Perhaps they'll join me in doing the same.  For what I've been able to send Feed the Children, 5 children and their families will have food for another day.

Christmas with a Capital "C"