Christmas Blessings

This little plaque is hanging in my home. It was a gift from a sweet gal at one of the Christmas events I spoke at earlier this month. Several weeks ago - both in a devotion and at that event - I issued a challenge: to count our blessings regularly between the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Doing this transforms my vision, my attitude and my heart. And that prepares me for the truth that is Christmas. It enables me to feel the merry part as well as the Christmas part.

So I invite you to join us today. In the comments, list 5 things you are thankful for this Christmas season. It can be anything, big or small. Here's my list for today:

1. Connecting afresh emotionally and spiritually with my daughter yesterday.
2. My husband, and his servant's heart.
3. Clementines in winter.
4. Good neighbors.
5. The unfailing promises of God - which I'm praying for several of my friends today.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endures forever!

Merry Christmas from my home to yours!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

In my home, the mistletoe is hung. It took me years to finally buy some, but now I wouldn't do a Christmas without it.

It's not real - but the kisses it inspires are.

(In fact, I'm suddenly wondering why I haven't thought to hang some in the bedroom yet.)

Do you hang mistletoe? One legend has it that the wood of the cross of Christ was made from mistletoe!

Shake Your Tail Feathers Tree

Each year I do my tree a little different. Some years I load it up with sparkly goodness, other years I crave the beauty of simplicity. This was a simplicity year. I decided I wanted "a bird tree." So my tree has lights, some mini pine cones, some red berries, a few ornament bulbs hung by decorative hooks, red ribbons draping down from the red bow on top, and of course, birds.

Hot Tea or Chocolate anyone?

If I could, I'd plug in the tree, heat up some water, and have you over for some hot tea or chocolate this morning. We'd sit and chat about what the Lord has done in our lives in 2009. Wouldn't that be great?

Here, choose your mug:



I'd ask you about your major trials, your major blessings, and the major life lessons you've learned this year. We could even linger over a second cup and pray together. Oh, if only that were possible! Instead, I'll be finishing my wrapping today and then taking my daughter out for a little mommy and me time.



But since I can't teleport you over here, I figure I'll post a few pics this week of what Christmas looks like around my house (this year anyway). You can cyber visit. Feel free to tell me in the comments what you'd want to talk about.



While we're in my kitchen today, I'll show you the little Christmas touches in here. That wreath above hangs on one of the windows in my bay where the table sits. I love the colors in it.


It's rather crowded in here - there's 3 families at the moment! See, last year my daughter had a part in a university production of A Christmas Carol - she's really quite the actress ... her grandfather was a professional actor - so I bought lots of carolers last year and they wound up on the counters in my kitchen. Here's a shot of some:

This family sits just to the left of my cook top, so they sing to me while I cook. How fun is that? You reckon they're singing for their supper? Hey you forgot to tell me if you want tea or hot chocolate ... let me know, and stop by tomorrow to see what I did this year on the tree.

(PS. there is a hint about the tree in that last paragraph)

Hi, my name is Rachel and I'm a ...

So I woke up this morning, November 1st, stared at the clock (trying to figure out what time it "really" is after converting from daylight savings time) and thought, "Hey, I could put up the Christmas tree today!"

I'm a bit of a Christmas tree fanatic. Hi, I'm Rachel, and I'm a Christmasaholic.

Actually, the rest of the holiday decor I can completely live without. But not the tree. The tree is sacred in my mind. It transforms my family room into sacred space ... into an alter of sorts. Its little white lights somehow light up my heart, beckoning me nearer to the Light of the World.

Before you think I'm waaaay off base to think of Christmas the day after Halloween, just know that Kohl's has been thinking about it for months now. Other retailers are starting to leak info about deals they'll offer on Black Friday. And my kids have started their Christmas list because the toy catalogues hit our mailbox last week. I also started shopping for things to send to my sponsor child Mauricio - have to get international packages in the mail before Thanksgiving.

Plus, today I found the Sounds of the Season channel on my digital cable package playing Christmas songs. WOOT! Shhhh, can you hear it? Its Frank Sinatra singing "Mistletoe and Holly."

The only holiday thing besides a tree I can't do without is Christmas carols. They never lose their ability to capture my heart and hurl it heavenward. I've already heard one of my all time favs: The Little Drummer Boy. My weepy devotion to that carol has been well documented here. I realize it tells a fictional story, but at the same time it tells the story of my soul.

None of my family is in the house at the moment so I've got the carols on. I didn't put the tree up yet. I'm showing restraint. But I might have to sneak and get the mistletoe out. Its never too soon to get the love flowing in my opinion.

So I'm off to the attic to search for the red and green plastic bins that contain sparkly Christmas goodness. Any other Christmasaholics out there? Come on, please speak up and make me feel normal. Anybody else plan to put up their tree in November? (Post pics when you do please!)

Christmas Eve reflections

An angel appeared to Mary and told her, "You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (Luke 1:45)

Mary responded, "Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him. His mighty arm does tremendous things!" (vs. 46-51)

So, believing that the Lord will do what He says He will do is the path to an amazing adventure with God. This is true for anyone in any generation who is willing to follow Him with faith. My response to this truth, like Mary's response was, is to rejoice and thank Him today for who He is, for all He does, and for inviting me along to be part of the story.

Merry Christmas from my heart to yours.

Love is as Love does

I'm back from the greater Baltimore area where I spoke this week and met some new sisters-in-Christ at Mid Atlantic Community Church. The event went quite well and I enjoyed my time with them. My thanks to the women's ministry committee, the audio-video specialists, and most of all to Christ for giving us a reason to gather and celebrate.

I want to share with you a paraphrase of 1st Corinthians that reminds me where to keep my focus as I prepare for the upcoming holidays. Both of my children have birthdays the same week as Christmas, so I can easily get caught up in doing shopping, decorating, wrapping and entertaining. God's word pulls me back to what's real and eternal.

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13 for CHRISTMAS
(a paraphrase)

If I decorate my house with poinsettias, bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny ornaments, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing a Christmas ham, arranging beautiful table centerpieces, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I volunteer at the soup kitchen, go caroling at the nursing home, and drop money in the Salvation Army bucket, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I set out the nativity, attend a bunch of holiday parties, and sing in the holiday cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have completely missed the point.

Love stops the cooking, cleaning or wrapping to hug the child.
Love pauses the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, even when busy or tired.
Love doesn't envy another woman's Christmas china.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but thanks God for them. Love doesn't give only to those who can return the favor, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love always wins.

MP3 players will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust ... but giving the gift of love will endure for all eternity.

In other words, you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

I pray today that you and I remember to love amidst all the things we do!

Another pic of the tree

I'm still adding the just-right-thing here and there, but here's a full shot of this year's Christmas tree. Click to enlarge. Not all the lights are turned on. If you've got a picture of yours up on your blog, post your web address so we can all see it!

Today I need to address Christmas cards, run to the post office, run a few other errands, do some baking for tomorrow's Christmas party for my department at the university, and get a lot of writing done. I'm trying out a few cookie recipies I saw on the Food Nework - could be super yummy or turn out disasterous knowing the way I am in the kitchen! Thankfully, chili is already made and in the crock-pot for tonight.

Happy Holidays to you today.

My Tree is Up

Today was decorating day at my house. That means almost a whole day enjoying some of my favorite things: Christmas carols, the Christmas tree, hot chocolate and time with my family. We put up the tree, set out the nutcrackers, hung the garland, wreath and mistletoe, and arranged the nativity scene.

I say "we" but mostly it was Rick and I doing the work because we also had 5 of the neighborhood kids in and out of our house all day playing with our 2 kids. I should also clarify that further ... the four girls did offer to help me decorate the tree but I just couldn't bear the thought of turning over my breakable ornaments to four giggling pre-teen girls. I also know myself well enough to know that if the lights and ornaments aren't placed on the tree in a somewhat balanced or symmetrical pattern, it will drive me nuts for the next four to five weeks! So the kids have their own mini Christmas trees they can decorate themselves and keep on their desks in their rooms.

Every year I like to do our Christmas tree a little bit differently. This year I've got kind of a theme - "The King's Tree" - going on with various crowns and wise men. What about you? Does your tree have a theme? Are you one of those laid back moms who lets the kids decorate the tree? Are you empty nesting and doing a tree differently than you've ever done before, or not at all? I'd love to hear about your tree, or your decorating traditions!

My Spirit is Soaring ...

... because this morning I discovered a music channel on my digital cable package has begun playing Christmas carols!! You have no idea how happy this makes me. I am a Christmas carol nut... kind of like a chestnut roasting by an open fire. Any time of year Christmas songs have the ability to ring my bell... like the silver bells that declare: soon it will be Christmas day. I just can't help but "hark" and herald with the angels even though Christmas day is over a month away. Truly, these carols draw my spirit so close to God I feel I can nuzzle my forehead beneath his strong chin.

I love all Christmas carols, except the "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" type which get old quick. So this music channel will play carols in my home approximately 6-7 hours a day from now until January 5th or so. Already this morning I've heard one of my absolute favorites (you'll find I attach that status to about 43 different Christmas carols): The Little Drummer Boy. It makes me cry EVERY time, every since I was a pre-teen girl and we had a 3-foot tall motorized little drummer boy in our entry way at Christmas time. I so identify with that little boy who had nothing of value to offer Jesus except himself in service, so he played for him. And if you know the song, then the little baby Jesus turned his head and smiled in pleasure at the little drummer boy. That just gets me! I've already needed 3 tissues this morning - no lie.

One time I took my family to a live nativity scene. This was no ordinary live nativity, not just a manger scene. No, this was an entire walk with the wise men through the ancient market place, to Herrod's palace and then to the manger scene - with live actors in costumes, elaborate sets and real animals everywhere. It was dramatic and touching and you felt you were there. It was loud and chaotic in the market, it was foreboding and threatening in the room with Herrod, but it was so calm, peaceful and serene when we reached the manger. My whole family lingered there staring at the live baby in the manger in the dark, night air. Then that baby turned its little head and looked at my then-6-year-old daughter and smiled at her. It made such an impact on her little heart - like mother like daughter I guess.

So tell me, what is your favorite Christmas carol?Post it and let's all get in the mood for the advent season!