All posts tagged: Christmas

Tell Me A Story: The Beauty of Midnight Celebrations

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We have entered the most holy of seasons, a time of anticipation, celebration and recognition of Christ, the promised Messiah. Events and images of past Nativity seasons are stamped in my memory, like pictures on a Christmas card. Perhaps it is the same for you. A few friends will join me to share favorite Christmas memories over the next several weeks. They will be featured here on Mondays and Fridays, kind of like bookends to the busyness of the Christmas season. Their stories and mine are my Christmas gift to you. I know you will enjoy them, and I hope you will share some of your own stories with family and friends. The first sweet memory that comes to mind for me is wrapped in sensory cues that carry me back to Christmas eve in a little Catholic church in my hometown. Celebrating mass at midnight was as much a part of my childhood Christmases as candy canes, presents and trips to my grandparents’ house in Chicago. I loved the excitement of being awake so …

I’ll Take This Christmas Miracle

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In this season of Miracles, would God do less than deliver when asked? Even on a day when life is spinning wild with errands, with that mad rush toward a day for Celebration. Even when it’s only a worried mother asking that the search for what is lost might have a good ending. An afternoon romp in the melting snow for the Pup seemed like a good idea. Snow is new to him and his winter coat hasn’t thickened, but he is silly with the excitement over this new world. He stays near the barn at first, following the family dog to trace crazy circles across the yard while a foggy mist draws the day toward dusk. But soon the family dog is waiting at the front door and the pup is not at her side. We call. He doesn’t come. Darkness is falling and the fog lays heavy on the doorstep. We wrap ourselves in coats, pull on the boots and grab flashlights. We fan out across the farm, into the hills behind the …

When You Know Who Brings the Gifts

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It was a strange juxtaposition, now that I think of it. Back in the years when we celebrated Christmas at the little white church by the side of the road, every Christmas program ended with a visit from Saint Nick. Bearded, dressed in a fur-trimmed red suit and black boots, he looked much like the Santa greeting children at the mall. Yet somehow, as he settled down on the altar at the front of the church and invited the children to crawl into his lap, he didn’t seem at all out of place. For the folks at the little white church, Jesus truly is and always has been “the reason for the season”. But, they embrace a Christmas tradition that some might consider contrary to what a body of believers should tolerate, let alone celebrate. Saint Nicholas Santa Claus Kris Kringle Saint Nick I’ve spent most of my parenting years settling for myself the role Santa Claus should play in the celebration of Christ’s birth. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum — from …

Treasured Holiday Recipes Are Flavored with Memories

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Holiday recipes are special. Shared at the Thanksgiving table or on a Christmas buffet, these dishes represent the love, fellowship and celebration that accompany the breaking of bread together. Growing up, it was my grandmother’s apple dumplings with her special butter sauce that meant “holiday” for me. Or my mom’s five-pound candy and my aunt’s unusual “dilly” bread spread with butter and homemade jam — both were staples on our holiday menu. Today, I am sharing a favorite recipe on my friend Connie Gochenaur’s blog, My Days Well-Lived. Preparing this dessert always brings back memories of a dear friend from a season past and a memorable Christmas holiday. Please join me over at My Days Well-Lived…..and bring along your favorite “Legacy Recipe”.

The Gift of Light

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Our first Advent candle has been lit.  Twinkling Christmas lights illumine every corner.  Inspired, I’ve begun making Bethlehem stars. I pick up the big ball of soft yellow wool and the tiny bamboo needles and carry them with me throughout the house. I tuck them into my bag when I go out, stealing moments to stitch the stellar points that will be my Gift of Light to those I love. My Gift of Light….. Moments after Isaiah the Prophet scolded the people of Israel and Judah as they plunged deeper into the black depths of sin, he foretold the coming of the Light. “….in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan — the people walking in darkness have seen a great light……For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…..he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I knit stars, and I read of the sins of a nation nearly 3,000 years removed from ours.  …