10 Days of Christmas #10: Finale & Giveaway

 

      Well, we've come to the final day of our 10 Days of Christmas! I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have, and thank you so much for participating. I'd no idea how this would turn out, seeing as how I'd never hosted a blog party of any sort before, but you all have been amazing. We'll see what happens, but maybe I could make this an annual thing. Of course, there's so many other Christmas blog parties that go on this time of year, and that's why I say "maybe." What do you think? Should I do this again next year?

And now onto the winner of the giveaway! Drumroll, please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abigail H., you have been crowned the winner! Congratulations! 

   And for the rest of you as well, I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Have a blessed day and a joyful rest of your year. And as we go into the next year, keep in mind that nothing that happens is out of God's control.

Merry Christmas!!

Ten Days of Christmas #9: Scripture

   Hello everybody, and welcome to the Ten Days of Christmas blog party! I'm very excited to be participating in this. This blog event will be posted every two days. Specifically, December 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, and 22nd. On each day but the last one, the theme will be associated with a certain letter of "Christmas." At the end of the event (the 22nd), the winner of the giveaway will be announced.

With that brief overview out of the way, let's get started!

Today's letter from C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is "S" for

   

*Let it be known: because there's so many good points to mention, this may be a bit longer of a post. Please stick with me, though!*

   According to the dictionary:

scripture |'skripture|

noun

(often Scripture or Scriptures) the sacred writings of Christianity contained in the Bible

   I just wanted to start this off with that description of this word. Alright, so how does Christmas relate to scripture? What does the Bible have to do with a holiday about gifts and trees and red and green? Well, it has everything to do with Christmas, it turns out. In fact, those other things --gifts, red, green, etc.-- are the things that were added by man to what many see as the "meaning" of Christmas. But if we look into the true meaning of Christmas, which is a holiday technically made by God, not man, we will see that Scripture holds the story of the foundation for Christmas.

Luke 2:1-3

   Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city.

   Pause! Now, why am I putting in this seemingly random fact into the story? Well, because it's crucial to what happened; that's why. If God had not put the Roman Empire into place, this decree never would have been sent out! And if the decree hadn't gone out, the entire Christmas story, in a sense, would be for naught, because . . . well, let's keep on, and you'll see.

Luke 2:4-7

   Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

   Wow! Besides being beautifully written (by the way, who else agrees that God has got to be the most amazing writer ever???), that was loaded with some interesting facts! Did you catch them? Okay, let's review what we have so far: 

(1) As I mentioned before, it's crucial that the decree be passed. Why? Because it made it necessary for Joseph to travel to Bethlehem with Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus. Why is it so important that he go to Bethlehem? Because it fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. 

   In Micah 5:2, it says: "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." 

   This means that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he fulfilled the prophecy about it from many, many years before!

(2) This made Jesus, through Joseph, from the lineage of David! Why is this fact so significant? Because it fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be in David's lineage. 

   In Acts 13:22-23, it says: "After He [God] had removed him [King Saul], He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.' From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus . . ." 

   As I said, this means that when Jesus's earthly father was Joseph, He became of David's line and thus fulfilled an old prophecy! How could men from years before Jesus's time know this . . . unless God had revealed it to them because He already knew it was going to happen?

(3) Joseph was from Nazareth, and later, Jesus spent a his childhood in that place, too! Why is it so important that Jesus be from there? Because it fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be a Nazarene. 

  In Matthew 2:23, it says: " . . . And [Joseph] came and settled in a city called Nazareth. This happened so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: 'He will be called a Nazarene.'"

   Again, "what was spoken through the prophets" was spoken a while before Jesus came. What amazing wisdom and foresight God had!

   Okay, let's keep going with the story. I'm going to skip over to Matthew for a moment, because all the gospels fit so beautifully together and tie the story of Jesus's birth together so well. This is actually kind of a "preface" to what we just read in Luke.

Matthew 2:18-25

   Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

   And look carefully at the next part. Isn't it astounding how perfectly God laid out His plan even before it came to pass?

(Continued from verse 22) 

   Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us." And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

   Who here is continually amazed by how p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y God wove Jesus's birth, His ministry, and the prophecies about Him together? *raises my hand* As an aspiring writer, I've got to say: that is the best plot I've ever read in my life; it corresponds so well. Also, the word "behold" is such a perfect touch. Just . . . beautiful.

   Okay, let's keep going. I'm jumping back to the Gospel of Luke now.

Luke 2:8-14

   In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 

   Okay, a few things here. Um, first, I definitely would be TERRIFIED if an angel suddenly stood right in front of me on a dark night! It's no wonder that, time and time again, we see angels in the Bible saying "Do not be afraid" to the people they appear to. 

   Secondly, did you notice it said "which will be for all the people?" That means anyone, no matter their state, background, or former religion, can still come to Christ. I mean, God saved Saul (better known as Paul, the author of most of the New Testament epistles), and Saul had been a fervid persecutor of the Christian church. Read Acts 22 for the story of his conversion. 

   I'd keep going, and read through the whole continuing story of the shepherds, Kind Herod, the Magi (or wise men, as they're also called), and the flight to Egypt. But that would literally take probably the rest of the day, so I'll leave you with this and urge you to read the first few chapters of Luke and Matthew for the rest of the Christmas story.

   Just remember: it isn't about good food. It isn't about giving and receiving earthly gifts. It isn't about shopping. It's ultimately about the birth of Jesus, the Son of God Who came to earth and took on the body of mortal man so He could eventually die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins upon Himself. 

   That's what CHRISTmas is really all about. This is not to say that giving gifts to others, spending time with friends and family, eating a delicious Christmas meal, and decorating in reds and greens is bad, because it isn't. Just so long as we keep the focus on Christ and not on ourselves or even each other. This holiday is called CHRISTmas, not "me-mas" or "others-mas." :)

   As someone said just today: the Gospel is the only gift that "keeps on giving."

   It won't wear out, break down, become irrelevant, or cease to exist. It's not like our earthly gifts --though those aren't bad in and of themselves. But they don't last. They don't bring about ultimate salvation. 

   But the gift of God does. It does last, stays sound, remains relevant, doesn't disappear, and does bring about salvation for those who would receive it.

   So as you go about your business these few days before Christmas, keep the Greatest Gift in mind. The gift God Himself gave to us in love.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 Visit Little Blossoms for Jesus, Culinary Scribbles, and Rebekah's Reading Room to see the coordinating posts from the other participants, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

10 Days of Christmas #8: Activities

 

   Hello everybody, and welcome to the Ten Days of Christmas blog party! I'm very excited to be participating in this. This blog event will be posted every two days. Specifically, December 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, and 22nd. On each day but the last one, the theme will be associated with a certain letter of "Christmas." At the end of the event (the 22nd), the winner of the giveaway will be announced.

With that brief overview out of the way, let's get started!

Today's letter from C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is "A" for

   Some of these activities, I've already covered in the other posts, so I'll just skim over them. A few of my favorite Christmas activities include:

-Cookie decorating

   We make multiple different kinds of cookies (see my last post about it), and it's so fun to roll our "snowballs" around in the powered sugar. Messy, but oh so fun! And those spritz . . . I'm not sure why, but I think colored sugar sprinkles are so cute!

-Christmas decorating

   I touched on this one, too (see here). It is so fun, though I will admit that until this holiday season, I hadn't been too involved in decorating. Well! I've amended that, and we now have beautiful garlands across the top of our wooden cupboards, a jingle-bell-covered ribbon adorning our bedroom doorway, lights glimmering from the short tree in front of our house, and "snowball" lights strung across our front window.

-Singing songs

   Whether it be classic carols like "O Holy Night" or more contemporary songs like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," I enjoy belting out the songs in my soprano voice (and sounding good, I hope!). The songs just come to my head randomly, and I'll find myself leaving off "Edelweiss" (from Sound of Music) and spiraling into "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Now tell me: how in the world did I get from point A to point C in my singing, and why do those two totally different songs somehow coordinate?? 

   Another thing. It is so fun to hear my little siblings sing one of those songs and end up with words so foreign to the actual lyrics that I wonder whether they notice that what they're singing has nothing to do with the song's original topic. Example? My little sister was walking by me the other day and singing out in her sweet, confident tones: "We three kings of glory and tar . . ."

-Present-wrapping

   Wrapping the presents is sometimes almost as fun as giving the gift. Some years ago, I had to wrap a 4-foot-something-tall box that held a large gift for someone, and their astonished reaction was so wonderful. Christmas wrapping is an art and it's one I am striving to become accomplished in if I can. 

-Present-giving

   Yes, this absolutely counts as an activity! And it's so fun to see people's reactions over what you've given them. Especially those really little kids who are ready to scream for joy when they get a pack of gum. ;D

-Scheming and having to sneak around behind people's backs while you're stuffing their gift inside your jacket so they won't see it

   This is a very active thing to do. You have to be vigilant, always on the alert to make sure that one person is not looking over your shoulder at the paper you are writing their gift on. And the smuggling of the presents into the other room so you can wrap them . . . . ! A risky business, indeed.

   And I could give so many examples more, but I'm afraid this post would exceed its word limit! 

   Visit Little Blossoms for Jesus, Culinary Scribbles, and Rebekah's Reading Room to see the coordinating posts from the other participants, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Favorite Authors & Books #8: A Snow-Globe World

    Okay, I know this is not for the 10 Days of Christmas, but I ha-a-ave to gush about this book to you all, so here goes.

 A Snow-Globe World 

   I recently (like, two days ago) read this and oh. my. goodness! It's one of the most beautiful Christmas stories I've ever read! It's sweet, encouraging, oh-so-Christmasy, and very clear in presenting the message of what Christmas really is. And that cover . . . just . . . *delighted sigh*

   It was written by a special writer-friend of mine, Chelsea Burden, so I was super excited to read it. And it did not fail my expectations. In fact, it surpassed them. It's well-written and engaging. And creative! I've never read a book quite like that. Oh, and not to mention the very eloquent wording.

Sensitive content: none (that I'd caution on)

Age recommendation: 8 or 9+ (basically, all ages)

My rating: 5 stars

And guess what! You can get the story for FREE all of this week, so hop on over here and get it, if you can!!

10 Days of Christmas #7: Movies

       

   Hello everybody, and welcome to the Ten Days of Christmas blog party! I'm very excited to be participating in this. This blog event will be posted every two days. Specifically, December 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, and 22nd. On each day but the last one, the theme will be associated with a certain letter of "Christmas." At the end of the event (the 22nd), the winner of the giveaway will be announced.

With that brief overview out of the way, let's get started!

Today's letter from C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is "M" for 

         

   We wait until after Thanksgiving, and then the day after . . .

   It's Christmas season, and that means we can start watching Christmas films! I enjoy a good holiday movie. Even though we usually just rewatch the ones we already know, sometimes an extra one or two sneaks into the batch.

Here's a few I like:

-It's a Wonderful Life

   Good movie. It emphasizes how just how many blessings we have that we often forget about. Some kissing (but it's nothing I personally consider inappropriate).

-Shop Around the Corner

   A Christmastime romantic comedy. I only just watched this last year for the first time, and I personally really enjoyed it. Where has this movie been hiding?? As a (very) brief and vague synopsis, a gal and guy start falling in love over their anonymous letters, but they are bitter enemies in the workplace because each does not know the other is their pen pal. Some kissing (but same sentiment as with the above movie). Nothing else questionable (that I can remember. I haven't rewatched it this holiday season yet).

-A Charlie Brown Christmas

Classic. Fun. And does mention the real reason for the season. 

-White Christmas

   A tale of two war buddies who go into show business . . . and end up meeting two lovely ladies. Some kissing (same sentiment as above) and some other scenes I personally find a little strange, but that's cause they're in show biz. I don't mind them too much, but I can get awkward over random stuff. Feel free to disagree with me on this or not. ;)

   I am going to hop off down the rabbit trail for a few moments here, so bear with me. This technically isn't a bona fide "Christmas" movie, but it has Christmas in it, and it's my favorite version of this story, so on the list is goes!

-Little Women- BBC version

Yes. Yes. And yes. This is definitely my favorite version. And we all know Little Women has Christmas appear multiple times in the storyline. It's even mentioned at the very beginning; "Christmas" is the very first word of the book! So yep, it's on my list. 

   I have other favorite Christmas films, but I'm going to pause the post here. See you in two days for the next "10 Days of Christmas" post!

Visit Little Blossoms for Jesus, Culinary Scribbles, and Rebekah's Reading Room to see the coordinating posts from the other participants, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

10 Days of Christmas #6: Traditions

        

   Hello everybody, and welcome to the Ten Days of Christmas blog party! I'm very excited to be participating in this. This blog event will be posted every two days. Specifically, December 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, and 22nd. On each day but the last one, the theme will be associated with a certain letter of "Christmas." At the end of the event (the 22nd), the winner of the giveaway will be announced.

With that brief overview out of the way, let's get started!

Today's letter from C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is "T" for

        

   We've got a few traditions up our sleeves. I enjoy them immensely. They make Christmas . . . Christmas.

(All photos in this post are courtesy of the internet.)

-Christmas tree

   We always take a day and go tree-hunting. Chilled fingers, pink noses, scents of broken pine, and ruffled coat hoods are common during this trip. We tramp through the U-cut tree farms to find the perfect tree. Of course, with there being a fair amount of people in my family, there's usually a rather passionate debate over which tree is the best. If a person ends up on the winning side of the good-natured argument, they will go home satisfied. If they end up on the losing side, however, they will try to memorize the exact location of their favorite candidate so they can plead its case next Christmas . . . that is, if it's still there. Once I even took a picture of the one I liked, but it had vanished by the time the next holiday season rolled around. 

   However, I will note that this year, we weren't able to do this because of sold-out U-cut trees (and closed-down farms due to the pandemic), so we had to resort to a pre-cut tree. The tree ended up very nice, though. Sturdy and tall.

After we get it home, our "Christmas box" takes a vacation and travels from the garage to the house. My mom always hands out each person's ornaments. This is a fun, familiar, cozy time of the holiday season. We've been doing it ever since I can remember.

-Christmas story

   We read one advent story each year. Our selection (all of these books are linked together) includes:

Jotham's Journey

Tabitha's Travels

Bartholomew's Passage

This book is a part of this series, but we have yet to read it.

Ishtar's Odyssey

-Christmas cookies

   We bake cookies every Christmas. It is a delicious part of the tradition. 

We make:

spritz 

"snowballs"

fattigman-- a Norwegian cookie (also known as poor man cookies)

and krumkake-- also a Norwegian dessert.

-Christmas breakfast

   We also have a special breakfast. We eat things like fruitcake, pickles (yuuuuum!), sausage, etc. It's a delight.

-Christmas movies

   We usually start on our list of holiday movies right after Thanksgiving. I'd get into this more, but that topic is on the agenda for Wednesday's post, so . . . 

-Bible reading

   On Christmas morning, before opening a single present, my dad gets out the Bible and reads the true CHRISTmas story, from the Gospels. The story of Christ's birth, that is. I'd get into this topic more too, if it weren't for the fact that it's already in the "Ten Days of Christmas" lineup. So give me until the 20th, and I'll go deeper into that tradition. :)

-Christmas bowls

   We have these adorable snowman bowls that we set out on the table every Christmas and fill with Christmas candy (and Reese's peanut butter cups are the best, by the way! Well, for me, at least. I love peanut butter chocolate!). We just starting doing it one year, and it's become something we do every time. And . . . yeah. ;)

-Christmas lights

   We put up Christmas lights around our roof every Christmas. Okay, that's not entirely true. Rephrase: we turn on the already-up lights every Christmas. We actually leave up the lights around our house basically year-round and every year, so we just have to check them to make sure they're still good and then turn them on.

-Nativity set

   We set up our Nativity set every year. The main stable goes on our piano, while the wise men and camels go on the top of a nearby cabinet, to symbolize their journey to Jesus. And then, on Christmas Day, we take the wise men down from the cabinet and place them at the stable to show that they've "arrived." Historical note: they didn't actually get to Jesus on the day of his birth (they estimate that Jesus was between one year and three years old, most likely, when they got to Him), but it's a fun thing we do on Christmas, all the same.

   We have a lot more traditions, probably; ones I can't think of right now. :D And this list is a decent length, so I think it's a good time to end the post.

 Visit Little Blossoms for Jesus, Culinary Scribbles, and Rebekah's Reading Room to see the coordinating posts from the other participants, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!