Chapter 12, Page 6, Book 13

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lend your ear this way,

Don't you tell a single soul, what I'm going to say

Christmas Eve is coming soon, now you dear old man

Whisper what you'll bring me, tell me if you can.

When the clock is striking twelve, when I'm fast asleep

Down the chimney broad and black, with your pack you'll creep

All the stockings you will find, hanging in a row

Mine will be the shortest one, you'll be sure to know

Johnny wants a pair of skates, Suzy wants a sled,

Nellie wants a story book, yellow blue and read,

Now I think I leave to you, what to give the rest,

Choose for me dear Santa Claus, you know what's best !

American Traditional

December 6th is St. Nicholas Day and that’s today!  This song does fit the date and I think it fits in with my preparation for Christmas too.

We all know that Santa keeps a naughty or nice list and so part of my preparations is making sure I am nice even though I may get tired and cranky.  Most people seem to grumble most either when they are tired or when they are hungry.  So take time during this season of Advent to get plenty of rest and eat well balanced meals too.  Too often we take the easy way out when we’re rushed and grab some fast food to eat.  It’s ok to do that once in awhile but not every day.

So keep on the nice list and maybe soon St. Nicholas will come your way…

Some Special Gifts

Source Unknown

Here are a few suggestions for special gifts:

a firm handshake to a shaky soul,

a kind word to a lonely person,

a warm smile to the disheartened,

a sincere concern for someone troubled,

a feeling of compassion for the neglected,

a comforting thought for the bereaved,

a respect for the dignity of others,

a defense of the rights of individuals,

a word of witness to help a seeking soul,

a Merry Christmas to all.

Chapter 12, Page 5, Book 13

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth,

To touch their harps of gold;

Peace on the earth, good will to men,

From Heaven’s all gracious King.

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heavenly music floats

O’er all the weary world;

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hovering wing,

And ever over its Babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angel strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love-song which they bring;

O hush the noise, ye men of strife

And hear the angels sing.

The first 3 of 5 verses. 

Words by Ed­mund H. Sears,  December 29, 1849.  Sears is said to have written these words at the request of his friend, W. P. Lunt, a minister in Quin­cy, Mass­a­chu­setts; the hymn was first sung at the 1849 Sunday School Christmas celebration

 Dr. Edmund Sears was trying to create an uplifting Christmas sermon for his congregation in 1849. Sears was a man who served the poor and needy and urged his fellow Christians to do the same, yet he wanted to pen a message that would share the light of the world with both his flock and those they served.

Inspired by Luke 2:8-9, he wrote the rough draft of a Christmas poem. Then, he combined it with a poem he had written years earlier. Sears presented the finished poem to his congregation and also had it published in a magazine of which he was also editor, hoping to spur the community on to good works in the name of Christ.

The second part of the story belongs to a composer and music critic by the name of Richard Storrs Willis. How he came across the poem is unknown, but Willis combined the words with a song he had composed earlier called, simply, Carol. This adaptation became the Christmas carol we know today. In both World War I and II, American soldiers sang this song during the holidays--as much for its celebration of Christ's birth as for its message of peace on earth and service among mankind

Did you know that in 2012, worldwide lottery sales topped $275 billion? Since the 2001 terrorist attack, Americans have spent as much on lotteries as the US military has spent on the war in Afghanistan: $532.6 billion. Yet the odds of winning any of those lotteries are nearly impossible. 

This is the season when a familiar question begins echoing in homes throughout the land: What do you want for Christmas?  Peace is one of the gifts of Advent.  In a world that seems to think more about winning the lottery than promoting peace, peace is one of the greatest gifts we need right now.

Compared to the actual promise of Christmas, though, even the most ambitious wish lists fall short.  Winning the lottery would mean nothing if we compared that to the gift of Peace in our world. 

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! 

Author Unknown 

Chapter 12, Page 4, Book 13

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,

Just like the ones I used to know,

Where the tree tops glisten

And children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow...

Irving Berlin

Memories of Christmases past do leave us with a warm feeling.  We all would like the kind of Christmas that is full of good memories. It seems though that if we have high expectations and hoping for a perfect Christmas, then we are in for a big disappointment. It rarely happens.

But if we can take each day as it comes. If we can accept the ups and downs of each day, embrace its challenges and setbacks, then we are in a very good place.   I’ve learned that taking life one day at a time is the best way to live.  It doesn’t matter whether we are preparing for Christmas or not.  Every day is better when we don’t worry about tomorrow.  

As my countdown to Christmas continues I’ll be taking it one day at a time here at my house.  Today I’m babysitting one of the grands.  This wasn’t on my to do list at all, but I’ve learned to be flexible.  I’m not going to worry about what else I didn’t get done.  I’m just going to enjoy my grandson and each moment of this day.  He’s too little to help bake cookies, but he does like to eat them.  Isn’t that what grandma’s are for… hugs and kisses and cookies too.

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone.  

Deborah Whipp

Chapter 12, Page 3, Book 13

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Words: Chris­ti­na Ros­set­ti, 1872; she wrote these words in re­sponse to a re­quest from the mag­a­zine Scrib­ner’s Month­ly for a Christ­mas poem.  

Music: Gustav Holst, 1874-1934 

This is the time of year that we do a lot of waiting.  We wait in traffic. We wait in checkout lines to purchase gifts. We wait for family to arrive. We wait to gather around a table filled with our favorite foods. We wait to open presents lovingly chosen.

 

It seems that waiting is one of the hardest things to do so maybe as we wait in lines or traffic, we could hum or sing a few carols this year.  For me music is calming and it makes me feel happier too.  

All of this waiting can be a reminder to us that this Advent season is a celebration of waiting for something much more important than holiday traditions. 

Don’t let your winter be a bleak one.

Chapter 12, Page 2, Book 13

People, Look East

People, look east. The time is near 

Of the crowning of the year. 

Make your house fair as you are able, 

Trim the hearth and set the table. 

People, look east and sing today: 

Love, the Guest is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, 

One more seed is planted there. 

Give up your strength the seed to nourish, 

That in course the flower may flourish. 

People, look east and sing today: 

Love, the Rose is on the way.

Birds, though you long have ceased to build,

Guard the nest that must be filled.

Even the hour when wings are frozen

God for fledging time has chosen.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the bird, is on the way.

Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim, 

One more light the bowl shall brim, 

Shining beyond the frosty weather, 

Bright as the sun and moon together. 

People, look east and sing today: 

Love, the Star, is on the way.

Angels announce with shouts of mirth, 

Him who brings new life to earth. 

Set every peak and valley humming 

With the word, the Lord is coming 

People, look east and sing today: 

Love, the Lord, is on the way.

Words: Eleanor Farjeon, 1928 

Music: 'Besançon', traditional French carol 

People, look East is a modern Advent carol written by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) and set to a traditional carol tune, Besançon. It was first published in The Oxford Book of Carols in 1928. The carol bids people and angels and all creation to watch and prepare for the coming of Love incarnate.

I do look east every morning, watching the sunrise or not.  Some days it’s too cloudy to see the sunrise, but it never fails to get lighter outside.  The sun sets every day and rises every morning whether we can see it or not.  There is a certainty in the rise and fall of the sun.

And without fail Christmas comes each and every year.  It may come differently for different people.  But it still comes.  Some pay little or no attention to Christmas, some go all out and celebrate for all it’s worth.  They trim the tree, light the lights and wrap the presents to put under the tree.  

I do love Christmas and all it represents, but most of all I’m thankful for the Greatest gift of all, our loving Lord and Savior.  So with the coming of each new day I’ll be singing… Love, the Lord is on the way!

A Christmas List

Anonymous

Fear less, hope more;
Eat less, chew more;
Whine less, breathe more;
Talk less, say more;
Hate less, love more;
And all good things will be yours.

Chapter 12, Page 1, Book 13

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee O Israel

O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851

Here we are the first Sunday of the season of Advent and so today and the next 3 weeks of Advent I’ll be sharing a carol or hymn as part of my preparation for the Christmas season. In our household, we tend to focus on the more joyful aspects of Advent, making it a time of festive cheer and happy expectation. As December 25 approaches, Christmas carols and decorations become more and more prevalent and they will continue to be a part of each day all the way until the season of Epiphany on January 6th.

Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas, not the celebration of it.  My family has long observed Advent so this week I spent some time unpacking and finding the Advent wreath and placed it on the table.  I unwrapped the  Advent candles and placed them in the wreath, all ready to light the first candle at lunch after church today.  

This all brought to mind the hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel!   This is the Sunday of Expectation in which we begin to look forward to the Coming of the Messiah, the Incarnation of God by which he again revealed to the world that he is a  God with us.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. That is what Advent is about.

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success. 

 Henry Ford

Chapter 11, Page 30, Book 13

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

Elizabeth Coatsworth

It’s the last day of November here and it has been a busy month.  I’m thinking that December will be just as busy if not busier.  It’s been very cold and we probably broke a record for having the coldest Thanksgiving in a long long while.  I had some grand times with my family this past week.  A new grandchild, Thanksgiving celebrations and a little family excursion too.  The pictures today are of two of my little grandsons, 3 years old, enjoying the snow.  It surely does warm my heart to see the little one having so much fun.  

Snow doesn’t give me much pleasure unless I’m inside looking out.  For me it means bundling up just to keep warm.  It’s like I gained 10 pounds just putting on the layers to keep warm.  I always seem to feel so much lighter when the warm weather comes.   I’m not complaining, just stating a fact.  I’ve lived in this part of the country most of my life.  I could have chosen to live elsewhere and this point in my life I’m sure I’ll stay right here as here is home.  Besides that this was a light snow, just a few inches.  There will be a whole lot more to come.

1178. Plenty of good warm clothing to wear

1179. for boots and wool socks that keep my feet warm

1180. for hats and scarves and mittens, wardrobe essentials for northern Ohio