Chapter 11, Page 30, Book 09

Ma’s Christmas tip for today:

Take a holiday family photograph each year in the same spot, such as by a favorite tree in your yard. In years to come, you'll have a wonderful record of the growth of your family, as well as of the tree

Just BELIEVE in the magical power of Christmas

The things we use to decorate with have lots of meaning behind them and today I thought I’d share what I found out about the Christmas Wreath. Most of us have one on our front doors this time of year.

Every Christmas wreath is more than just a decoration...it’s a special reminder of Jesus, the reason for our celebration.

The circle of a Christmas wreath is a never-ending ring, a reminder of eternal love from our Lord and King.

The Christmas wreath is a sign of welcome, inviting all to enter in…a reminder of Christ’s invitation for all to come to Him.

The middle of a Christmas wreath is a bare and empty space, a reminder of what life would be without Christ’s love and grace .

So each time you see a Christmas wreath hanging from a door, may your heart rejoice in the One that Christmas is truly for!

May all who come to your door encounter Jesus in the heart of your home

‘On Ya’-ma

Chapter 11, Page 29, Book 09

Ma’s Christmas tip for the day:

Don't schedule yourself too tightly during the holidays. Before making an appointment, ask yourself, Can this wait until after Christmas?

On this the 1^st Sunday of advent I’ll begin by describing our Advent Wreath.

The Advent wreath is a popular Advent custom that originated in Germany. It consists of four candles (three purple and one rose), surrounded by evergreen branches. One purple candle is lit the first week, two the second, two purple and one rose the third, and finally all four in the last week of Advent. The light of the candles signifies the light of Christ, Who will come into the world at Christmas. it was brought to the United States by German immigrants in the 19th century.

The Advent wreath helps us keep our thoughts focused on the coming of Christ at Christmas, so we should make it a part of our daily activities. The easiest way is to include it at our evening meal. You can light the candle, say a prayer or read a short scripture reading and leave the candle burning during the meal.

An example would be to read passage from the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 9:1-2, 5-6

This passage reminds us that Christ is our light, and that His Birth brought us out of the darkness of sin and saved us

One prayer for this first Sunday of Advent might be:

O God, pour forth thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Amen

It is a wonderful time to share the love of Jesus

He comes to us, not to protect us from the harshness of the world but to give us the courage and strength to bear it; not to take us away by some miracle from the conflict of life, but to give us peace—His peace—in our hearts

During Advent,
take time to see our children playing
take time to see the Christmas lights
take time to hear the carols message
take time to hear the crunch of snow
take time to tell the Jesus story
take time to speak to those alone
take time to feel, smell, and taste
life's too short to grumble
life's too short to worry
life is a gift . . . unwrap it!

Author Unknown to me but so very much appreciated.

‘On Ya’-ma

Chapter 11, Page 28, Book 09

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Surprise! We had our first snow on Friday!

Ma’s Christmas tip for the day:

Be the first to wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas

At this busy time of year I’m going to be sharing with you each day some way that may or may not help you to get ready for Christmas this year.

These are all ideas that I’ve found helpful over the years and hopefully they’ll help you too.

DDIL#5, DD, DS#5 and DS#6

At the gazebo where we went shopping yesterday.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a theme oriented type of person. I have a bathroom that is decorated in all kinds of things pertaining to the BEACH and my kitchen is full of things that have to do with roosters. This year my Christmas decorating theme is BELIEVE. I found some really cute items when we went shopping yesterday so I’ll be sharing them with you throughout the Christmas season too.

Inside the old fashioned restaurant where we had lunch

On my other blog –- ON THE BRIGHT SIDE -- I’ll be sharing what I’m wearing each day as I have a Christmas shirt or sweater for all of the days up to Christmas…maybe even more.

And as the Season of Advent will begin tomorrow, on each of the 4 Sundays of Advent I’ll be sharing a little bit about that too. In all the busy-ness of Christmas preparations, preparing my heart for the true meaning Christmas is of the utmost importance in my life.

‘On Ya’-ma

Chapter 11, Page 27, Book 09

The day after Thanksgiving begins the Christmas season for me. Some of my family and I will go out to a small village nearby and enjoy the Christmas festivities they have to offer. There is a candle factory and a craft show there that we always enjoy visiting. We’ve been doing this for many years now and if we didn’t do it, it just wouldn’t seem right

I BELIEVE in the magic of Christmas. The spirit of Christmas comes to us through images, songs and Christmas cards. It also comes from the warmth of a smile and a cheerful word. Christmas warms hearts like no other season of the year. It is a time when all people of all faiths share a warmth they don't feel at any other time of the year. People show much more good will and charity and they are more cheerful and loving too

We always want to do less--and enjoy it more. Every year I say the same…I’ll get an earlier start next year. I’ll be more organized… But I’ve found that the anticipation and the preparation is really half of the holiday celebration for me. It’s exciting and invigorating. I’m going to enjoy every ribbon I tie and every card that I write and savor the magic of Christmas.

‘On Ya’-ma