On the seventh day of Christmas...

This girl rested!

Back to Christmas celebrating tomorrow...

On the sixth day of Christmas...

I pondered Santa Claus. You see, I avoid Santa in just about every way I can during the Christmas season: from passing over Santa wrapping paper and ornaments to clicking right past "Miracle on 34th Street" when it's on TV. Not that I think Santa is evil (I actually know people who ascribe to the whole "Santa" is really "Satan" just spelled differently theory, but that's quite a stretch, even for this girl), but I do think that overemphasizing the story of Santa Claus is at best a somewhat misguided distraction from celebrating Jesus (hello, it's CHRISTmas, not Santamas), and at worst, a dangerous counterfeit of the entire holiday! You see, Santa doesn't bother me when he remains in the background...like reading "T'was the Night before Christmas" as an appetizer but then reading Luke 2 as the main course. However, I get downright twitchy when I see the long line of kids at the mall waiting to get on Santa's lap to whisper in his ear the things they are longing for...it bothers me because a child should be taught to pray, to whisper into the ear of the Almighty the secrets and desires of the heart. I get frustrated when I see sleighs and reindeer and elves...and not a nativity scene in sight! I get downright emotional when I hear stories about the benevolent generousity of Santa...and not a word about the cruel suffering of the Saviour to give us the greatest gift conceivable: redemption and eternal life. I have heard some Christians say that Santa is harmless...well, I agree that he can be. If he serves as one example among many of giving generously to others (sort of like Robin Hood or a post-ghost Ebenezer Scrooge). If he is simply an anecdote. If he stays in the background.

On the fifth day of Christmas...

I did some fun Web-surfing to find Christmas on the Internet!

And here's what I was able to find (sorry, it's a pretty random listing):
*This beautiful image (just typed "Christmas peace" into Yahoo images...sometimes you can really hit a goldmine, other times, not so much!)
*The world's largest Christmas store (in Michigan, no less)
*The official website of the city of Bethlehem
*A fabulous donation idea: Trees for Troops!
*A collection of Christmas poetry, including the most beloved Christmas poem
*How to read A Christmas Carol online (that one's in honor of you, Wormie!)
*How to bake up a storm -- check out the Christmas Cookie Countdown
*A Christmas (Biblical) true-or-false quiz
*Shipping deadlines for United States Postal Service; by the way, if you were sending a gift to your cousin in Africa, your deadline was October 16. Oops.
*An article on the origins of candy canes

On the fourth day of Christmas...

I reflected on my favorite Christmas carol...

Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
I always think about how nature must groan under the weight of sin, how the world must be so drastically different from the beautiful planet that God the Creator formed and set in motion...
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
I am struck by the fact that the human soul has no relevance, no meaning, no value or purpose without the redeeming grace of the Saviour who appeared that night!
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
I love how the word "thrill" is used in this lyric; it sends shivers up and down my skin. I think of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, how the Bible says that if man did not rejoice, then even the rocks would cry out in praise of the Saviour! How the Creation must have indeed felt a thrill that night, knowing that ultimate restoration to the Creator was finally beginning!!!
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
I think of the verse in the Psalms that encourages us to "hold on, for joy comes in the morning." I have always treasured the absolute hope encapsulated in the promise of morning, the promise of an end to pain and suffering. And that promise was delivered to us that night!

Fall on your knees
I feel in awe of the holiness and majesty and beauty of God made flesh...
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Love came down to Earth when we should have been forsaken; peace was given to us when we deserved chaos and despair!
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
Anyone who has ever felt enslaved by sin rejoices in these words...
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Have you ever cried out His name in a moment of pure terror or anguish? If you have, you have felt the truth of this lyric!
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
My heart swells with gratitude here...praises to you, oh holy Jesus, who loved us enough to take on the humble form of man and dwell among us, to give us life and hope and redemption!

On the third day of Christmas...

I realized how quickly I will be running out of ideas to do this series of posts!

Today was not the greatest day to find a special way to celebrate Christmas, as I was in bed most of the day with...something. Sort of a mix between a headache and that day-before-the-flu-hits feeling. But I felt better this evening so I went around the house, cleaning up and doing some more arranging and decorating -- I'm hosting a bridal shower here a week from today, so I want it to look as cozy and festive as possible! In puttering around the house and thinking what the heck could I write about, I realized that there is such a simple pleasure in annually adorning your house with cherished and beautiful objects. For example, the picture at the top features a candle set that my mother-in-law just gave me last week. Very pretty, especially in my red and white and oak kitchen!

Then there is my little New England Village (one of those Department 56 collections). I just started collecting 2 years ago, and every year I'm trying to funnel some of my Christmas money from my grandparents into this set. So every year when they come over, I show them what their dollars have bought for me, and they take genuine pleasure in seeing my pleasure at having such an adorable decoration. Thank you Mamaw and Papaw!!!















And here are our stockings. I remember just agonizing over finding just the right stockings for me and Adam! Does anyone else ridiculously over-think purchases like that??? However, I am so darn fond of these dangling socks...




















Then more evidence of my bow-tying frenzy this year:




















And finally, a little game for you: "Which one of these is not like the other?" Seriously. How can you bring home 2 plants the same day, feed them the same amounts at the same time, and end up with such drastically different results? Note to self: red poinsettias don't like you, Becky.

On the second day of Christmas...

We put up our Christmas tree. After performing our annual tradition of buying a new ornament for each of us, of course...which required visits to 5 different places! We finally found some pretty ones at McNamara, although they aren't as unique as in years past (I don't know what y'all think, but in my opinion Hallmark's ornaments are just getting cheesier and more cartoon-y every stinking year!!!). I also made a batch of sugar cookies, and I have to say I was impressed with my own efforts...even Adam said they are about as good as my Mom's, and well, that's pretty darn good. Our dear friend Dawn came over and we chit-chatted for a bit and then she helped me put garlands on the banister. It's really quite sparkly in my house right now and I'm loving it! Although that's it for me tonight. I'm getting a headache and my bathtub is calling my name. Here's a few pix of our tree and some of our favorite ornaments...I think my favorite one is the glittery seashell, which we bought on our honeymoon in Key West. Since it was our first Christmas purchase as a married couple, it will always be numero uno in my heart!

On the first day of Christmas...

I celebrated with the girlies in our youth group. This youth group is an outreach program of Greenwood's Hispanic center, "Esperanza in JesuCristo." Adam and I have such a burden for "his people" -- the Hispanic/Latino cultures both here and abroad.

Adam and I have been leading this youth group since September and we have seen the Lord's blessings upon this effort. We had 6 kids show up to our first meeting and we're now running around 16/17 per meeting! Not only that, but the kids (the girls especially) first treated me with some suspicion and wariness (I don't blame them; many Caucasian people in this country haven't exactly put out the welcome mat for them, legal or not!), but now, I can honestly report that my girlies trust me and look up to me as their friend. I just hope I can make a real impact on their lives...be in prayer for me (and Adam) as we seek to put the Lord's stamp on their hearts. Just tonight I had a couple kids tell me nonchalantly that they don't know Jesus. I don't know if they saw the heartbreak on my face at that. I truly love these kiddos and I long to see them succeed and grow and blossom into outstanding American citizens and Christians.

Anyway, tonight we had our Christmas party. Adam took the boys and I took my girlies, first to McDonald's (seriously, they begged me to take them there for dinner!) and then back to my house for some arts and crafts time. We made Christmas tree ornaments with felt, glitter glue, sequins, jingle bells, and ribbon. We had a lovely time of talking and laughing and relaxing.