Do You Hear?

 

“Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world – stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death – and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

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I began setting out nativity scenes yesterday morning and have continued throughout the day. I have 29 out now. With each set, I thought about the huge difference Jesus's birth brought to our world. Have you ever imagined yourself walking through a forest filled with beautiful trees and wild flowers? That's what I did. I walked into a beautiful, peaceful paradise. I continued walking until I came to a fork in the trail. One path split off into the "wish" side of the forest and the other to the "hope" side. Some people get confused about these two things. Wishes are for genies and hope is for believers. As an example, I thought to myself, "Gee, I wish that Santa Claus would come down the chimney and get all of those boxes from the top shelf. Did I expect it to happen? No. Then I thought, "I hope that if I ask Dean, he'll get them down for me. Did he? Yes. Dean is real. He's solid. He's someone I believe in, not a genie who will disappear in a puff of smoke. Our Savior is real. He was born in Bethlehem to show us by His life the pathway we should follow. He paid the price for our Atonement.  He gives us hope.  Tomorrow, I will walk into His light.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

I'm changing the order of things today because I found an absolutely incredible video on Youtube. It was posted on the 26th of November of this year, so the odds are that you haven't seen it either. Watching it changed everything I was going to do and say. It really filled me with joy. It will be both the song and the story today. I'm so impressed with it! Please watch and listen to this song by Gentri which includes their children telling the story of Christ's birth ~~ Marilee

"Do You Hear What I Hear" (Official Music Video) | GENTRI

Said the night wind to the little lamb,

do you see what I see

Way up in the sky, little lamb,

do you see what I see

A star, a star, dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite

With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,

do you hear what I hear

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,

do you hear what I hear

A song, a song, high above the trees

With a voice as big as the sea

With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,

do you know what I know

In your palace warm, mighty king,

do you know what I know

A Child, a Child shivers in the cold

Let us bring Him silver and gold

Let us bring Him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere,

listen to what I say

Pray for peace, people everywhere!

listen to what I say

The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

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Fastest and Best Fudge Ever

4 c. powdered sugar, sifted

2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

½ t. cinnamon

1/3 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

½ c. margarine or butter, cut into pieces

½ c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in 8-cup glass bowl. Pour in milk and vanilla. Sprinkle margarine over top.

Microwave, uncovered, at High power for 2 minutes. Mix well and pour into aluminum foil lined and greased 8 x 8 x 2" baking pan. Sprinkle pecans over top of fudge and press in lightly. Refrigerate until firm––abt. One hour.

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Make Christmas Special

Making Christmas special doesn't mean that you have to have "tons" of presents under your tree or spend "tons" of money you probably don't have. It's all about spending "time" with those you love. Each Thursday, we will share ideas about something we can do to make Christmas fun. Please feel free to leave comments or email me and I will include your ideas. You see, “It can come without ribbons, it can come without tags. It can come without packages, boxes, or bags … For Christmas doesn’t come from a store, Christmas comes from the heart, and that means a whole lot more.” Covid has affected our world dramatically. Start a new tradition this year, make it fun: pull taffy (I haven't done that since I was a kid), make a new ornament starting this year. (I have some fun, easy ornaments on my pinterest boards). You can have a pickle hunt! You can eat by candlelight! Whatever is fun for you.

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There’s More to Christmas…

Author Unknown

There’s more, much more to Christmas

Than candlelight and cheer;

It’s the spirit of sweet friendship

That brightens all the year;

It’s thoughtfulness and kindness,

It’s hope reborn again,

For peace, for understanding,

For goodwill to men!