A Christmas Heart Is A Giving Heart

 

"Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart." George Matthew Adams

~*~*~*~

The Star

written and performed by Kathy Mattea

The Star Kathy Mattea - YouTube

Click on this link, then click on the link it brings up

Just another homeless family

Hoping for a stranger's charity

Just one night in one safe place to stay

Underneath a star so far away

She carried everything they had and more

The little one the world was waiting for

And somewhere in the night her child was born

Into every heart so tired and torn

And the light shining from that star

Will show you who you are

And his life shining with its light

Will lead you through your darkest night

They couldn't find a room for him back then

But he found a place in the hearts of men

The hope that all the world would come to know

Born beneath that star so long ago

Just another homeless family

Hoping for a stranger's charity

Just one night in one safe place to stay

Underneath a star so far away

~*~*~*~

Decorating tip:

Who says wreaths are only for the outside doors? Get door hangers and put a wreath on each door inside your house. The can be any size, any material. You don’t have to worry about the weather. Check out DIY Christmas Wreath Ideas: 12 Easy Crafts (With Pictures!) (tasteofhome.com) for some fun do-it-yourself wreaths.

~*~*~*~

Holiday Pretzels

square pretzels

candy melts, chocolate or vanilla

M&Ms

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread foil on a cookie sheet. Lay the pretzels out on the cookie sheet and place a candy melt on the center of each pretzel. Place in theoven for 10 minutes or until the candy melt gets soft. Remove from the oven and press an M&M in the center of each pretzel treat. Let cool. Super easy to do with kids!

~*~*~*~

Walk with Christ

Please excuse me for the lack of commentary.  I am struggling with a migraine today.  Write a Christmas letter to a missionary or someone in the military and send it to him/her.

~*~*~*~

FAR, FAR AWAY ON JUDEA'S PLAINS ~ Jeanne P. Lawler

https://myfavoritechristmasstories.blogspot.com/2009/07/far-far-away-on-judeas-plains.html

I was a missionary "Far, Far Away" in Bangalore, India, for Christmas in 1993. On the first week of December, three days after I arrived, I was asked if I would help organize and direct a choir in the Bangalore Branch of our Church. I said, "Happy to."

The members wanted to participate in a choir festival that was an annual event in Bangalore. I selected the above number and sixteen people attended the two enthusiastic rehearsals which were held on a rooftop of a member's home. None of them were familiar with part singing, so we sang in unison without musical accompaniment. Should there be piano, I
would play it. We were not aware what this "festival" entailed.

The date of the performance arrived. As we alighted from our harrowing
rickshaw ride to the location in downtown Bangalore, we stood gaping
before a huge city building, draped with a large banner that read
FESTIVAL OF CHOIRS. Stunned, we walked up the broad flight of stairs and
into the foyer which was milling with costumed participants. We
scrambled to get a printed program. This was a BIG event! Listed were
the names of several church, college and university choirs who were
participating. We were listed as the "L.D.S. Choir (Mormon's
Tabernacle)." We gasped! We didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. We
went aside and prayed, pleading for heavenly help. I turned to my
companion and said, "You'll have to direct." She said "I've never done
that before in my life!" I replied "Just smile, make a figure eight and
look confident."

When the curtain opened for our number, my companion had our Indian "Mormon's Tabernacle Choir" arranged on risers ready to perform. All seven ladies on the front row wore beautiful saris and the nine men behind them wore suits and white shirts. The director was magnificent. She even took a bow! I took a deep breath as I sat down to accompany them on an old upright piano with missing ivories.

The shock from the sound of the first chord nearly threw me off the chair, but when she raised her hand and started her figure eight, I could hardly play, and I don't know if I did. It was as if The Choir, whose name we bore on the printed program, were singing. I knew then our prayers were heard and a choir of angels was singing with our little choir. As the last note sounded, there was silence; then, thunderous applause from the packed auditorium. The curtains closed and we wept and jumped for joy.

Guess who won a prize? We did! The fourth verse says "Hasten the time when, from ev'ry clime, Men shall unite in the strains sublime." It happened in India!

My husband loved this hymn, and it was sung at his memorial service in 1986. Fred was not gifted musically while in mortality, but I like to believe that he was among those summoned to sing "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" with the L.D.S. Choir (Mormon's Tabernacle) in Bangalore, India, December 1993. --

Jeane Peterson Lawler died 22 June 2013 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

 

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;

It makes no noise at all,

But softly give itself away;

While quite unselfish,

It grows small.

~*~*~*~

Love Knows No Borders

written by Sally DeFord
performed by James Loynes

Love Knows No Borders - YouTube

click on this, then click on the link that pops up.

From lands of the sunrise
From isles of the sea
Though oceans divide us
And miles lie between
Come gather in spirit
With shepherds of old
’round Bethlehem’s cradle
Our Heavenly King to behold

For love knows no borders
And love knows no bounds
Rejoice ye together
For Jesus our Savior is born

From nations far sundered
From earth’s farthest shore
From castle and cottage
Where Jesus is Lord
Come sing with the angels
With voices made one
Ascending to heaven
In praise of the Father’s own Son

For love knows no borders
And love knows no bounds
Rejoice ye together
For Jesus our Savior is born

His love knows no borders
Nor color nor creed
No rich and no poor,
Neither bondsmen nor free
And we who receive him
Must love without end
And carry his tidings
Of peace and good will
To all men

For love knows no borders
And love knows no bounds
Rejoice ye together
For Jesus our Savior is born

~*~*~*~

VANILLER COCONUT FUDGE

In Granny’s words herself: "This one’s so good, it’ll make yer eyes roll right back in yer head when you taste it!”

2 c. sugar

3 T butter

1/4 c. white corn syrup

1 t. vanilla

½ c. evaporated milk

½ c. coconut

1/8 t. salt

Mix the sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, salt and butter in a pan and let it heat up slow-like until the sugar is melted. Turn up the heat a bit and cook until it makes a soft ball in cold water. Cool (till the bottom of the pan can sit in the palm of y our hand without makin’’ you yell, "Yeeouch, that hurts!" Beat until it loses its shine. Beat in the vanilla and coconut and pout into lightly buttered 8x8x2 pan.

~*~*~*~

I hope that you all a good Sabbath. Our Saturday and Sunday were great. I enjoyed my walk. Saturday morning, when I decided to start a blessing jar for my walk, I knew what I would put in it. I would write that the greatest blessing of that day was Dean. That’s true, I did write it, but decided that I couldn’t limit my blessing jar to just one blessing that day. Our daughter Rachel came :) - so her name was placed on a paper. Our children all got together with their children and everyone had a birthday party on zoom for Dean. It was so good to see them. So all of our children and grandchildren ended up in the jar. I listed zoom as a blessing too! Sunday was the same way, everywhere I looked was another blessing or something to be grateful for. The more I wrote down, the more I saw.

Loneliness is a reality this year, like never before, especially for the residents at care centers and Assisted living facilities. The psalmist said “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalms 71:9

I'm going to write Christmas cards to all of the members of our church in the local care center, and drop them off at the center to be distributed to them, otherwise, I will mail them. Will you? ~~ Marilee

~*~*~*~

Marilee’s Shoemaker Story

Any resemblance to the well known fairy tale is completely intentional. Thank you, Brothers Grimm

When my children were small, I loved to tell them about the shoemaker and the good deed-doers.

There was once an elderly shoemaker, who lived with his wife above his tiny shop. He worked hard, very hard; but his gnarled, arthritic fingers just couldn’t make enough shoes. He couldn’t pay his bills. One night, he realized that he only had enough leather to make one more pair of shoes, then it was done. Where would they go? What could they do? How could they live?? Maybe, just maybe if he worked super carefully, he could sell that last pair. He shaped the leather, making sure that every cut was precise and laid the pieces on his workbench where he could put them together in the morning. He went to bed, after saying his night time prayers, and slept deeply.

He rose early the next morning and knelt by the side of his bed to say his morning prayers, then headed to his workbench. On the table was what appeared to be a pair of shoes! How did this happen? Did he make them in his sleep? Did his wife make them? No, she sewed, she didn’t cobble. He must have done it somehow. Gratitude filled his heart. The shoes were perfect!

A customer came in, took one look at the shoes and absolutely HAD to have them. He gave the cobbler a fortune for them. It was enough that the cobbler could buy leather for two pairs of shoes! He bought the leather, cut it and placed it carefully on his bench, just like he had the night before. He said his prayers and went to bed. He was so excited for morning to come that he woke early, went downstairs and there were 2 beautiful pairs of shoes on his table. Again, the workmanship was perfect! How had he done this? Why couldn’t he remember? Why didn’t his hands hurt?

Friends of his first customer came in and were thrilled to see those fabulous boots on his counter. They bought them and took off chortling with glee. (Believe me, that’s pretty happy). They paid him enough to make 4 pairs of shoes!

He didn’t know what to tell his wife, so he went and bought more leather. His next stop was at the doctor’s office. The doctor gave him some sleeping pills to help him sleep through the night. Relieved that he was ok, he cut the leather, put it on his bench, took his pills, said his prayers and went to bed.

He came down the stairs the next morning, groggy from the pills, but ready to work. There on his bench were 4 pairs of stylish shoes. And so it went. Every night he cut out shoes and found them sewn together the next morning. No matter how many pairs he cut, they were always done. Soon new styles started appearing. There were boots and sandals, slip-ons and heels! All kinds of shoes! People lined up outside his shop every morning breathlessly waiting to buy his shoes!

Night after night, he knelt and prayed for whoever was doing this kind deed for them. Every morning, he found the shoes made. He paid off his bills. He bought warm new clothes for him and his wife, he stored food and gave to the poor.

As December approached, he and his wife sat in front of their cozy fire, and talked about the “miracle of the shoes”. He told his wife that he wanted to stay up and find out once and for all who was doing this for them. She thought it was a great idea and joined him. They left a light on, hid behind a curtain and waited.

As soon as the clock struck midnight, 2 little figures entered the shop. They were tiny and clothed in rags. Their dirt-smudged faces looked so sad. Then they saw the bench with the leather and smiled. They started sewing pieces together, stitching and forming the different shoes so fast that the shoemaker’s jaw dropped. He knew who they were. They were the legendary deed-doers! Good-deed-doers! Long before the first rays of morning light broke the horizon, they finished their work and slipped away.

The shoemaker and his wife talked together about the situation and the wife said, “These little deed-doers have made us rich. We need to tell them thank you. We need to tell them that they were answers to our prayers. I’m going to make them clothes. I’ll make them pants, shirts and gloves, even coats to keep them warm.” The shoemaker responded in kind, “I’ll make them shoes!”

They worked during the day while the deed-doers worked at night. Finally, on Christmas Eve, everything was done. They set out platters of cookies, and mugs of milk. They put the new clothes on the table along with the new boots and hid once again behind the curtain. About midnight the good deed-doers came in, hopped around the room, and went to the bench. When they saw clothes and the cookies, they laughed and chuckled. They put the clothes on and ate the cookies with milk and danced around the room. Then they saw the boots. In the twinkling of an eye, the boots were on their feet. The room filled with their joy. They ran from the shop, chortling with glee (and yes, that means they were super happy).

The shoemaker and his wife never saw them again, but they remembered them always, and served those in need, at Christmas time and always.

Matt 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

“In these precious moments we realize what we feel and know in our heart—that Christmas is really about the Christ.”  Thomas S. Monson

~*~*~*~

Good Sabbath, everyone.  Sundays are always just a thought and a great story. ~~ Marilee

~*~*~*~

Memory Jar

by Karen Retzlaff

In September 1999, my mom was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer.

Needless to say, the next few months were a blur of just trying to accept what was happening and getting through the day for all of us family members.

When December came I was really struggling for an idea of what to get my parents for Christmas. I wanted to get them something really special, but my funds were pretty tight and my parents have never been into material things anyway.

For some reason, I remembered that I had read about a "Memory Jar". It's just a jar or box that you fill with slips of paper that you write on with memories of growing up. I was amazed at how many memories came flooding back to me once I sat down to think about it. I had to write them down as soon as I thought of them or I would forget them, so I had notes at home, in the car, at work, they were all over!

About a week before Christmas I sat down and wrote them on nice stationery and put them in the jar. I'll tell you - it was quite an experience.

What amazed me was that most of the memories weren't of "big things", they were of small things, like mom making us tea, toast and Jell-O water when we were sick as kids, or me always having toast with peanut butter whenever we had tomato soup for lunch. Of course there were big things too, like when I got married, or how my parents looked when they held my babies for the first time. It was really emotional for me to write all these down, but once I did it, I felt wonderful!

Then I started to get nervous about how my parents would take this gift. My family is close, but we're not overly sentimental or affectionate. So on Christmas morning I wrote a letter to go with the jar explaining what it was and that they could read a few memories a day, or all of them, but they had to wait until they were alone.

I waited until everyone had left their house on Christmas and then I went over to see what they thought. They told me that they had decided that they were only going to read a few that night and then they were going to read a few every day until the jar was empty (there were about 100 in there). Well, they got started and couldn't stop! They ended up reading all of them that night!

They both told me that it was one of the best presents that they had ever received and it showed them that they did a good job at being parents and it really is the little things in life that count!

I would recommend everyone doing this for the people they love. I now know that no matter what happens with my mom's illness, she knows how much I love her and my father and what a great impact they have had on my life! It must have had an impact on them too because the Memory Jar now has a prominent place right on their kitchen counter so everyone sees it when they come in.

Dean

 

"God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith;
the warmth of Christmas, which is love;
the radiance of Christmas, which is purity;
the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice;
the belief in Christmas, which is truth;
the all of Christmas, which is Christ."

Wilda English

~*~*~*~

This song is a favorite of my husband Dean's.  While I don't think he has ever heard a version of it he didn't like, this is an especially beautiful one.

What Child Is This

performed by Sissel

What child is this who laid to rest

On Mary's lap is sleeping

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing

Haste, haste to bring him laud

The babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies he in such mean estate,

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christian fear

For sinners here

The silent world is pleading

Nails, spears shall pierce Him through

The Cross  be borne for me, for you

Hail, hail the word made flesh

The babe, the son of Mary

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh

Come peasant King to own Him

The King of kings salvation brings

Let loving hears enthrone Him.

Raise, raise the song on high,

The virgin sings a lullaby

Joy, joy for Christ is born

The babe, the son of Mary.

~*~*~*~

Today is my sweetest of heart's birthday.  Every year, I recognize his special day in my blog with a favorite song of his, a favorite recipe and a love story.  We've been walking together, as husband and wife, for 46 years.  It seems like a long time, but it's really just a good start. I do not want to cause pain to those of you who might recently have gone through the death of a spouse or a divorce.  Please be aware that in the personal parts of the narrative, I will speak of our love. 

 Dean is joining me on my walk today. The assignment I gave myself was to find 5 scriptures about light and use them in our Christmas cards.  Dean and I recently accepted a challenge to read the 4 Gospels and the book of Acts this month, so we combined the 2 reading "assignments" together .  We read in the book of Luke today and marked scriptures with the word "light".  We were not able to find enough verses, so after we finished our chapters, we looked for more light references-- kind of a like a scripture hunt.  One verse which we particularly liked is found in 

1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. 

~~Marilee

~*~*~*~

Dean's Delicious Candy

1/4 c. butter or margarine

2 ½ c. sugar

2/3 c. evaporated milk

10-12 oz. vanilla chips

2-3 oz Neufchatel or cream cheese

5 oz. marshmallow creme

1 c. pecans or almonds, chopped

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. imitation butter flavoring

Directions:

Line a 9 x 9" pan with aluminum foil and set aside. Let the cream cheese come to room temperature.

Heat milk at medium setting until warm then add sugar. Bring to a rolling boil (med-high) while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the marshmallow creme and butter. Bring back to a rolling boil for 5 minutes by the clock (start timing once the rolling boil resumes). Add the cream cheese to the boiling mixture about one minute before the end of the boil. Cut into sections to allow easy melting.

If you get brown flakes in the mixture then turn the heat down a little.

Remove from heat and add vanilla chips and nuts. Stir until creamy and all chips are melted. Now stir in vanilla extract and butter flavor. Mix thoroughly and pour into prepared pan. Cool. Remove from pan, remove foil, cut into squares. Stand back. 

~*~*~*~

In John 15:12, we are told, "this is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you."  Dean and I have had 46 years of good times and not so good times.  We have had incredibly joyous times and heartbreaking times.  We have laughed together and we have cried together.   We've gone our separate ways at times (I hide in the middle of our house, away from all windows; while he relishes being outside during lightening storms)  I watch Sci-Fi on Saturday nights, he goes and problem solves in another room on the computer.  He loves 4-wheeling on "treacherous" mountain trails and I close my eyes so I don't have to see the edges.   I use pens, he prefers pencils.  So what do we have in common?  A deep and abiding faith in our Lord and Savior.  We have tried to love and accept each other as Jesus commanded - "to love each other as he loves us"  - completely.  Marriage is ordained of God, and we want ours to last forever.  For our walk into the light today, we are going to start a blessing vase.  I've placed an empty candle holder in the center of our table with some slips of paper around it.  At the end of each day, we will write down on one of those pieces of paper a blessing which we received that day or something which we are grateful for.  It will go in the vase, then together we will read them together on Christmas Day.  I encourage you to join us and make a blessing vase/jar/basket of your own.  

~*~*~*~

Isa’s Story
    as told to me (Marilee)

Dad returned from spending 2 years overseas in service to his God just in time for the Christmas holidays.  Their church had an annual Christmas Eve dance and my grandparents encouraged Dad to go.  He really didn’t want to – girls scared him!

When he got to the church, he drove around the parking lot, then around the block and then the parking lot again trying to postpone the inevitable.  On one of his “circles” he saw a girl get out of a car.   He watched her “dance” across the parking lot and knew that he had to meet that graceful, graceful girl!

Dad parked the car, went into the church and started his search.  I can see him in my mind.  He didn’t see her face, so all he had to go on was the way she moved.  He couldn’t even remember the color of her dress – just that it was a “floatie” kind of dress. Dad circled around the dance floor checking out all of the girls from behind.  He searched for a good 15 minutes before he found her.  Rejoicing, he asked her to dance.

He took her in his arms and asked, “What would you say if I asked you to marry me?”   

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You shouldn’t ask someone to marry you when you don’t even know her name”

“Ah, but I do. You’re my Cara, mia Cara, and whatever your last name is now doesn’t matter.  The only one that matters, is the one you’ll share with me.”

They saw each other every day until Mom went back to the Y.  Dad went to Stanford, and so their relationship faded.

The next year, Dad went to the Christmas Eve dance and saw Mom dancing with someone else.  He cut in.  He took Mom in his arms and asked, “what would you say if I asked you to marry me, Cara?”

“No.”

“Why not?”       

“Because you don’t know my phone number.  You can’t marry someone whose phone number you don’t even know.”

“Your phone number right now isn’t the one that matters, what matters is the one you’ll share with me. “

They wrote regularly after Mom returned to school, and the next Christmas found them back at the same church.  This time they walked in together.  When Dad took her in his arms, he said, “what would you say if I asked you to marry me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”       

“Because if I say yes, you’ll stop dancing with me on Christmas Eve."

“Oh, but this dance isn’t the one that matters.  What matters is all of the Christmas Eve dances we’ll share in our own home.”

They married 3 months later.

Every year we had a Christmas Eve dance.  Mom dressed up and Dad put on his best suit, and they danced.  How they danced! My sisters and I sat on the stairs and waited for our turn to dance with Dad.  Every Christmas Eve was filled with music and dancing.  Those memories are precious to me.   

When my husband asked Dad for permission to marry me, he said, “Only if you’ll dance with her every Christmas."  What a romantic he was!

I first heard this song in December 2004, shortly after my father’s death. 

This song is Christmas to me.

****

Isa referred to Luther Vandross’s recording of Dance With My Father.  When I wrote her story, she asked me to include the song with it.  I found this version on youtube, and loved the video.  Happy Dean's birthday, everyone ~~ Marilee

                       
Dance with My Father
performed by Kellie Coffey
Written by Luther Vandross and Richard Marx