Luke 2:8-9

 Luke 2:8-9 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

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“I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind forgiving charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely and to think of other people as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. Therefore, Uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, it has done me good and will do me good, and I say, God bless it!” from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

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This song is new to me this year. It's a beautiful song performed by children. I Loved it and hope you will too.

  If I Were There - Official Music Video

…

I was not there, but inside I know

That precious baby who came so long ago

Was Jesus Christ, Lord of heav'n and earth

I sing his praises as I celebrate His birth

If I were there, I'd find the manger

And bow before the tiny Savior

I'd sense the peace that filled the air

If I were there, if I were there

If I were there

Hot chocolate

6 c. whole milk

2 c. heavy cream

1//2 c. sugar

8 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped

¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 t. Vanilla extract

Place all ingredients into large slow cooker. Vigorously wish to get the cocoa powder as mixed in as possible. Keep whisking for a minute or 2. Cook on low for 6 hours. Make sure you whisk every 45 minutes to make sure the chocolate isn’t burning on the bottom. Serve warm with marshmallows, candy canes, whipped cream or other toppings.

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Yesterday we went to a Christmas concert performed by Nathan Pacheco. The concert was simplicity itself. Candles on the stage, a fabulous pianist, an incredible cellist, and Nathan. Wow! When I heard that cello, my heart sang. Everyone agreed the pianist was the best pianist in the world, just as the cellist was the best cellist in the world! Nathan's voice was vibrant and filled with joy! It ws so simple, so pure.  As the concert progressed, I thought about the importance of keeping Christmas simple and feeling joy. I thought of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem.

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Jesus Is The Reason

In Bethlehem, God gave to us
The source of Christmas joy;
A star shown on a miracle:
The virgin birth of a boy.

He was born both God and man,
A Savior for us all,
The way to get to our heavenly home,
If we just heed His call.

So as we shop and spend and wrap
And enjoy the Christmas season,
Let’s keep in mind the sacred truth:
Jesus is the reason.
–Joanna Fuchs

Do we need to travel to Bethlehem? Physically, no. In our hearts? Yes. Bethlehem was just a small town located on the edge of the Judaean desert. There was nothing particularly special about it. I live in a small town, out in the desert, and to much of the world, there's nothing all that special about it. But it is from here that i make my annual journey to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were just ordinary people, but their mission was divine. I'm an ordinary person. Christmas is precious to ordinary people like me. The Atoning sacrifice followed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important thing which has ever happened in this world. It could not have happened without His birth. My family has heard me say for years that without Christmas there could be no Easter and without Easter, there is no need for Christmas. Every December, I start my journey to Bethlehem by reading the Gospels. I find Him in the pages. We need Him in our hearts. We need Him in our lives. Once we accept that He is Real, that He was Born in Bethlehem, that He lived, died and lives again we have found our way to Bethlehem.  ~~ Marilee

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THE ROAD TO BETHLEHEM

If as Herod, we fill our lives with things and again things;
If we consider ourselves so important that we must fill
Every moment of our lives with action;
When will we have the time to make the long slow journey
Across the burning desert as did the Magi;
Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds;
Or to brood over the coming of the Child as did Mary?
For each one of us there is a desert to travel,
A star to discover,
And a being within ourselves to bring to life.

~ Author Unknown

And so it was

 Luke 2:6-7

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn..

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"I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world." -Norman Vincent Peale

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Somewhere in Your Silent Night

Performed by Casting Crowns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT-5cP4BeoI

Somewhere in your silent night

Heaven hears the song your broken heart has cried

Hope is here, just lift your head

For love has come to find you

Somewhere in your silent night

….

He knows your hurt

He knows your name

And you're the very reason that He came

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Apple Pie Oatmeal

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1-2/3 cups 2% milk, divided

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped
Vanilla ice cream, optional

In a large bowl, whisk oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pie spice and salt. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, 1 cup milk and vanilla until blended. Add to oat mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fold in apples.  Transfer to a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low until apples are tender and top is set, 4-5 hours. Stir in remaining 2/3 cup milk. Serve warm or cold, with ice cream if desired.

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This is a great craft for children which will double as a service.  One you get the plates made, fill them with goodies of some kind, then deliver them 

Ribbon Wreath Plates

paper plates, any color or size (you can use plastic plates, but they’re harder to punch)

hole punch

ribbon, craft ribbon or curling ribbon

treats

Punch holes about every inch all the way around. Then pick a spot to start and thread the ribbon through each hole.

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The song for today and the following story are part 2 of yesterday's post dealing with grief.  I wish you well ~~~Marilee

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"Until the end of time"

 by Bob Perks

Off in the distance the old record player is stacked with the sounds of the very best of days gone by.  One by one the lp's drop, skid into place, and the sounds of Christmas fill the room.

 Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald take turns serenading the old man as he opens the box marked "Christmas."

 "It's not the same, but it is the best it can be considering."

 "Considering what?" I ask.

 "Considering the fact that my love is not with me," he says quietly.

 "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" he sings above the scratchy sounds of Perry Como.

 If records are well before your time you would not appreciate this.  But there are many who believe the purest sounds come from a 33 1/3 lp even with the scratches. You learn to tune them out.

He pulls the box a little closer, then resting his hands on it for a moment, almost like the laying on of hands at a prayer meeting, he pauses, then unties the string.

It appears that the string he used, like his dreams, is old, a little frayed and unraveled, but still serving a greater purpose.

 Lifting the lid, he stops once more and gazes into the box.

"Ah, Christmas!" he says.

 Like a surgeon, he places his hands gently, slowly into the box before him and carefully removes the contents placing it on the table.

 Whatever this treasure may be, it is wrapped in plain brown paper.

 Moving it side to side, he pulls and tugs until it is revealed.

 "This, this is Christmas," he says.

 Then lifting it up slightly above his head he looks underneath as if searching for something.

 It is a classic old mantel clock.

 "Oh, my friend that is beautiful!" I said. "Mahogany wood?"

 He doesn't answer me.

 He sat there lost in a place and time perhaps when you and I did not even exist.  He held the clock, no embraced it like he was holding the most precious thing on earth.

"Oh, I'm sorry.  I love this clock.  It means the world to me," he said.

 "I can tell," I reply.  He smiles and glances back at me.

"This is Christmas," he whispers.

 "May I ask why?  Why do you see it as Christmas?"

 He then went on to explain.

His wife had been very ill for some time.  In the spring of that year she could no longer walk.

 By fall, her interest in things around her dimmed.  Then with the approach of Christmas she seemed to rise above it all.  Her husband thought that this was a sure sign that she would recover.

 Just before Christmas she told him to go to the local store.  He was to ask for the "Christmas Box" with her name on it.  She made him promise not to open it nor ask what was inside.

 He did and as requested he returned with the box in hand.

 "Place it under the bed," she asked of him.

 It was on that Christmas Eve that she presented him with the box.  Now weakened from the cold dampness and the return of her symptoms, she could hardly make it through the night.

"Open it," she told him.

 He untied the string, unwrapped the contents and read the small card inside.

 "This is a symbol of my love for you...forever until the end of time."

 She reached under the clock and removed a small key.  Opening the front glass covering the face of the clock, she took the key and began to wind it.  With all her strength she could only manage to turn the key a few times.

 She carefully closed the door and laid her head on his shoulder.

 "We fell asleep that way," he said to me.

 The next morning, Christmas day, she was gone.

 "With all her strength she could not manage to wind the clock completely.  It stopped just minutes short of midnight on Christmas day," he said.

Then turning toward where I was standing he said, "She loved me until the end of time, her time.  I have never wound that clock again.  It holds Christmas, our last Christmas inside."

 We sat together until the last record dropped.

 How appropriate it was.

 "I'm dreamin' tonight of a place I love,

Even more then I usually do

And although I know it's a long road back 

 I promise you. I'll be home for Christmas ..."

 May the most valuable gift you receive this Christmas be found not in a box, but in the hearts of those you love...  "until the end of time."

 "I believe in you!"

Bob Perks

Bob@BobPerks.com

 

copyright 2012 Bob Perks  I encourage you to share my stories with your friends but, when copying I ask that you keep my name and contact information attached so that new readers can find their way here. Use of this story for commercial use is prohibited without direct permission from the author.

and it came to

 Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed

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“Christmas is never over, unless you want it to be…Christmas is a state of mind.”—Lauren Myracle

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I really love this video and hope that you will watch it.  The graphics are beautiful, and the message is wonderful.  The video starts with a written message saying, “This Christmas find the peace you’ve been waiting for.  The star still shines”

The Star Still Shines (New Christmas song by Shawna Edwards)

If we seek the light

When peace is hard to find

He’ll send us silent nights

And touch our ears

So we can hear an angel voice.

And in the darkest times

He will lift our eyes

To see the star still shines

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Tater Tot Casserole

2 pounds ground beef (I use ground turkey)

1 large onion, chopped

1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound frozen cut green beans (Sometimes I use frozen mixed vegetables)

1 bag (32 ounces) frozen Tater Tots

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet cook meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain and transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add onion and mushrooms to skillet; cook over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in condensed soup, salt and pepper. Place vegetable mixture in slow cooker; add green beans and stir to combine. Top with Tater Tots and cheese. Cook, covered, on low 6 hours. Let stand, uncovered, 15 minutes before serving. 

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I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Christmas joy.  We can increase that joy by first, focusing on Jesus Christ, next focusing on Others around us and finally on You (ourselves).  This season can be a difficult one for people who are grieving.  The death of a spouse or of a marriage; the passing of a child or grandchild, the loss of a job or a home can leach all of the happiness from this season.  We need to remember that Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness "happens to us", while joy lives within us. Happiness is like the bubbles in a hot tub—delightful but fleeting.  When conditions change, (like the timer runs out) the bubbles are gone, but the water is still there.  Joy is the water in the hot tub, or the oxygen that fills our world.  It is the ever present love of Our Savior.  If you are grieving or know someone who is, then you know that the world is upside down.  Nothing is the way it used to be and the things which once brought you happiness, don't anymore.  If you know someone who is grieving, share stories and memories with them.  Give them opportunities to get out and socialize, but don't try and force it.  Help them find positive tidbits to smile about.  Send texts, notes, or make quick phone calls.  Do chores.  Let them know someone cares.  Don't take it personally if they are not always warm and welcoming.  People can experience many different emotions at the same time, and anger is a part of loss and of grieving.  I am not a trained Social worker or Grief Counselor, but after being involved with Hospice for many, many years I have come to understand much about grief.  My advice is: Love them.  Love them.  Help them to feel the love of their Savior, Jesus Christ.  ~~ Marilee

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In 2008, Lavarr Webb gave permission for me to use this story written by his father, LaVarr B. Webb.  Mr. Webb was a prolific writer.  This story is their family favorite.

THE TWENTY-EIGHT CENT CHRISTMAS TREE

~LaVarr B. Webb

It was a cold day. A gray day, gray with the threat of snow, and gray with the threat of tears. There were children in our family, three of them, ages one, twelve, and fourteen. There were two children missing on that cold, gray day. They had died one Easter season some four years before. Scarlet Fever had wracked their bodies and blotched their skin.

But now the memory of that sad season was replaced by what could be a happier one. It was Christmas Eve 1935, a Depression year. My father was without a job, trying to get on WPA (Works Progress Administration).

I don't know where he was that night, just that he wasn't home, but I remember my mother trying to create Christmas joy with nothing to work with.

I was fourteen. My older sister was twelve. I don't remember that we were too concerned about receiving Christmas presents, at least I wasn't. My sister probably wanted a doll. She always wanted a doll, a baby doll, a doll like my baby sister had been, with fat, pink cheeks, and chubby hands and arms.

But now, Christmas Eve, my baby sister was thin and listless. I remember my mother telling my father, "My baby isn't getting proper food."

I don't remember much about that Christmas of 1935 other than I wanted a Christmas Tree. I told my mother, "Christmas will not be Christmas if we do not have a Christmas tree."

My sister and I begged for a tree. My mother told us "Time, and time again," "We have no money and I cannot buy a Christmas Tree."

My sister and I would not be deterred. We took colored paper from catalogs, cut it into strips, curled the strips into circles, and using flour and water paste, pasted one link into another until we had long lengths of highly colored paper chains.

We looked for tin foil from discarded chewing gum wrappers and cigarette packs. Some of the foil we cut into thin strips for icicles. Our neighbor had an English Walnut tree. We took halves of walnut shells, wrapped them with foil, and had beautiful ornaments that would rival anything found in a store.

We popped popcorn and made chains. We found discarded cranberries and made cranberry chains, but we had no Christmas Tree for our lovely ornaments. Finally, as day was fading, and the dark was creeping across the valley, I asked my mother, "See how much money you have. Maybe someone will sell me a tree."

She went to her purse and handed me twenty-eight cents. She was crying when she said, "That is all I have."

I jumped on my bike and rode up to Twenty First South Street in Salt Lake City where all the Christmas Tree lots were located. I went from lot to lot, but no one would sell me a tree for twenty-eight cents.

About nine o'clock, up on Twenty First South and State Street, I found a man turning off his lights and shutting down for the day, shutting down for the season. I asked him, "Do you have a tree you will sell for twenty-eight cents?"

His exact words were, "What the heck! I can't sell anymore anyway. Take your pick."

I found one just a little taller than I was, gave him my twenty-eight cents, put the tree across my handlebars, and headed home. As I peddled out of the lot, I heard him cry, "Merry Christmas" -- and it was.

And the angel

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

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Heavenly Father’s gift to us, the gift of Christ, is the most important gift we will ever receive. We must take time to truly appreciate that gift, not just on Christmas but every day of our lives. 

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This is a really nice story/video

Christmas Is All In The Heart - Steven Curtis Chapman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDvxOaX2dS4

…

No, it's not in the snow

That may or may not fall

And it's not in the gifts

Around the tree

It's in the love heaven gave

The night our Savior came

And that same love

Can still be found wherever you are

'Cause Christmas is all in the heart

…

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Nutty Apple Streusel

6 cups sliced peeled tart apples

1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix
 

TOPPING:
1 cup biscuit/baking mix
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Ice cream or whipped cream, optional

In a large bowl, toss apples with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Place in a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and biscuit mix. Spoon over apples.

For topping, combine biscuit mix and brown sugar in a large bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Add almonds; sprinkle over apples.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the apples are tender. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

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I went looking through the internet and found a great site with game and activity suggestions

Extracted from https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/biblically-themed-christmas-games-for-children

Mystery gift of the Magi

To prepare, wrap a small gift (or a token that can be exchanged for a gift after the game) in layer after layer of gift wrap. For older children, make the game more challenging by binding every few layers with duct tape, and/or packing the gift in successively larger boxes. You’ll also need a pair of oven mitts, a scarf, a hat and a pair of dice.

To play, take turns throwing both dice. The first person to throw a combined total of seven or eleven (adding up the dots on both dice) quickly dons the hat, scarf and oven mitts and proceeds to unwrap as many layers of gift wrap as possible before another person throws seven or eleven. (Don’t let anyone tear multiple layers at once – the rule is only one layer at a time! And no using your teeth either!) The person who unwraps the final layer gets to keep the gift.

Here are some joyful adult ideas :

1)  visit your neighbors.  If you want to take a plate of cookies, that’s great, but shoveling the walk, helping decorate their house or taking them a christmas card delivered with a smile are ALL  great ideas.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just something that says, “I see you.”  Some of us don’t have or don’t know our neighbors.   Open the door for someone at the store, let someone go ahead of you in the checkout line.  Say thank you to a clerk. 

2.  Volunteer.  We’ve talked about it before, but before you say no, you can’t do that, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.  Dean went and helped unload boxes at the bishop's food warehouse today.  If you don't have an hour, send someone a text or make a phone call.  Ask  how they are, or just say “hi.”  I tried to let a Spanish couple go ahead of me in the line at the store today, but I couldn’t communicate with them.  I need to learn Spanish!  We need to earn to share the love of Christ with everyone  ~ Marilee

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The Postman Lifted Us From Depression

My parents, at the height of the Depression, were forced to go on home relief, which is known as welfare today. It was 1935, when I was 10 years old, and we lived on the first floor of a walk-up apartment on 43rd Street, in Brooklyn, New York.

A few days before Christmas, I looked out a kitchen window to see my father sitting on the stoop, dejected and depressed, with tears in his eyes. The mailman was approaching our building and asked my father what was wrong.

I heard my father say that he had used up his food vouchers and that the rent was past due. He had tried to work as a laborer through the Works Progress Administration, but he wasn’t a very strong man, and the work had been too hard for him. I was scared, having seen newspaper pictures of people being put out on the street with all their belongings.

“Ike, how much do you need?” the mailman asked. My dad said he needed $33 for the rent, and without hesitation, the mailman took $50 from his wallet and handed it to my father.

My dad said, “I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back.” The mailman put an arm around my father and said it would be okay if he paid him back or he didn’t pay him back.

The mailman noticed me looking through the window and said, “Isaac, things will not be this way forever. If you or your son will remember this day, there will be times in the future when someone needs your help. Help them within your means and tell them what happened this day. This will be my payback. Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah.”

As long as he lived, my father helped others when he could, and I’ve done my best to do my part in paying his generosity back. —Martin Klapper, Longmont, Colorado

11 Very Short Christmas Stories with Morals (Under 5 Minutes) | International Storyteller