Tag Archives: Christmas

Red Ribbon Eggnog

At my grandparent’s house, Christmas was as elegant as a Harrod’s storefront window. Everyone wore their best clothes. The formal dining room and the family dining room were both completely decked with Christmas china, crystal, napkin rings, Christmas crackers, salt cellars, and silver serving pieces. The tree was a coordinated masterpiece of tasteful holiday cheerContinue reading “Red Ribbon Eggnog”

A New Christmas Tradition

At Christmas time, we do things differently. The house is decorated differently. We eat different foods. We sing different songs. The ho-hum of the rest of the year fades in the twinkle and sparkle of lights, yet we expect our different traditions to remain the same. It wouldn’t be a tradition if it wasn’t theContinue reading “A New Christmas Tradition”

The Burden of Advent

Did you get it right this year? Advent, I mean. Did you do it right? Did your perfectly clean house smell like gingerbread? Were all of your gifts purchased and wrapped before December began? Have you had angelic family devotions every night where your children gathered around the piano and sang Silent Night perfectly onContinue reading “The Burden of Advent”

“Letters from Father Christmas” : A Review for the Advent Season

In 1920, a small boy asked his father a simple question: “What is Father Christmas like and where does he live?”  In answer, the father began the tradition of writing a newsy letter from Father Christmas to his children, detailing the preparations for the holiday, the past year’s events, and other fun tidbits from theContinue reading ““Letters from Father Christmas” : A Review for the Advent Season”

The Blindness of Advent

Listen HERE Fourteen years ago, my grandmother gifted us an ornate advent calendar. It is shaped like a house, and each door is numbered.  She also sent little ceramic animals that I remember from my own childhood. “Put one in each door,” she wrote in her letter, “and then, each day you can see whoContinue reading “The Blindness of Advent”

The Battle of Advent

Listen HERE I live on a reservation where I see many battles. Even while I watch my little boy fight imaginary foes with a wooden sword, I am praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are fighting the battles of addiction, grief, loneliness, rejection, generational trauma, and hopelessness. Those foes rise up withContinue reading “The Battle of Advent”

Out Good-ing God

‘Tis the season of good cheer, good food, good feelings, and good deeds.  The season just doesn’t seem complete without checking those good deeds off our lists. There’s a house I drive past where there is no hot water heater and only thirty minutes of electricity at a time. The children there will not haveContinue reading “Out Good-ing God”

Going in Haste

I usually leave all the hurrying to my husband. I would rather leave early and get there late than hurry to do anything. But, there’s hurry in the Christmas story that was totally justified and just can’t be ignored.  The shepherds were keeping watch over their sheep by night. While they were diligently, methodically, butContinue reading “Going in Haste”