Wanna send the most unique and amazing Christmas cards ever? Check out Ellie’s work at www.cardchef.com. She does beautiful design and uses quality materials. Plus, she’ll incorporate your ideas!
I hope she won’t mind that I am showing you these here! :)
These are just thumbnails. You have to click on the images for a better view.
Inspiring!
I love my Dave. And he loves Christmas.
For 28 Christmases now, he has worked hard, planned, created, wrapped, shopped, baked, played, decorated and done whatever else is necessary to create a magical, love-filled, memory-made Christmas for our family. Christmas mornings at our house are legendary feasts of extravagant indulgence and convivial love banquets of gifts and good smells and laughter and mountains of giftwrap and the music of Christmas and the love of the most incredible husband-father-grandfather. It isn’t about the money spent, for often there has been precious-little of that, but it’s the thoughtful generosity of spirit, gifts that remind the recipient: you are loved, cherished and appreciated-this is my token of that. But – wrap all of that in a huge Christmas bow and you have the gift of the season that my husband puts much great effort in to.
You are the original Clark Griswold, honey. You are George Bailey and Father O’Malley ringing the bells of Christmas. You are my handsome Jefferson Jones, my lover by tree-light. You are Kris Kringle and Santa Claus. You are the man described in “Holiday Inn” in the exchange between Jim Hardy and Miss Linda Mason (Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds).
Linda: You’re a lot like my father – just a man with a family. Never amounted to much, never really cared. But as long as he was alive, we had food to eat and clothes to keep us warm.
Jim: Were you happy?
Linda: Very.
Jim: Well, then your father was a successful man. I hope I can do as well.
Yes, baby, you are Mr. Christmas. I love that you are. I love that you are ever-committed to making merry for all. I am smiling at how excited you are to be organizing the decorations – getting ready to haul them out in mere days. You know where everything is and you’re planning, with a twinkle in your eye, to give us yet another wonderful Christmas.
As the Carpenters once sang: Merry Christmas, Darling…Jeanie
From Dickens’ A Christmas Carol~
“…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that truly be said of us, all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God bless us, Every One!'”
NOTE TO SELF: Love the Christmas keeper.
characters above from some of our favorite Christmas movies, including: Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bells of Saint Mary’s, Christmas in Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn
pictured: sweet daughter, Stormie did the graphic for me, from a photo of Dave and a Bing Crosby album.
I pulled out that classic Christmas album, “A Partridge Family Christmas Card” featuring the vocal stylings of David Cassidy.
Yeah, that’s right, baby! I am a child of the 70’s. So – I still like to hear The Partridge Family singing Christmas carols once or twice each Christmas season. I try not to go public with that fact very often, but there it is.
But I am really wondering about their version of “Frosty the Snowman,” and what David Cassidy was thinking when he recorded it?
If you have never heard it, and I really recommend you go immediately to your local Salvation Army or Goodwill store and seek to purchase your own copy, imagine this well-loved and much-sang song, slowed down…slowed waaaaaaay down. Imagine a white guy (David Cassidy a.k.a. Keith Partridge) singing as “soulfully” as he can. Imagine his eyes closed as he sings it with deep feeling. Imagine this song sounding so gospel, so deeply pleading, that it would sound appropriate at a Billy Graham Crusade altar invitation time. Imagine singing “Frosty the Snowman,” with so much feeling that you must stop and focus on said snowman -right now!?
The other day I was listening to the same song by different, more upbeat performers and the words did give me pause (check it out here), but now I am wondering if David Cassidy knew way before I pondered the possibility – that Frosty IS, indeed, a Christ-figure?
Don’t worry. The season is just getting started. Lots more thoughts where these came from!…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Put The Partidge album away now.
“Fear not, I bring you tidings of great joy…For unto you is born this day…a Savior…” -Linus quoting Luke 2 in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
I love Christmas. I love it all (in spite of many years of retail management). I love the sights, the sounds, the symbols, the traditions, the aromas, the corny movies, the giving, and yes, even the receiving of gifts. Yet, yearly, I find myself having to defend my love of all things Christmas with, especially, Christians, my family-in-the-faith, who are worried that it is “too commercial,” or “isn’t really when Jesus was born anyway,” or the real biggie: “it is a time of pagan worship.”
Bah-humbug, people! Get on board the joy-train. Even in the Old Testament (see Nehemiah 8.9-12) God’s people were instructed, actually encouraged, to remember God in celebration – to eat and drink and rejoice, and not to grieve, for
“the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Then, 2000 years ago, the angels, with the actual glory of the Lord shining around them, declared the GOOD NEWS, the MESSAGE everyone had been waiting for, the EVENT for which they had been longing and prophesying from way back, “good tidings of great joy…to all people…for…born this day…a Savior!”
Yaaaay – it happened! He came. And the angelic response to this in the heavenlies that night was worship to God (“Glory to God in the highest”) and declaration of blessings to mankind, who now had a Savior (“peace, goodwill toward men!“).
Why celebrate? Would offend God if we just got happy and decorated our houses because Jesus, God’s Son came?
In the book of Ezra, there was a celebration so raucous when the foundation of the temple was finished – the rejoicing was so loud the noise was heard far away. The Bible is full of dramatic worship and celebrating. But the things we do when we celebrate and decorate have much symbolic meaning at their very root. We can imprint our children and grandchildren and impact others with the truth in our celebrating. I welcome the symbols for the freedom they give me to declare Christ at this time of year more than at any other.
Christmas literally means: Christ Mass. Mass is: our worship/prayers, and ceremonies commemorating the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Everytime we say “Merry Christmas,” we are declaring Christ!
Do you believe I could go on? I could because I have chosen to “joy” in Christmas and celebrate extravagantly.
I recently read the Book of Habakkuk, which one scholar describes as being “one man’s pilgrimage from doubt to worship.” The book ends with an incredible song of faith and worship in which Habakkuk makes this decision in spite of the devastating circumstances in which he finds himself:
“Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
The study notes say this Hebrew word for joy speaks of “dancing or leaping for joy,” that it indicates “spinning around with intense motion.” And note, please – it is a verb.
Yes, it would seem the world becomes increasingly Godless. No, most people have no idea what Christmas is suppose to be or the total truth of what they are celebrating, but I do know. And I will joy because He’s here! He came! I have a Savior!
Blessings & goodwill to you and yours. Great news: your Savior came! May you have the most joyous, peaceful, life-giving, merriest Christmas ever. JOY to the world! Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: be glad, rejoice, celebrate, spin around and dance, be exceedingly glad and pass on the good news that a Savior came – for all people!
My good friend Jack Hayford (I should mention he doesn’t actually know we’re good friends) has some attending things to say about celebrating Christmas for all we’re worth. It’s a short, but good read.
Follow the link! http://www.foursquare.org/articles/221,1.html
Blessings, Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Get a good dictionary and read often; make it a goal to sound as smart as Jack Hayford before I die…
In my last post I blathered about the sacred songs of Christmas (which I L O V E !). I thought of another I love singing. It isn’t sacred, but it is classic (hey, I am spirit and soul!). This one says:
“Everybody knows a turkey…”
Sure, I know a turkey. I know several. I bet you do, too. But it’s Christmas, so let’s just let them be. Let’s let them be who they are and just try to have some peace on earth and goodwill towards men (and turkeys).
AND – guess what!?? Just as I was preparing to post my last entry (“Let heavan and Nature Sing), my daughter, Stephanie, brought me a nice, hot Starbuck’s coffee. And can you believe what I read on the cup? It seems Starbucks and I are on the same page about this Christmas singing. Really the only difference between me and Starbucks is a few billion dollars, but, you know, other than that…
Here is what the cup actually said:
“Singing solo on busy streets attracts a few strange looks. Join a group and suddenly harmonies tour the neighborhood, playing to packed houses nightly.”
How can you beat coffee house wisdom?
Blessings, Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Perhaps gathering a few friends and my very talented family and singing in a group for Christmas would be fun. We could call it “Christmas caroling!” Novel, eh? ;)
One of my favorite things about the Christmas season when I was a child was sitting in a dim room with only the lights of the tree twinkling and I’d sing all the Christmas carols I knew. I had no idea at the time that I wasn’t just singing songs about the Christmas season, but I was actually being impacted with spiritual truth about God’s great gift to us.
While my own kids were growing up, even though it could be challenging to get a spare moment, I would still find an evening or two to myself to do the same. It was good to find peace during the season’s rush, in a light-quiet room, to sing truth, to just sing myself into joy.
These days you could do brain surgery from the glow of our 12-foot tree, due to the 6000 lights Dave loves to add. But stealing time to sit there and sing is a priority for my Christmas joy-quest. I love Christmas carols!
This past weekend as I waited in line for some hot chocolate and caramel corn in a tiny and extremely crowded establishment full of holiday shoppers, an older gentleman behind the counter was singing his head off. No piped music for him. He just reared back and proclaimed, “Silent night, holy night…,” and then, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come...”
How unusual, how risky and politically incorrect in these days, and yet, not one person there seemed offended or got out of the very long line to leave the store. Because it was “Christmas music,” it was OK. How cool is that? Even if they have never heard those songs before (and I bet they have), seeds were sown that afternoon into shopper’s hearts. And as year follows year and season follows season and they hear them again and again, that beautiful truth will continue to be declared as an inescapable testimony (no matter how far they may be from Christ) – those seeds remain, ready to spring up!
In the Old Testament God told Moses, “Now write down this song and teach it.” So Moses recorded a very lengthy song God gave to him and he taught it to the Israelite people. They sang it. Moses instructed the people to take all the words of the song to heart saying,
“These are not just idle words, these are your life.”
God knew and Moses knew that a song can impact your heart and memory like nothing else can. When you consider some of the rich, spiritual truths found in Christmas carols (and I sing them a lot, so I have!), you can see that the joyous messages contained in them are life-giving. Consider these incredible truths. Better yet- sing them:
“Son of God, love’s pure light” Jesus is the light of the world.
“Let every heart, prepare Him room”
“God is not dead, nor does He sleep” Bing Crosby does a great job of declaring this important message.
“Born that men no more may die”
“O, come let us adore Him” What an invitation to personal worship.
“God rest ye…let nothing you dismay” Because Jesus was born, we get rest, rest! “…to save us all from Satan’s power.” Sin’s terrible grip is broken, rest. “O, tidings of comfort and joy…,” rest.
And who hasn’t heard Mariah Carey on KOSI 101 belting out, “And in His Name, all oppression shall cease!” ?
Right now, for these brief few days, we don’t have to feel sheepish or guilty about what Christmas has become, but we can be the most joyous celebrants around.
I think we should all stand in shopping lines and sing Christmas carols and make people smile…or think we’re weird, but at least plant the seeds of truth in a song that will stay in their heads.
Blessings, Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Go sit by the Christmas tree. Remember the gift God hung on a tree 2000 years ago while anticipating the gifts under my tree we will share in a few days. Sing with uproarious joy. Sing!