2009 Blogs

.
To see my 2009 blogs go to: Jeri-Lynn’s 2009 Blogs

.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

Merry Christmas, Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas from Nashville

.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and a partridge in a pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Rumor has it that from 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly so someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. I checked it out at snopes.com and this account is NOT true. However, I like the symbolism so much, I’m sharing it with you anyway.


-The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stand for faith, hope and charity.

-The four calling birds represent the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. (actually, it’s not “calling” birds – the original song referred to “colly” birds which are blackbirds)

-The five golden rings represent the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. (Note: the gold rings are not jewelry. In the original song they were referring to golden ringed neck birds – such as pheasants. This is in keeping with the “bird” theme).

-The six geese a-laying represents the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represents the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit… Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking stand for the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy,
Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping are the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

Despite the fact that this is all made up stuff, I like it. It’s a way to put Christ back into Christmas and it makes a song that makes no sense make sense.

(These symbols are for the Catholic faith. You can fine tune this to suit your religion. )

Christmas Gift Suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.”

~ Oren Arnold

A Christmas Poem

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
~Norman Wesley Brooks

How to keep "Christ" in Christmas:

Don’t forget to keep Christ in your Christmas this year. Here are some suggestions:

1. Have family members dress in biblical-type clothing and act out the Holy Night for family and friends (Many young children will love being part of this.) Take photos and use one for next year's Christmas card.

2. As a family, choose some charitable activities you can do together, such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or helping with a toy drive.

3. Identify an elderly or low-income person or couple who might not have family support during the Christmas season. Invite them to one of your family gathering, offer to take them Christmas shopping, or invite them to attend a Christmas church service with your family. You might also take them food gifts over the course of the festive season.

4. Plan times to bake Christmas goodies for special family dinners, parties, and gifts. Look for cookie cutters that are Nativity related, such as stars, angels, camels, sheep, and Nativity silhouettes.

5. Make family craft keepsakes and heirloom ornaments imprinted with the year they were made and the name of the maker. (Many craft stores sell simple ornament kits). Consider adding a Christ-centered phrase, such as "Christ, Our King, 2006" or "Jesus - the Heart of Christmas." Over the years you will build a family keepsake collection to treasure.

6. Keep a Christmas journal expressing your thoughts about what happens throughout the season with your family and friends. Include your reactions to the news, sermons, Christmas programs, parties, and gifts, as well as your meditations about Jesus.

7. Hang a large Christmas stocking, intended for a designated needy person or family, in a central location. Beginning at Thanksgiving, family members and friends can deposit small gifts and bills into the stocking. Close to Christmas, the gifts and money are wrapped and presented to the intended recipient(s). Consider doing this anonymously.

8. Invite members of your family, people from church, or neighborhood families to a potluck carol sing. Prepare copies of favorite carols, and set a loose schedule so that you have time to sing all the songs distributed.

9. Do your family Christmas shopping at your favorite Christian bookstore and/or Christian Web sites.

10. Attend your church's Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service as a family to seal the reverence of the celebration of Christ's birth as a valued family tradition.

Excerpted from 101 Ways to have a Christian Christmas by Brenda Verner. Copyright © 2006 by Brenda Verner. This is an excellent book. I highly recommend it.

Also see: 31 Ways to Make Christmas Special

Here are a few more suggestions:

In France, it is common to have a small nativity set on display in the home. Each night, the wise men grow closer to the stable where Joseph and Mary await the birth. Then on Christmas Eve, baby Jesus is placed into the manger.

Find children's books that tell the nativity story in various ways. Read one each night before bedtime. Make it a tradition to read the Biblical version on Christmas Eve.

Separate the holiday: Make Christmas Eve about Christ and Christmas morning about Santa. Sing songs like “Silent Night” and “Away in the Manger” on Christmas Eve – or have Handel’s Messiah playing as your background music. Sing “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty the Snowman” on Christmas Day - and play a CD of secular Christmas favorites.

The Spirit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas

Anonymous

I have a list of people I know all written in a book

And every year at Christmastime I go and take a look

And that is when I realize that those names are a part

Not of the book they're written in but of my very heart

For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path some time

And in that meeting they've become a treasured friend of mine

And once you've met some people the years can not erase

The memory of a pleasant word or a friendly face

So when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you

It's because you're on that list of folk I'm indebted to

And you are one of many folk who in times past I've met

And happen to be one of those I don't want to forget

And whether I have known you for many years or few

In some way you have a part in shaping things I do

This, the spirit of Christmas, that forever and ever endures

May it leave its richest blessing in the hearts of you and yours.

Christmas is for kids

Lincoln (2.6 years) and Emmy (10 mos.)

I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning.

Favorite Kinds of Holiday Parties:

What's your favorite kind of holiday party? A friend of mine (who gets a lot more readers than I do) asked this question and here was the response:

• 43% Family-friendly open house
  
• 31% Fancy cocktail parties
• 30% Dinner parties
  
• 26% Gift exchanges / secret Santas
• 16% Cookie swaps
  
• 9% Tree-trimming parties
  
• 7% Office parties
• 7% Caroling

Created on Nov 24, 2008

Total Votes: 926

(Yes, I know. The numbers add up to more than 100% -169% to be exact. That's because people voted for more than one kind of party - apparently that screwed things up a bit. But it still gives you an idea of what people like...in case you are thinking of having a holiday party - - which I'm not - so put your calendars away)

Christmas Charity

Christmas always puts me in the mood for giving and sharing what I have with others. The scriptures tell us that we should give anonymously.

“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them…” Matthew 6:1-4

However, I believe in letting your children see you give because they learn to give by observing you. Even better, find opportunities for THEM to give. I joined the National Charity League with my two daughters and that afforded them many opportunities over the years to serve others. Their favorite Christmas activity was participating in the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree” drive. They would volunteer to sit at the Angel Tree table and help shoppers pick a name of a child off the tree to shop for. At the end of their allotted time, the girls would take a couple of names and do their own shopping.

Giving at Christmas is easy. There are boxes in the grocery stores where you can donate canned goods and/or toys for people who need them. When you are checking out you can donate a dollar for a turkey to be given to those in need. When you are making your Christmas cookies, make a plate for a neighbor. You can take your family to a local rest home, or hospital and sing Christmas carols as a family home evening activity.

What is YOUR favorite way to serve others at Christmas?

(for more ideas of ways to teach your children how to serve, go to:

Young Mothers Serving Others )

Prayer for Troops:

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

Saying a prayer for our ground troops in Afghanistan , sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, and for those in Iraq is the best gift you could give our troops - at Christmas, or anytime.

You can express your gratitude by sending a Christmas card to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P. O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD. 20791-5456

Cards received are distributed to the troops

or send an email card. Xerox has put up a site where you select a card and just click "send"
it's easy and it's FREE:

http://www.letssaythanks.com

What I Know for Sure (Maya Angelou)

Maya Angelou was recently on Oprah. Oprah has a thing about asking what people know for sure. Maya said this:

'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow .'

'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life.'

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'

'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back..'

'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'

'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'

'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.'

'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.'

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

(Scroll down to January 13^th to see MY list of what I know for sure - What do YOU know for sure?)

2-Ingredient Company Dinner

STEAK WITH GORGONZOLA Makes four servings
4 beef tenderloin steaks (6-8 oz. each)
4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preheat broiler. Season steaks with salt and pepper to taste. Coat a pan with cooking spray (I don’t count salt and pepper and cooking spray as “ingredients”) and heat over medium-high heat. Sear steaks for five minutes on each side, then put them in a baking pan and top with 1 ounce cheese each. Heat in broiler about one minute. Remove from oven and let steak rest for five minutes before serving.

I would serve this with poppy seed noodles (just cook noodles and toss with butter and poppy seeds – for 1 lb noodles I’d use ½ to 1 teaspoon poppy seeds – but feel free to use more if you like) and grilled tomatoes.

Grilled Tomatoes:
1 tomato per person (cut tops off and scoop out about 1/3 of the inside - discard.) Tomatoes should be at room temp – not cold.
Fill each tomato with mixture of equal parts Mayonnaise and grated parmesan cheese. (Okay, so that’s three ingredients – big deal). Broil until puffed and brown.

If you want bread, I’d serve a French baguette: sliced and buttered.