Mary Did You Know?

This is one of my favorite Christmas Songs. Enjoy!

7 Quick Takes - (Vol. 1)

Jennifer over at Conversion Diary is starting a weekly 7 Quick Takes Mr Linky post - I love the idea of sharing 7 random things that I've thought about this week but either are not worthy of a full post or I have just not been able to post about yet. So here is volume 1 of the Ang4him 7 Quick Takes!

~ 1 ~

November is National Adoption Month. Someone at work sent out an email this week about this - I had never even heard of it before. It is also known as Orphan Awareness Month and Celebrate Adoption Month. I think this is wonderful!!


To find out ways you can celebrate adoption visit the National Adoption Awareness Month website. Some other good sites to visit to learn more about adoption include:


http://www.hopespromise.com/

http://www.adoptionfellowship.org/

http://www.voiceoftheorphan.org/

~ 2 ~

Along the same lines - I heard about this yesterday and thought it was pretty amazing.

Embryo Adpoption Services of Cedar Park

This church has started a program to match up parents who are interested in adopting with parents who have extra embryos due to fertility treatments. I have mixed feelings regarding fertility treatments, so this warmed my heart to hear about it. From what I heard this is the first church to set up a ministry such as this and it is only the 4th organization to offer this type of service.

The have a page of requirements which I read over and I was encouraged to see that their program does not allow for embryo reduction. They sincerely believe that every embryo is a human life.

~ 3 ~

I know every year someone says something about this but I just have to ask - what is with the Christmas ads popping up the day after Halloween? And what is up with Christmas lights popping up on people's homes already? Seriously, I drove by a house this last Sunday that had their Christmas light and decorations out already and lit up!

~ 4 ~

This past couple couple weeks I've seen and experienced first hand how many indivduals who cry out the most about intolerance and hate are often the ones exhibiting more intolerance and hate than those they are protesting about. And many times they don't even see it! What is more - I realized if I'm honest, I've been in their shoes before.

~ 5 ~

Homeschooling is so fun and I have even learned a thing or two. Today we were doing our history lesson and I learned about how our ABCs where invented. In the beginning there were 22 letters. A was alpha and B was beta - so instead of saying they were learning their ABC's they would say they were learning their alpha beta which is where the word alphabet comes from. Amazing what you can learn when you go through 2nd grade again!

~ 6 ~

Today we also learned about the kings of the Jews. When we talked about Solomon and God coming to him in a dream and asking him what we wanted (wisdom being Solomon's choice) - my daughter told me what she would have asked for from God. She leaned over and whispered to me "I would have asked for a kitten and a baby sister." Wow - I think I need to push Shaun to go get tested to make sure the surgery he went through after Jesse was born worked!

~ 7 ~

So here it is - me introducing officially on this site a book that I'm reading now. It is prompted me to start my new blog - Thankful Heart. It is called Created to be His Helpmeet.

My aunt gave it to me to read and warned me that it had offended her in some parts. So I knew it would most definitely offend me - but I'm determined to be a wife that is honoring to my husband and my God - so I decided to read it.


I have a friend who decided to read it as well and we are planning to discuss it together. She told me to check out the comments left on Amazon - basically it seems people either love this book or hate it. They either think this books is a huge blessing to their marriage or they think it represses women.


So far I have nothing but good things to say about it. I can definitely see where some people may get offended by the book and believe it represses women though. If I had been given it to read even a year ago I probably would have said the same thing. No - I take that back - I KNOW I would have said the same thing!


Sometimes when I think my walk with God is a failure I just look back over the past year and I know that He's been here all along guiding me and helping me to grown. What an Amazing God we serve!

My Christmas Tea Experience

Last month a good friend of mine invited me to a women’s Christmas tea. I really enjoy these things and this was a friend that I don’t see as often as I would like to, so I was really looking forward to this event. The tea ended up being more meaningful than I could have ever imagined.

The event was being hosted by a large church in our area. I’ve been to a few teas before, but never something like this one. As we walked in the front door we were overwhelmed by the amount of tables set up with items including jewelry, lotions, candles and everything you can think of to purchase. All the tables were beautifully decorated and there was even a chocolate fountain for everyone to dip marshmallows and pieces of cake in! Then we walked into the room where the tea was being served. Men from the church were dressed in tuxedos serving us, there was a man playing Christmas carols on a pan flute and there were beautiful Christmas decorations everywhere! Many of the women were dressed in gorgeous gowns and I must admit, it was absolutely beautiful (and the food was delicious!)

Then the program started, filled with beautiful music and dancing. I’ve been to teas before where they’ve given out little gifts. At this one they started telling us about what they had set aside for us to take home. There was a beautiful chocolate covered graham cracker with an angel on it, a silver heart necklace, and tickets to a Christmas performance at the church. On top of that they informed us that we were to take home the porcelain napkin holder, teacup and saucer that we were using.

While I should have been overwhelmed by their generosity, all I could think about was how much money it must have cost them to put this together and how the money could have been used on something else, to help those less fortunate than us. I found myself start thinking about how the real meaning of Christmas was being lost, that these women were more worried about pampering themselves than helping those who need help. From there I started wondering how close these women’s walk with the Lord really was, since they seemed to have their priorities messed up.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think we should try to be martyrs all the time, nor can I say that I don’t do things to pamper myself. I was just so overwhelmed with this tea and the amount of time and money that had to have gone into the event.

As I’m thinking these things, one of the women got up and started talking to us about God. All of a sudden I heard the Lord start to reprimand me. He showed me very clearly that this woman knew and loved the Lord just as much as me and that I did not have the right to judge these women. I’ve mentioned before that I do not attend “traditional” church. I am part of a house church or a church without walls as some call it. A lot of times when I explain this to people I feel as if they are judging me and trying to convince me to come to their church because in their minds what I’m doing is not really church. God showed me that day that I was doing the exact same thing to these women. Just because they did not “do church” the same way I did, I was judging them. I was no better than those people who have implied that I was not following the Lord because of how I chose to worship Him and fellowship with others.

That really humbled me. I wanted to just sit there and weep. But our God is wonderful and merciful. In the same moment that He showed me how I was judging others, He also showed His love for me.

I’ve been on a journey lately to discover how the Lord really sees me. I have trouble imagining the God of the universe loving and pursuing me. I’ve been asking Him lately to open my eyes to how He is romancing me.

As I sat there that day, realizing that I was doing to these women exactly what others have done to me, the Lord also opened my eyes to His love for me. The woman talking and telling us about what gifts they had for us was telling us that the Lord loved us and we were all special to Him. She said the tea was their way of pampering us and showing us God’s love. As she was speaking these words, I clearly heard the Lord tell me

“Angela, I love you. I am using these women and this event to show you how very much I love you. I am romancing you right now. Open your heart and accept it. Don’t deny me this opportunity to love you. Don’t judge them based on what you think is right or wrong and miss out on what I am trying to give to you.”

It is amazing how we can take something the Lord means to use to show us His love and twist it into something we judge others regarding. And it is even more amazing how the Lord can teach us a lesson, reprimand us and at the same time show us how very much He loves us.

Is there something in your life the Lord is trying to use to bless you, but you are not allowing it? The Lord wants us to learn to love others and sacrifice for others. However, we also need to allow others to love and sacrifice for us. If we don’t we may not only be missing something special and amazing the Lord has for us, we may also be keeping someone else from serving the Lord by serving us.

Answers to Christmas Carol Quiz (Dec 12th)

Here are the answers to the Christmas Carol Quiz from December 12, 2006. Here is the link to the quiz if you want to see it first. Christmas Carol Quiz.

1. O Come, All Ye Faithful
2. O Little Town of Bethlehem
3. Hark, the Herald Angel Sing
4. Silent Night
5. Joy to the World
6. Deck the Halls
7. Little Drummer Boy
8. Frosty the Snowman
9. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
10. We Three Kings
11. Jingle Bells
12. Away in a Manger

24th Day of Christmas - Santa Claus

Among Christians there is disagreement regarding whether Christmas should be celebrated with Santa Claus or not. This is a personal preference that each person should make a decision on for themselves. However the background of our modern day jolly man in red is quite interesting, regardless of where your convictions lie.

Here is how the story goes. . .

In the city of Myra during the third century (that is in modern day Turkey) there lived a young man named Nicholas who from an early age showed the promise of becoming a great Christian leader. As a teen he was often called "Bishop Boy" and was greatly loved by the community.

His family was very wealthy and once he received his inheritance he began giving it away to the poor and needy. He was especially fond of helping children.

One tale regarding Nicholas' acts of charity involves a family too poor to pay their daughter's dowry. In order to remain a secret, Nicholas climbed the roof of their home and dropped a coin down the chimney. The daughter had her sock hanging by the fire to dry and the coin landed in it. When the second daughter was to be married, a coin was provided by way of the chimney once again. When the third and final daughter came of age, the father waited on the roof to see who was leaving the dowry for his daughters and caught Nicholas dropping a third coin down his chimney. Once this secret was revealed the community loved him even more.

Hundreds of years later this biship was declared Saint Nicholas, which was pronounced as Sinter Klaas by the Dutch. Today he is known as Santa Claus.

The name Kris Kringle which is often heard comes from the Dutch word Christkindl, meaning "Christ child". This was originally come up with to refocus people's attention on Jesus as the real gift-giver. It is now interchangeable with Santa Claus.

No matter the name he goes by, the character of Santa Claus reveals the giving heart of our Father God in Heaven.

23rd Day of Christmas - Christmas Dinner

One thing you will find throughout the Bible is times of feasting. God instituted certain Feasts of the Lord to be celebrated by the Jews on a regular basis. There are numerous stories of Jesus dining with others in the New Testament and his final meal with His disciples was celebrating the Jewish Passover meal and was the first Communion. Even Revelation speaks of a great feast as being one of the first things that will occur after Jesus returns.

The first official celebration of Jesus' birth was a feast as well, the Feast of the Nativity. It was celebrated in Rome during the 4th century.

So this Christmas (or Christmas Eve) when you sit down for your "feast", remember to thank the Lord for all the gifts He has given you.

Did she know?

Did Mary really fully understand who her precious baby was when she held him close? I know the angel came to visit her and obviously she knew Jesus was the Messiah. But did she comprehend that he was God? As I hold my precious little ones, I can't even imagine what it must have been like for her.

There are two songs which I've heard that express how I feel. I listen to them and imagine what it must have been like for Mary. What awe. What an honor. How amazing that must have been for her!

The lyrics in white are the ones that have made me catch my breath when listening to these songs.

Mary, Did You Know?

Various Artists have recorded this one

Mary did you know that your baby boy would some day walk on water?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when your kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

Oh Mary did you know---The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb---.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding is the great--I--- AM---.

***********

Here With Us

Joy Williams

It's still a mystery to me

That the hands of God could be so small,

How tiny fingers reaching in the night

Were the very hands that measured the sky

Chorus

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah Son of God, Servant King,

You're here with us You're here with us

Verse 2

It's still a mystery to me, oh,

How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time

How His ears have heard an angel's symphony,

But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Chorus

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah Son of God, Servant King Here with us

You're here with us

(Ohh, mmm, here with us)

Bridge

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem

A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Chorus (2x)

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah Son of God, Servant King

You're here with us You're here with us

22nd Day of Christmas - Nativity Scenes

The Christian symbol of Christmas is the Nativity scene, also known as the creche, or crib. This scene illustrates the night of Jesus' birth (and in some cases such as the Wise Men, other scenes from his first two years).

God has known all along that Adam and Eve would sin and bring death and separation from Him to the world. Therefore, all along He has had a plan in place to redeem his beloved creation. However, God does everything in His timing, so He did not send His Son right away. In order to give mankind hope though, he dropped hints along the way in Scripture about the coming Messiah. These were like the hints our loved ones give us prior to Christmas regarding what our gift is going to be.

Scripture revealed many little hints to the big surprise to come, including:

• The child would be born of a virgin


• The child would be born in Bethlehem


• He would be a descendant of Israel's beloved King David

Our nativity scenes illustrate these prophecies as well, the stable in Bethlehem, Mary the virgin mother, Joseph the descendant of David, the star, the wise men bringing gifts from the East and of course the main surprise, the baby Jesus.

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manager." (Luke 2:10-12)

21st Day of Christmas - The Twelve Days of Christmas

Have you ever heard of Christmas code? That is exactly what the song 12 Days of Christmas may be. For nearly three hundreds years in Englad it was against the law to be a member of the Catholic Church. According to legend, this song was written by several concerned parents as a hidden message to teach their children about the things of God during this time.

Personally, even if this is not the reason this song was originally written, it is still a good way to remember God and His love for us based on the "secret code". I'll be teaching this to my children.

Here is the alleged key to the code,

"My true love" - God, who gives all the gifts listed in the song

"A partridge in a pear tree" - Jesus, who gave His life on a tree (cross)

"Two Turtle Doves" - Old & New Testament

"Three French Hens" - Faith, Hope & Love

"Four Calling Birds" - Four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke & John

"Five Golden Rings" - first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch)

"Six Geese a-laying" - Six Days of Creation

"Seven Swans a-swimming" - seven Gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12:6-8)

"Eight Maids a-milking" - eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)

"Nine Ladies dancing" - nine Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

"Ten Lords a-leaping" - Ten Commandments

"Eleven Pipers Piping" - Eleven Faithful Disciples

"Twelve Drummers Drumming" - Twelve Points of the Apostle's Creed

20th Day of Christmas - Opening Christmas Gifts

Of all holidays, traditions seem to be the most important at Christmas. Traditions bind us together as a family, a church, a nation or a culture.

Some traditions are limited to a particular culture and others are shared the world over. Did you know about these Christmas traditions?

Australia - Santa's sleigh is pulled by eight white kangaroos.

(My tradition - flying reindeer)

Finland - it was traditional to take a sauna bath before Santa's visit.

(My tradition - leave milk and cookies)

Spain - Papa Noel delivers presents by climbing up balconies.

(My tradition - comes down the chimney - or through the keyhole if there is not a chimney, maybe that was just daddy's theory?)

New Zealand - families head to the beach for a yule "tide" picnic since Christmas is in the summer.

(My tradition - Christmas gathering at Grandma's with a white elephant gift exchange.)

Another tradition is when to open presents. Do you open them on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? My family opened all but one big present on Christmas Eve while my husband's family opened one present on Christmas Eve and all the rest were opened on Christmas Day. His family just dug in and opened all the presents at once while my family sat in a circle and went around opening presents one at a time. Do you put the presents under the tree or hide them in the branches? Both our families put them under the tree prior to Christmas Day, but I know some families who do not put them under the tree until Christmas Day. Shaun hid one of my presents in the branches of our tree last year (a necklace from Tiffanys). Are your presents wrapped or unwrapped? My family wraps all our presents except some items in our stockings and the big present from "Santa".

In the end it really does not matter how a present is opened. It is only important that it is opened. If you spend time and money to find the perfect present for someone you love, you would be disappointed if they did not even bother to open the gift, wouldn't you? God gave us the gift of His Son because He loves us. If you haven't already done so, won't you think about opening that gift this year?

19th Day of Christmas - Wrapping Gifts

In the 17th century Germans wrapped gifts simply and called "Christ bundles". The packages were stuffed with sugar plums, cakes, candy, apples and nuts. They usually also contained some sort of educational products (ABC products, pencils or books).

Originally most gifts were handmade, however around the 1800s people started purchasing factory made trinkets for gifts called "gewgaws and gimcracks". The tags were removed to disguise the fact that the gift was an inexpensive purchase rather than a handmade gift. Then to finish it off, it was wrapped in plain brown paper decorated in dried flowers, spangles or clippings from The Ladies' Home Journal and Practical Housekeper magazine. These creative handmade touches were to make up for the lack of a handmade gift.

The best gift of all was wrapped in human flesh by God himself and further wrapped by Mary in swaddling clothes. It is true that good things come in small packages!

18th Day of Christmas - Giving Gifts

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Many believe the tradition of gift giving started with the wise men who brought their gifts to Mary and her child. Is this true? Yes and no. The true first gift was God giving us His Son as a sacrifice to us, however after that the wise men probably did start the tradition.

The predecessor to our modern day piggy bank was used a long time ago in Holland by young children. It was a pig shaped pot which the children would fill with pennies throughout the year. It was called a "feast pig" and on the day after Christmas, the children would break them open and give the money collected during the year to the poor. In this way they gave to those who could not give back to them. This is what God did for us. We can never match the gift he gave to us because you can't out-give God!



In the spirit of God's gift to us, it is no wonder that we are willing to go all out each year to sacrifice our time & money to find that perfect gift for our loved ones. Giving is the heart of the Christmas season. This year as you give your gifts to others, remember the original Christmas gift, that of the Father's Son for us.



I once saw a Christmas pageant with little children ages 2 to 5 dressed in cardboard boxes wrapped in Christmas paper and big bows on their heads singing "Jesus is the greatest gift of all". They were absolutely adorable and absolutely correct. Jesus is the greatest gift of all. Don't ever forget that in the hustle and bustle of the season and the rush of our everyday world.

17th Day of Christmas - Baking

Yummy! One of my favorite things about Christmas (and probably the worst for me) is all the wonderful baking that I get to taste test. Baking has always seemed to be part of the Christmas tradition.

Long ago in order to prepare for the feast on Christmas Day, people would fast on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning they would be extremely hungry and would eat a hot, thick, bland porridge for breakfast. Over time dried fruits, spices and honey were added to make the porridge special for Christmas morning which would make it thick and stiff. Cooks would wrap it in a cloth and dunked it in a pot of boiling watter to cook it. This was the beginning of Christmas pudding!

In the 16th century, wheat flour replaced the porridge and eggs were added to hold the ingredients together. Since the English used plum to refer to any type of dried fruit, this became known as plum pudding. This was the beginning of the fruit cake. Later ginger was added to remember the gifts of the Wise Men (see Day 14- The Wise Men) and the words cake and bread became interchangeable.

"The word Bethlehem, which is he birthplace of Jesus, literally means "house of bread". In that humble town in Judea, a baby boy was born who would come to be known as the Bread of Life (see John 6:51). He nourishes us with hope and healing, with forgiveness and love. When you're
in the home of a family who loves Jesus, you can almost smell it in the air - just as you can smell bread baking in the oven!"
(The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel)

When you are baking this year for the Christmas season, remember the Bread of Life.

(Christ) gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to
God. (Ephesians 5:2)

16th Day of Christmas - Christmas Cards

The first Christmas card was sent by Sir Henry Cole to a friend. He had no idea what he had started. In 1843, J.C. Horsely sold the first Christmas card. He printed one thousand and immediately sold out.

Just five years before it would have cost an entire days wages to send a Christmas card, however Sir Rowland Hill came along with the innovation of the penny post. These were tiny square stickers sold for a penny as prepayment for letter delivery.

From the beginning the cards were decorated with Nativity scenes, Christmas themes and colorful images of family hearths.

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all
people.” Luke 2:10

15th Day of Christmas - Christmas Pageants

Today was Tyler's Christmas Pageant at her school. The kids were all so cute! I wish I had some pictures to share but I don't have any yet. I did get some video of it, but they filmed the entire thing and I'll probably get a copy.

The word pageant comes from the Middle English word pagonds. This means wagons. Seems a bit weird, but the story behind it is very interesting.

Medieval dramas were performed at Christmas and Easter primarily on what was called floating stages. These were large two tiered wagons covered with decorations and flowers. The "floating" stages were used because most people could not read in the 15th century and the church services were in Latin. These wagons or pagonds were a way to reach the people where they were in their own language.

The bottom tier of the wagon was curtained and was used as a dressing room and the top was the stage where the plays were performed. These plays would take all day to be performed, sometimes into the middle of the night because a new wagon and set of actors would perform each act. The first wagon would stop in the street and perform the first act and then they would move on to the next street and perform the same act again. Meanwhile, a second wagon would come in behind them and perform the second act in the same place the first wagon had performed. This would keep happening until the final act was performed. They were able to reach a large number of people by performing the play mutiple times on different streest. They brought the Christmas Story to the people who might not have normally heard the story. In this way, our pageants nowadays is not all that much different. Many come to watch their family and friends in these programs that may never hear the Christmas story otherwise.

14th Day of Christmas - The Wise Men

Did you know that many of the things we "know" about the Wise Men, are not even mentioned in scripture? They are assumptions that have been accepted as fact over the years.

The Bible calls these men magi which is from the Greek word magoi. These magi were priests who were powerful men of great wealth who counseled kings of the Medo-Persian Empire. Although certain Old Testament prophecies suggest these men may in fact have been kings, Matthew does not ever call them kings. This is something that has been assumed over the years as noted in some of our traditional Christmas carol (We Three Kings).

Nativity scenes show these wise men in the original manager scene the night of Jesus' birth, however by the time they brought their gifts to Mary and her child, Jesus was probably already two years old. This explains why Herod ordered all male children two years or younger to be killed after he realized the wise men had fooled him and left without reporting the child's whereabouts.

The Wise Men are also represented as three in our nativity scenes and in song, however Scripture does not tell us how many men there were. It has been assumed there were three because Scripture does mention the three gifts presented to Jesus by these wise men. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

Have you ever wondered about these strange baby shower gifts? Gold we may accept now, but would we want the others? Even these gifts have significance.

Gold signified royalty and acknowledges Christ as the King of kings.

Frankincense was used in worship and represents the deity of Jesus.

Myrrh was commonly used in preparation for burial and represents the death of the Son of Man. A death that would then result in His rise to sit at the right hand of God the Father as the Son of God.

These men were wise indeed!

Inspiration

Tea with McNair today got me to thinking about inspiration in my life. I've always wanted to write, but until about a year ago, I've not been pursuing my dream for almost 10 years. It was actually a talk from McNair that a friend gave me which inspired me to start writing again.

Now my inspiration comes from God. He does this in many ways (McNair was the first way!) Now He works through my family and friends. Especially my children.

Have you ever noticed how creative children are? They put no boundaries on their creativity, they don't think about it before they draw, write or do whatever else it is they are doing to be creative. They just ARE!

My daughter just wrote a letter to Santa this week. She wrote part of it herself and then had me type the rest of it for her. She just started talking and I started typing. At first the perfectionist (accountant) side of me wanted to correct her grammar, but then I realized that was not my "job". I was just supposed to be her hands because hers had gotten tired (she's five and writing still takes a lot of effort for her.) Her thoughts jumped from one thing to another, but I had so much fun just typing whatever she said. I've shared a bit of her letter below.

She also drew a picture for Santa which I scanned and am attaching. Enjoy and try sitting down and being creative with no boundaries. Actually don't "try", just sit down and let it happen. You may be surprised at what happens.

Dear Santa,

My mommy is typing the rest of my letter, because my hands are getting tired. I would like a new Bible, purple please.

Sometime I would like to see your reindeers and your sled.

Did you like the chocolate cookies I gave you last year? What kind would you like this year? Do you want chocolate milk again? Do you want peanut butter cookies?

I would like to see Mrs. Santa too. I also want to know where your house lives at. What state are you in?

I think Austin would like a blue teddy bear like mine. He needs a blue heart in his bear too. I want the bear filled up with fluffy because bears need that. Please check if there is a noise in the
teddy bear.

Jesse has enough toys now. Just new baby toys for him, big ones, but not giant ones.

I want to know what your house looks like. What color is it?

I also want to know how your reindeer fly up in the sky.

I want to see your elves too. Elves is a hard word to say.

When you come to our house I would like you to see the pictures around our house and in our bathroom and in my bedroom. But don’t look in the washroom because it is not all done.

And I want to tell you that I can see really good in the dark.

And I want you to look at the new car we have. It is called a SUV, it is called a Tahoe or a truck or anything you want except a van. Mommy and Daddy don’t like when you call it a van. They do not like vans.

Can I please have a camera because I don’t have a real one. Thank you for the presents last year.

Love,
Tyler

13th Day of Christmas - Angels

Angels are a common decoration for Christmas, you may even have one on the top of your tree. Did you know they played a major part in the birth of Jesus?

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to proclaim the upcoming birth of her first child, Jesus, the Messiah, God's Son.

An angel appeared to Joseph, Mary's soon to be husband, to tell him Mary's unexpected pregnancy was part of God's plan to save the world.

The entire sky was full of angels the night Jesus was born and delivered a living birth announcement to nearby shepards. This was the most important birth announcement the entire world has ever seen. God saw fit to deliver it not with one angel, but with an entire army of them!

Did you know heaven is full of angels worshiping God? There are some whose sole purpose is to worship God for all time.

Hebrews 13:2 tells us "Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"

This Christmas think about inviting someone who doesn't have a family of their own to celebrate Christmas with you. You never know who may be in your midst! And regardless, you'll be an angel sent from God in their sight!

Guess the Christmas Carols

See if you can identify these Christmas Carols. I'll post the answers in a few days, but feel free to comment with your answers in the meantime.

1. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

2. Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem

3. Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds

4. Nocturnal time-span of unbroken quietness

5. An emotion excited by the acquistion or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere

6. Embellish the interior passageways

7. Diminutive masculine master of skin-covered percussion cylinders

8. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals

9. Expectations of arrival to populated area by mythical masculine perennial gift-giver

10. The first-person nominative plural of a triumvirate of Far Eastern heads of state

11. Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted metallic, resonant cups

12. In a distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children's slumber furniture

12th Day of Christmas - Caroling

Francis of Assisi is often referred to as the father of Christmas carols. This dates back to the early 13th century when he held a midnight Mass in a cave in Italy. Prior to this night church music was very somber and the more serious it was, the holier it was thought to be. On this night though, Francis encouraged those attending the Mass to "tell of your Christmas joy in song."

It is said that night when the worshippers left Mass they were joyfully singing the songs which later became popular throughout all of Europe.

Have you ever gotten together with your family and friends and gone caroling? Many who may never enter a church will open their doors to carolers. They may not yet believe in Jesus being born as the Son of God, but for a season, they will praise His name in song!