Born in the Shadow - Marnie Pohlmann

How did you celebrate this Christmas season?

Roast turkey?

Hang stockings?

Exchange gifts?

Gather with family and friends?

Do you decorate a Christmas tree?

What traditions do you do each year?

Do you watch Christmas movies like "Die Hard"?

Sometimes, especially for parents, the traditions of this season do not give rest like a holiday or vacation is supposed to, but rather expected practices may add to the stress and busyness to create perfect memories of those very traditions. Having a Merry Christmas can take a lot of work!

What did you do about Santa this season?

Do you have fun with Santa?

Leave out cookies and milk?

Did you give toys "from Santa"?

Make reindeer prints in the yard?

Years ago, one of my friends explained to her children that Santa got his "naughty and nice" list from Jesus because Santa is not omniscient (all-knowing); only God is omniscient.

I have an ornament made by the mom of another friend. Santa is bowing at the manger because even Santa knows the true meaning of Christmas.

How did you celebrate Christ this season?

Sing carols?

Read the Scripture story?

Attend a Christmas Eve mass?

Do you set up nativity scenes?

Are there ways you bring focus to the "reason of the season?"

Even trying to have a simple, quiet Christmas, I find my focus can be distracted by the shiny commercialism of our surroundings. It takes work to keep my eyes on God during regular days so the busyness of special times can make what seems like a simple celebration of the birth of Christ into something totally different.

How do you make your celebration

not Giftmas,

not Santamas,

not Feastmas,

not Familymas,

but a true CHRISTmas?

And even if you focus on the Christian believer's reason to celebrate this season, do you see more than a baby in a manger?

What does this baby mean to your life as a God-follower?

One year we dropped into another friend's home during the Christmas season. These friends did not set up a Christmas tree. Their focus was not on gifts. With nightly devotions, they lit menorah candles which shone through their window welcoming any who came by.

What caught me that year, though, was where they placed their nativity scene. The manger with baby Jesus was set at the base of a cross. We have placed a nativity set at the base of the cross at our church, as well. I'm not sure if others notice the poignancy of this scene, but seeing baby Jesus placed in the shadow of the cross that is His future, opened my eyes to why I celebrate this season.

The child

whose birth we observe

is the Messiah

who set aside his

divinity

to join humanity.

This child grew

to teach in the temple,

heal the sick,

welcome the lonely,

and die.

Today I try to celebrate this baby

with my eyes on the cross.

I honour this child who grew to become our Saviour.

I praise the Saviour who left the tomb empty

and my heart full.

  

I celebrate Christmas

because God came to be with us;

God came to redeem the world.

I share the Spirit of Christmas,

the Spirit of God,

who remains with us.

I anticipate Christ

Who will come again.

As you enjoy your gifts, your family, your feasts, and your traditions, 

take time to turn your eyes to the manger. 

Then lift them to the cross. 

Praise God  the babe in the manger

was born in the shadow of the cross.

Christ will come again

not to live among us

but to take us to live with God. 

This hope of eternity

brought by this baby in the manger

is worthy of celebration.

Marnie Pohlmann celebrates Christmas in Taylor, BC, pondering these things in her heart. She writes more on her blog, Phosphorescent, at www.marniewriter.com 

What Easter Means to Me - Ruth L. Snyder

By the time you read this post, our family will be in Three Hills spending time with my mom, my sister Becky and some of her family, and my brother Peter and some of his family. We are looking forward to face-to-face conversations (as opposed to Facebook and text messages), special food, and more than likely a competitive game or two. (My Dad lives in a special facility in Camrose due to his advanced Alzheimer's. My other brother lives in England and is not able to join us.)

As I think back to past Easter celebrations, I'm thankful for these memories:

• Decorating eggs
• Discussing the story of Jesus' death and resurrection
• Making our special candy Easter egg recipe: we coloured the fondant yolk yellow, wrapped it in white fondant and then dipped them in melted chocolate (see the recipe below)
• Visits to a farm where we were able to jump on a trampoline and go swimming
• Attending church together as a family
• Finding eggs that had been hidden by my parents or grandparents
• Enjoying a special Easter dinner, with lots of dessert
• Singing special songs like He Lives, Because He Lives, He's Alive

Now that I'm older, I realize what a rich heritage I have. There are still people in our world 🌎 who have never heard the name of Jesus. There are others who have only heard it as a swear word. Then there are those who attend church on Christmas and Easter 🐣 but don't understand the power of the cross. This makes me sad. It must break God the Father's ❤️ heart to know that His innocent Son suffered the penalty for all sin, and yet there are many who will never experience His forgiveness. They will never know what it is like to live an abundant life (John 10:10).

Easter means:

• There is hope, no matter how dark and desperate the situation. On Friday everything seemed hopeless, but praise God, Jesus arose on Sunday. There is the hope of salvation, the hope of life in this world, and the hope of an eternal home in Heaven.
• There is peace. Jesus Christ paid the price so that I could be reconciled to my Heavenly Father. I am no longer His enemy. In the world there will be war and difficulties, but I can have peace in the middle of it all.
• There is love. Jesus demonstrated the ultimate love when He laid down His life on the cross for me. Most of us would have difficulty laying our life down for anyone except a family member or close friend. Jesus gave His life for me when I was his enemy. Because Jesus loved me, I can love others. I cannot do it without allowing His love to flow through me.
• There is joy. The disciples shed many tears during Jesus' trial and crucifixion. They wondered how things could have gone so wrong. Then Sunday came. The angels said that they were looking for Jesus in the wrong place - He wasn't dead! They rejoiced. I rejoice also. I choose joy when I don't understand, because I know who I serve - the King of Kings.

As you celebrate Easter this year, I hope and pray that you have experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the reason for Easter. If you haven't, I would be happy to connect with you and share what He has done for me. Send an e-mail to ruth at ruthlsnyder dot com. If you do have a personal relationship with Jesus, share what Easter means to you in the comments below. Today is Friday, but Sunday is coming!

You may also enjoy this Easter post I wrote last year on my blog: Hope in the midst of darkness.

Fondant Easter Eggs

Fondant Center:

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk                 1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla                                                     1 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar                            1 cup coconut

Cream butter and add salt, coconut and vanilla. Pour in sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. Add icing sugar (mixture is dry). Knead 5 minutes or until smooth, but not sticky. Put in a long roll. Take 1/3 of mixture and add yellow colouring and knead it in. Put in long roll and divide into 24 portions. Let set in air. Divide the other 2/3 of mixture into 24 portions. Roll yellow pieces into balls (yolk). Flatten white pieces and wrap them around the yellow portions to make "eggs". Put in fridge on a flat tray for several minutes. Remove from fridge and reshape any that need it, then return to fridge for several hours.

Chocolate Dip

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1/3 bar parafin wax

Place chocolate and wax in the top of a double boiler on low heat, or melt in a microwave. Stir until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat. When the mixture has cooled slightly, remove "eggs" from fridge and dip them 1/2 way using tongs. Dip and let set for a few minutes and then dip the other side so that the "eggs" are covered in chocolate. Return to fridge.

Frosting

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

Beat first three ingredients together. Add icing sugar and beat until stiff. Use frosting to decorate the chocolate covered eggs.

Suggested decorations:

• Make a border around the egg
• Make a lattice pattern on the egg
• Write a name on the egg
• Make flowers

A blessed Easter to you and your family from our family!

Ruth L. Snyder resides close to Glendon with her husband, five children and a husky/malamute named Olaf. She enjoys writing articles, devotionals, short stories, and Christian fiction. She is a member of The Creativity Coaching Association, The Christian PEN, and serves as President of InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship. Ruth loves her job teaching Music for Young Children and private piano lessons. She also enjoys speaking about what she’s learning in her walk with God, as a parent, and as a writer. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys reading, crafts, volunteering, photography, and travel. Find out more at http://ruthlsnyder.com.

Christmas Memories - Tandy Balson

My daughter recently told me that some of her fondest Christmas memories involve her grandma. When our children were young, the whole family would gather at my mom’s for Christmas day.  She had been widowed for many years before she was ready to give up this tradition.

When we moved the celebration to my house it didn’t take long before she discovered the joy of having no responsibilities and been spoiled for a few days.  We wanted her to feel special and would pick her up on Christmas Eve so she didn’t have to drive.

Our tradition became an early dinner, Christmas Eve service and then driving around town looking at all the Christmas lights.  Once home again, it would be time for hot chocolate and cookies.  A board game completed the evening.  It was a relaxed and loving atmosphere.

Years later, I heard the other part of the kid’s memories with grandma.  One year they got up very early and tiptoed into the living room with a flashlight in hand to peek at their Christmas stockings.  They were startled to hear a sound behind them and turned to see grandma.  The fear of getting caught didn’t last when she said, “SHHH, give me the flashlight.” Then she started looking in her own stocking!

From what I have since learned, the three of them continued this early morning viewing for many years.  It was apparently grandma who would encourage them to wake us up early.  She was as excited as they were.

Other family members would arrive later in the day, but those early morning times with grandma were what formed precious memories for my kids.

This year our daughter has asked my husband and me to spend the night at her house on Christmas Eve.  She wants her children to experience Christmas morning with grandparents.  We are looking forward to love and laugher and creating new memories.  We even have a new board game for the family to play. Don’t tell my daughter, but we just might be setting our alarm to get up before the grandkids do!

May you experience Peace, Love and Joy this Christmas.

Family Memories by Tandy Balson

When I ask my now grown children about favourite Christmas memories they will talk about two things.  One of those is the fact that we always got new board games and jigsaw puzzles for the family and would spend many happy hours around the table playing together.  

More importantly, though, was the time spent with my mom.  In their early years, we would join other family members at Grandma’s home for Christmas dinner.  As she aged, our traditions changed.  She had been widowed for many years and we didn’t like the thought of her waking up alone on Christmas morning.  

On the afternoon of December 24^th, we would drive the 20 minutes to her house and pick her up.  She was perfectly capable of driving herself, but this was an extra touch of care that we wanted to provide.  Our evening held a familiar comfort for all of us.  We would have an early dinner and then attend a candle light Christmas Eve service at our local church.  With the strains of Silent Night still in our hearts, we headed out for our next adventure.  

Armed with the local newspaper’s  list of the best light displays, we drove around the city enjoying the elaborate displays in people’s yards.  The best ones always had the manger scene.  Then it was home for hot chocolate and cookies.

My son would give up his room for Grandma and sleep on the floor of his sister’s room.  Together they would wake up early and sneak out with flashlight in hand, to look through their Christmas stockings.  They vividly recall the time they heard Grandma’s voice behind them and thought they were going to get into trouble.  Instead, she asked for the flashlight and went through the contents of her Christmas stocking!  This was a secret the three of them shared for many years.

My mother has been spending Christmas with Jesus for fifteen years now.  We still talk about the fun we had with her sleepovers and her childlike enthusiasm.  The gift we gave her was the freedom to relax and have fun as she had no other responsibilities.  The gift she gave us is the countless precious memories that we recall.  

Southern Gospel singer Guy Penrod sings a song with the following line: “I miss you most at Christmas, you were like a little child.”  It took many years before I could listen to the song without tears.  I thought I could do it now, but I am shedding a few tears just thinking about it.

The true blessings of Christmas are not the physical gifts we receive.  My children have no memories of special gifts.  Our fondest family memories are the love, laughter and time spent together. 

My husband and I have been invited to our daughter’s house for a sleepover on Christmas Eve.  I think I’ll find a board game and jigsaw puzzle to take along with us.  

Merry Christmas.

blog: www.timewithtandy.com

website: www.tandyb.com

November Visits with the Cousins - Karen Toews

For several years my sister's family and ours would get together for the November 11th remembrance weekend. Of her two boys and my daughter and son, two are very close in age, and one each being older and younger. Our family would most often make the 10-plus hour drive: from our Alberta home to theirs, in north-eastern British Columbia. Invariably, it would be the coldest weekend of the winter: bitterly cold, with or without snow. And often, we'd have to navigate icy roads either coming or going.

Our school system would often add an extra day off to make the break a 4-day stretch. Considering the time spent traveling, that would usually leave only two full days together. The kids crammed every minute full of games, watching movies, eating, laughing, reading crazy comics. The day we arrival, the two cousins would be watching for our car to drive up: pouncing on each other, hugging hellos, not skipping a beat from the last time they saw each other - which was often weeks, even months earlier.

My sister and family lived in a trailer for a few years. I don't remember its square footage (not huge, not a double-width) but we all had comfy places to sleep - and it had a hallway that was perfect for playing hockey. A spot for a goalie on either end, leaving two forwards to make the plays. More pouncing, cheering, with occasional balls the goalie missed flying into the living room. So much fun, beet-red faces, shirts being stripped off regardless of the outdoor temperatures. Such great memories of hockey in the hall. No Zamboni was on site but there must have been repairs and maintenance necessary after the players shook hands and half of them left for home.

All that action called for copious amounts of good food. Big pots of hamburger soup, mashed potatoes and roasted chicken, grown and raised down the road at the in-laws. Nobody can bake buns like my sister and she'd always have a huge batch of homemade poppycock in a Tupperware tub tucked in the cupboard. To add to the mix, friends of my sister and husband would often drop by, which was sure to add a couple more kids to the melee.

The fun wasn't restricted only to the kids, but we four adults didn't need near as much action to enjoy each others company. Going out for coffee, the whole gang playing walleyball, me watching my sister knit and thinking I might try the same, taking drives to enjoy the vast views, watching videos. To be honest, I don't remember attending any remembrance day services; I guess we were often traveling and perhaps more accurately, those were the years when for whatever reason, at least where we were, attendance waned at those services. In our defense, I think it would be correct to say that since then, our activities on remembrance day have often been shared with honoring those who've fought and died for our country.

Our tradition of getting together also waned as the kids got older and life changed, as happens for all of us. The day came (and lasted for a few years) when my sister and I ended up living in the same community - and the pleasure was ours to get together whenever we wanted - with and without the kids.

Those four kids, all parents with their own children, are so scattered across the continent that the siblings rarely get together, and it's almost never for the cousins. That adds to the reason why memories of our remembrance day visits are especially fond and the telling of these stories so important.

(photo credits - my sister)

http://www.toewsontherun.com