One does not have to go very far to hear the sounds of Christmas: in the store, on the radio, TV, Pandora on desktops and/or phones and Kindles, etc. Although I enjoy all the Christmas music at this time of the year, one can only hope that Christmas is with all of us throughout the year.
This Christmas, however, will be a very favorite one for my daughter and her husband, as well as for the grandparents of a one year old, little wide-eyed boy, Gryphon, who already has been enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas. The Christmas tree is basically up, without ornaments, but with all the colored lights. He has been enjoying putting on and taking off the number of candy canes on the tree and has even managed to feed some of them to the dogs. Our time together during the week now consists of playing Christmas music on the TV and/or my phone/Kindle which he happily dances to. He is so curious and full of life; and although he does not understand the true meaning of celebrating Christmas yet, he seems to be having a lot of fun watching “Billy, the elf on the shelf” that my daughter rested on a shelf in the living room. Maybe she moved him, so I will have to look for him tomorrow as well.
The weather here in VA is promising 70 degree weather on Christmas Day with no snow in sight, but I really don’t count that as a bad thing because we have lived in a number of places where we have had our fair share of snow. But, when I was growing up, we always looked forward to the snow during the holidays so that we could go outside on Christmas day and build a snowman. Hopefully, my grandson will get that chance after the holidays.
Today, at church, we had a Christmas service about hope and what that means to us as Christians. The past few weeks, our pastor has talked about love, joy, peace, and finally hope because Christ was born over 2,000 years ago for the redemption of man. That is why we celebrate this very important event and Jesus is our hope for peace in this world.
Quotes to warm your heart at Christmas time:
“If I could wish a wish for you, it would be for peace, faith, and happiness not only at Christmas, but for the whole year through!” –Catherine Pulsifer, “My Christmas Wish to You”
“From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.” –Emily Matthews
“Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance–each beautiful, unique, and too soon gone.” –Deborah Whipp
“For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
May the Lord bless you and your families during this wonderful Christmas season with love, health, and happiness and bless you abundantly in the New Year!
Blessings,
Yvonne