Friday Foto Friends! Decking the Halls...

 
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la! 'Tis the season to be jolly!

There's the "finished product", but still some tweaking to do on a few things on the village.

Hello Friends!  I know, it's Friday already, and I haven't written anything since Tuesday! What's this world coming to?  LOL.  Yes, I am still alive and kicking...but I've been quite preoccupied with getting our Christmas tree decorated and all of the trimmings around the house.  I managed to squeeze what should have been at least a week's job into three days.  My goal was to have it all done by Thursday evening, when our "kids" (a.k.a. Benton and Rose and the grandpups) were coming over to have supper and help set up the train and village under the tree. (Our new family tradition over the past three or four years, except this time Rose actually brought the food!! Yay!)  

We started out on Tuesday when Benton came over to help bring all the plastic totes of decor and the very heavy box with the tree into the house for us. That was a wonderful help.

I wish it was still this simple:

Those were simpler, happier days...

This is how far I had gotten on the tree on Tuesday:  Our tree is 20+ years old, and is the kind you have to insert every branch into the pole manually, and of course add your own lights. Every year I say we are going to get a new tree that is easier to work with, but every year we put this same tree back up. It still looks beautiful once it is put together, but the manual labor involved is becoming more than my back can handle, and it just never has been something hubby was involved in...so the days of doing this every year may be numbered...plus it is dropping as many needles as a dead pine tree...

I didn't get much else done on Tuesday as I had choir practice that night, and we are practicing for our Christmas Cantata, so that took care of that night as far as having any energy to do anything else goes!

Our carolers are practicing their Christmas songs...

"Joy to the World, The Lord is Come, Let earth receive her King!"...Let Heaven and Nature Sing...Let Heaven and Nature sing, Let Heaven, let heaven and nature sing!"

I did take this picture in the narthex of the church Tuesday night. Isn't this display beautiful? That is a manger at the foot of the cross, and on Christmas Eve the "Baby Jesus" will be placed in the manger.

I'm especially "proud" of this display because our son Benton built that cross for the church a few years ago so they would have it to use for displays at Christmas and Easter. So that makes it extra special to me to see it there. Our church secretary does an excellent job of decorating the church each year.

Our Baby Jesus in our Nativity scene at home is already in the manger...I guess some people don't put the baby in the manger until Christmas Eve, but I like having Him there to remind us that "Jesus is the Heart of the Holiday".

Wednesday morning I still didn't get much done on decorating at home as we both had lab appointments and that always means we go out to breakfast afterwards.  We ended up at a "deli/cafe'" in Palatka, but it wasn't our first choice of place because the one we wanted was packed and no place to park.  This place was also busy, but we did find a parking place, so in we went.

Hubby was happy with his breakfast...especially the biscuits.

I wish I'd gotten what he ordered. My potatoes were very dry and tasteless, the eggs were overcooked, and the toast really wasn't all that great either. And the place was freezing! 

(It was a rather chilly day for us here in Florida)

I sound like I'm really a complainer, don't I? I guess I was on this subject...the breakfast just wasn't very satisfying and it cost more than we wanted to spend. Next time we will come back to our own little town and eat at our local cafe'. Their food is always good!! And the price is better too!

However, I am thankful we were able to do this at all. I realize my problems are 1st world problems. I am also thankful to have my hubby to sit across the table from me and lovingly listen to my complaints without criticism. I am blessed to have him, and blessed to live in a place where we have these kinds of choices and places to go (or not go!) And also, the tea was nice and hot and holding the cup warmed my freezing hands! So that was a good thing to be thankful for.

Thinking about hot tea...This chrome (no it's not silver) tea set belonged to hubby's grandmother and was a special gift to her many years ago. I feel very blessed to have this, among many other things that belonged to her. She was a dear and precious Christian woman who had a profound impact on my hubby as well as on my life in the short time that I was privileged to know her.

It usually sits on the buffet, which also belonged to her (Nanny Martin), but has been moved to the kitchen so that the Nativity Set could be placed on the buffet.

Oh hello! I see I made a cameo appearance on this picture! LOL.

Speaking further about tea cups, here's the tea cup tree set up, along with some angels singing and little nativities and churches.

I had to move this lamp that usually sits on that table above to the guest room temporarily while the Christmas decorations are set up. It looks nice there, but I can't see it unless I go in there to look at it, so it will get moved back to the kitchen window after the holidays. 

But meanwhile, it makes me want to "visit" the guest room more often and just enjoy the view. However, very soon this room will be taken over with gifts waiting to be wrapped! The guest room becomes gift wrapping central in the weeks before Christmas!

Speaking of churches...Among those many totes of decorations was this beautiful little white church that lights up and has "snow" swirling around inside. It was a gift a couple of years ago.  Isn't it lovely?

So finally we make our way to Thursday:

The "kids" came to help set up the train set and village.  The grandpups Sugar and Spice are supervising Benton setting up the train tracks.

Hubby "Daddy" is also supervising:  (Remember, when you get old, you can't get down on the floor like you used to be able to, and if you DO get down on the floor, you may not get back up, so it's better to have some "younger folks" come do the on the floor stuff for us while they are still young enough to do it.  

And not only did Rose cook an amazing beef stew for our supper, she came and helped me "build" all these houses and buildings for the train village:

Even that is a labor of love, let me tell you!  These "Plasticville" buildings are probably older than I am, and they don't snap together anymore like they are supposed to do, (much like my old body! LOL) so we end up taping them to hold them in place. We could glue them, but then they would be harder to store and would get broken more easily. So we do the best we can with them. It's a "family tradition" passed down to us from my father from his father...a train village was always under their trees when my dad grew up. He collected Lionel trains and had quite an elaborate display at their house until he got too old to play with it anymore and sold most of it to collectors so the family wouldn't have to deal  with it.  I have mixed emotions about that, but it was for the best...

Click HERE for a previous post with  the history of trains in our family.

We finally got the village all set up, but for some reason Benton couldn't get the train to work properly. So we set it aside for now until Scott comes home on the weekend, and hopefully he can figure out what the problem is. He seems to have the electrical gene to figure things out.  

I still have some tweaking to do on the village, trying to get the lights inside the buildings without destroying the buildings, things like that.  It's hard to do when you can't get down on the floor and have an even harder time getting back up...but we already discussed that. LOL.

Finally all the decorating is done.  Sure, there will be little things here and there that get changed or moved around as needed, but the main work is done and now I can sit back and just enjoy the beauty of the lights and the little scenes of Christmas everywhere, and prepare my heart for the celebration of the birth of our Savior and Lord...  

As we said good bye to the kids last night on the front porch, I took pictures of the little grapevine tree that we put out there each year...

We don't go all out with lots of outdoor decorations because we just don't have the energy, the electricity connections out front, and besides, we prefer to keep it the simple real message of Christmas:

Tonight I went back outside to look at the lights, and saw a great light up in the sky above:

It's a crescent moon, but you can also see a star or planet off in the distance, and it is really beautiful.

I took this picture from the back porch:

Made me think about the Star of David over Bethlehem that led the Magi to find the child Jesus and bring him gifts.

"O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary

And gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love

O morning stars together

Proclaim thy holy birth

And praises sing to God the King

And peace to men on earth

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight"

Now, just for the fun of it, these are some "outtakes" of pictures that I accidentally took or blurred or something while trying to take all these pictures...mostly the ones outside. Not sure what was going on, but thought you'd enjoy seeing them anyway. Especially I thought our friend Sandra, "MadSnapper" would appreciate them.  She loves crazy stuff like this, right Sandra?   LOL.

The Angel Appeared to the Shepherds to announce Jesus' Birth, and they were "sore afraid".

The Heavenly Host of  Angels singing Glory to God in the Highest!

Use your own imagination to figure them out!

The Three Wise Men traveling across the desert for two years to find the Baby King that was born in Bethlehem

They followed the star to Bethlehem, and the star stood above the house where the child Jesus was, and they brought Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh:

"God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel

This blessed Babe was born

And laid within a manger

Upon this blessed morn

The which His Mother Mary

Did nothing take in scorn

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Fear not then, said the Angel

Let nothing you affright

This day is born a Savior

Of a pure Virgin bright

To free all those who trust in Him

From Satan's pow'r and might

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy"

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Avriel Kaplan / Ben Bram / Kevin Olusola / Kirstin Maldonado / Mitchell Grassi / Scott Hoying / Traditional

So from our house to yours, Have blessed and beautiful Christmas/Advent season!

Friday Foto Friends~ It's December!!

Happy December 1st, 2023!  Can we believe that December is finally here? I know, for some it has seemed like a very long year...but for many of us, we can't figure out where all the time has gone. The year has just flown by, even with all of its ups and downs, goods and bads...(is that a word?)...There may be a few happy to see the year coming to an end.  But let us enjoy this month first...

I'm sure many of you have already put up your Christmas tree...I wonder how many still go out and cut a real tree...or do you purchase a live tree from a lot somewhere...or I expect the majority of us have artificial trees that we have to pull out of storage and put back together...with or without lights attached already?    

John Sloane "Country Seasons" 2023 Calendar for December

Some of my fondest memories are of when our little family went out to find "the perfect tree".  When we lived up north we often went out in the freezing weather and snow...like those sweet children above (but without the draft horses and big wagon, sadly...I would have loved that!)...and my hubby and children patiently waited on me to find that perfect tree. Every side, up and down, had to be inspected for bare spaces and proper fullness, the right height and perfect shape.  It was a toe and nose numbing experience...but once the right tree was finally found we cut it down and dragged it back to our car and tied it on top and away we went...hoping it would actually fit inside the house!

This fuzzy picture below is an example of one of those special Christmas trees...That tree you see standing in the background behind my hubby and our three sons on Christmas morning in Ohio many years ago...that tree was originally about 20 feet tall, and we cut off the top 10 feet of it for our tree! We had 10' tall ceilings in that old house, and I was determined to find a tree to reach the top even if we had to cut down a whole big tree, which we did...probably much to the chagrin of the tree owner...but he actually didn't mind and was happy for us to have it.  You can see it helped make our Christmas merry and bright!

If you want to hear the whole story of that Christmas, you can read about it HERE, "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas".

Here's a link to a more recent search for the "perfect Christmas Tree"

And another link to see that tree actually in the house...it's a happy ending...LOL.

So December also is the beginning of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, the Advent of our Lord.  It's not just about Christmas trees and gifts and shopping and baking and all of the "fun stuff", but it's about the most special gift ever...the "Gift" of God's "only begotten Son", sent to us with love from God the Father.

And that perfect gift was sent to us so that we might have peace...

Yes, in the world we do have much tribulation, but we can be of good cheer, because Christ has overcome the world, and through Him we too are overcomers! Praise God for this amazing gift...free to all who will accept it.

I continue on with the pictures from my December calendars...this one is on the Teapot Calendar:

I wonder how often we have felt "relieved by a summons to tea"...or dinner or a call to come away from whatever we are doing that may or may not be so pleasant to come to that which gives us a time of rest and refreshment.  I know that during the busy times of this month it might be a nice idea to take some breaks and enjoy a little tea time either by yourself or with a friend...it can certainly refresh our spirits and help us keep things in perspective...

I haven't done much decorating yet, but here's what I've managed so far...

I love this little "Recipe for a Happy Christmas"~

I love those happy thoughts, don't you?

And what a thought provoking "thought for the day" this is:

I like this idea...yes, we need to laugh often and sweetly...and "radiate widely your pleasure and health."

I think that goes along nicely with the idea of the verse I shared recently 

"The Joy of the Lord is your strength."  Nehemiah 8:10.

When we know the Lord His joy bubbles up from within us and radiates out to everyone we meet.

That should be our goal for this season of "comfort and joy".  

God rest ye merry gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray Oh tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy In Bethlehem, in Jewry This blessed Babe was born And laid within a manger Upon this blessed morn The which His Mother Mary Did nothing take in scorn Oh tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy From God our Heavenly Father A blessed Angel came, And unto certain Shepherds Brought tidings of the same, How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by name. Oh tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy

 Have a blessed December/Advent/Preparation for the Advent of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord!

Advent Thoughts: Today I Choose JOY!

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

to preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of JOY for mourning,

The garment of PRAISE for the

spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord,

that He may be glorified."

Isaiah 61:1-3

As most of you who have followed this blog the past few months know, I have been working through the grieving process since the passing of our son this past May.  Most of the time I seem to be doing just fine, continuing to go through the motions of life every day.  There have been some difficult days, and there have been some wonderful days.  

Particularly as we have approached the Christmas season, there have been waves of grief come over me from out of the blue...totally unexpected and catching me off guard.  I expressed my feelings to friends and family, sharing my frustration with attempting to Christmas shop and send out our usual Christmas letter.  I have felt locked up inside, unable to render enough energy to handle these basic functions of preparing for Christmas. Most people have responded with love, compassion and understanding...helping to relieve the pressure that was building inside and freeing me to not cave in to the expectations of the season by doing more than I was capable of doing.  

Others attempted to remind me that I should think about the family that I still have here and not spoil Christmas by my lack of participation.  This was done in a spirit of good will and encouragement, and I understand where they are coming from, but as I tried to explain...this is not something I am doing deliberately. It is something that is occurring from 'out of the blue', totally unannounced or expected. Not something I can control....it is grief...pure and simple...well, maybe not so simple...rather complicated when you think about it. 

However, as I read these verses today, I recognize what Christ came to earth to do for us ..especially in the verses that say:

"To COMFORT all who mourn,

To CONSOLE those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

the oil of JOY for mourning,

The garment of PRAISE for the 

spirit of heaviness..."

and remarkably, that has given me "COMFORT", JOY, and a GARMENT OF PRAISE!"  It has unlocked something inside so that I am able to CHOOSE JOY in place of the mourning. I am deliberately choosing to put on that "garment of praise" and rise above the "spirit of heaviness" that has been pulling me down.  That is not to say that there won't still be times when the grief will hit me, but claiming God's Word gives me the strength to stand up against the sorrow and not allow it to drag me down.  

This reminds me of another one of our Christmas Carols:

"God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" (click here to hear)

"God rest you merry, gentlemen, 

Let nothing you dismay,

Remember Christ, our Savior,

Was born on Christmas Day;

To save us all from Satan's pow'r,

When we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy!"

And may the Lord be glorified as we preach these "good tidings" of comfort and joy everywhere!

For previous thoughts on this subject from this time last year, Click HERE.