Tuesday 4~Holiday Express

 

Holiday Express


Welcome Friends.. to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
The holidays are coming fast! They are loaded onto the Christmas Express train and there is no stopping them now.
Are you ready for them this year?

As ready as I can be. I've had a slow start due to being sick earlier this month, but I am feeling better now and playing catch-up.


1. Is your tree up? Yes  How tall is it? 7 feet.
what color lights?  White. Here's a picture:

 
Are there lights in the window? Not really in the window. On the door? On the front porch and yard.

This is our grapevine tree that we actually made from our own grapevines at our last house in the forest. It has held up very well, even if today the wind was so hard that it blew it over and I had to go pick it back up! Thankfully nothing was broken and the lights still work.

This little tiny Nativity scene is on the very top:

Our front yard  tonight:

2. Got a menu for Christmas Eve and Day?

I haven't thought about Christmas Eve yet. We do have a church service to go to, so we will probably have a simple supper before church.   On Christmas day (after discussing it with my sweet DIL Rose)  it sounds like we will be baking a ham and scalloped potatoes this year.  That's just simpler and we haven't had ham in a while, so that will be fine with me. I'm all for keeping things simple when I can. LOL.

3. Who is coming for Christmas or who will you visit?

It will just be our kids here with us on Christmas Day.   Our extended family lives too far away to come on Christmas Day, so we always try to meet them on another day usually after Christmas. So far I know that we will meet up with hubby's brother and family on Saturday, Dec. 27th, at a restaurant about 1/2 way between our homes, which is an hour's drive for each of us to get there.  I haven't  talked to my sister yet to see when we might meet them. We may end up meeting  at the same time as with the rest of the family. We've done that before and it saves us from having to make two separate trips.


4. What is your favorite Christmas memory.?

I will have to sit here and think about that for a while. There's so many. Do I go back to my childhood, or to my own children's childhood? They were all so wonderful.  

Here's a Link to a post I did a few years ago entitled "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas".  I've shared it before, but I don't think most of you have seen it. It has memories from when our own little family was young and we were away from "home" for Christmas and feeling kind of blue...but it has a happy ending.

And THIS link goes back to my own childhood Christmas memories.  Rather than write them all over again, it's probaby easier to just click on those links and see what those special memories were.  I enjoyed re-reading them and re-living the sweet memories.

I know you've probably seen all of these things before, but there's really nothing else new to report right now.  This week will be busy with finishing up Christmas shopping and then onThursday evening our church choir goes to sing at a church in a neighboring community and join them for a candlelight service. We do that every year and it is always very special. I'll share more about that afterwards.

Lately we've been listening to excerpts from Handel's Messiah, in which the words for each song come straight from the Bible.  Here's a couple of passages that are included.  Next time you listen to Handel's Messiah be sure to listen for these verses.   An interesting study is to look up each of the different passages that are included in the music throughout the whole musical. You will be amazed!

Isaiah 60:1-3  King James Version

 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isaiah 40:9-11 King James Version

9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Matthew 11:28-29 King James Version

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Okay, that's my post for this Tuesday 4 and more. I hope you enjoyed it.  You can join in HERE if you wish.  Thanks, Annie, for another good post!

Advent Day 10....With a Surprise (again!)

I know if you followed my Advent Calendar last year, (and the year before) you may see that I have repeated a few here and there (more than a few).  But...sometimes it is good to repeat things year after year...because we humans tend to forget and need to be reminded!  So, here is last year's open Advent Window for the 10th day of Advent (and THIS year, 2016, today is the 19th day of Advent!) .  I love this particular window because it has a special surprise tucked into the scripture readings...so be sure to click on the verses when you come to them.  I find as I read from God's Word these particular verses I always break out into singing them the way I've heard them sung so many wonderful times before. I wish I could say that I sound as good as these musicians...but it is the melody in the heart that matters, not the quality of the vocalist.  So, as you read along, please feel free to sing along with me! Might as well practice! Someday we will be in the heavenly choir where we will ALL have voices like the angels! Won't that be grand????

Okay, Open this window and enjoy...
Due to busily preparing for Christmas, (I've been shopping non stop for the past three days...) I've been too busy to write about the preparation!  Oftentimes that is how it goes with us humans...we get so caught up in our whirl of activities that we forget the whole purpose and meaning of the activity we are pursuing.

This Christmas card says it all...This is what Christmas is all about...

I pause in the middle of my hectic pace to remember the true meaning of Christmas...and to reflect on ways that I can be more like the Christ of Christmas...

• More willing to give than to receive...
• To be a cheerful servant rather than expecting to be served...
• Never doing things just to please myself...but to give of myself so that others might have a pleasant life.

Today's scripture readings reinforce these thoughts: (Click on each section of verses for an Advent Surprise:)

"O Zion,

You who bring good tidings,

Get up into the high mountain;

O Jerusalem,

You who bring good tidings,

Lift up your voice with strength,

Lift it up, be not afraid;

Say to the cities of Judah,

"Behold your God!"

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

and carry them in His bosom.

And gently lead those who are with young."

Isaiah 40: 9, 11

(The above links are compliments of George Frederic Handel and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus)

I hope you enjoyed this little mini-concert.  For the complete concert, click HERE

May this help set the tone for your Advent mid-season.  Only 17  10 days until Christmas!  Take some time to relax and enjoy...and pass on the blessing to someone else.