Joy to the World

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins.” -- Matthew 1:21

"Peace on earth and mercy mild, 

God and sinner reconciled."

Linking to
Wordless Wednesday

Christmas on the Homestead

"When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?" -- Gilbert K. Chesterton

It's a peaceful, rest-filled, white Christmas Day on our homestead.

More than ever before, I'm thankful to God for the gift of His Son. We celebrated Christmas Eve with a large gathering of friends (some old, some new) in Allenspark: food, music, poetry, stories, the completion of the Advent wreath, singing carols. It was all centered around Christ and His birth. An old-fashioned and beautiful evening. I'm ready for Christmas Eve 2012 right now.

Several days ago I found a recipe online for Starbucks Cafe Mochas to make at home. I tried it and it's delicious. Not difficult to make, either.

Here's the link to the recipe on Marie Claire: http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity-lifestyle/articles/make-starbucks-mocha

Note: I used Ghiradelli Chocolate Mocha cocoa powder, and Starbucks Sumatra coffee for the espresso.

Merry Christmas. Rejoice! For a Son has been given.

"In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory it God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'" (Luke 2:8-14)

Nancy

Oranges, Hard Candy and a Simple Homestead Christmas

But Ma asked if they were sure the stockings were empty.  Then they put their hands down inside them, to make sure.  And in the very toe of each stocking was a shining bright, new penny! They had never even thought of such a thing as having a penny.  Think of having a whole penny for your very own.  Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny. There never had been such a Christmas. —Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1935)  

Laura's words remind me of a conversation I had with my mother years ago. I was five or six at the time. We were sitting at the kitchen table in the old farmhouse, sorting through a box of Christmas cards. Mom held up a card with a beautiful poinsettia on the front. "What do you think of this one for Aunt Ella?" 

I looked at the card and smiled. "She'll like that one. She loves flowers." I pulled out a card and studied the face of a radiant angel. "I think the Webers would like this one."

Mom nodded. "Me, too."

Visions of Santa loading up the sleigh with my Christmas presents danced through my head, as we gathered cards for the rest of the people on mom's list. "When you were a little girl, Mommy, what did you get for Christmas?"

She looked up from her work and stared at me for a moment. "Oh. . .we got an orange. And a piece of hard candy."

My jaw fell to my chest. She couldn't be serious. "That's all?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Were you bad or somethin'?"

She laughed. "No. That's just the way it was in those days."

I thought Santa had been pretty stingy in those days. But later I learned that my mother's experience was the norm for previous generations. Especially in large families like hers. They lived within their means -- even at Christmas -- and their means weren't much. 

For a long time I felt sorry for my mom and her siblings. Sorry that they didn't have a real Christmas. But not any longer. Now I think they were the blessed ones; the ones who had the real Christmas. A simple Christmas. I envy them.

Maybe that's one reason why "A Christmas Carol" is my favorite Christmas movie. The contented way in which the Cratchits celebrate their meager Christmas appeals to me.

Keeping Christmas simple in a culture that believes more is more, instead of less is more, isn't easy. But downsizing to a 624 sq. ft. cabin has definitely twisted my arm into submission to a simpler Christmas decorating style. There just isn't room to display a lot of stuff, much less store it, so that simplifies decking the halls.

This year we're focusing on simple live decorations, like this poinsettia.

And these red carnations for the dining table.

We may just have the tiniest live Christmas tree in Estes Park. My plan is to repot it as it grows and reuse it in the coming years until it's too big for indoors and just right for planting outdoors.

Dennis's painting "Taos Peace Rally" has a Christmas theme. The lamp post is decorated with greenery and a red bow. The cross is a reminder of the real reason for celebrating Christmas.

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; 

And the government will rest on His shoulders; 

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, 

On the throne of David and over his kingdom, 

To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness 

From then on and forevermore. 

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."

Isaiah 9:6-7

I'm happy we're keeping our homestead Christmas simple. Now all we need is a few oranges and some hard candy.

Nancy

Christmas in Estes Park

This is Dennis and my first Christmas together as husband and wife, and we'll spend it at home in Estes Park. It snowed on Tuesday, so I thought we would have a white Christmas. Silly me. I forgot to figure in the sun. A lot of the snow has melted under its solar power, but there is still some higher up into the mountains.

Even so, I did manage to get some photos of Estes with the pretty white stuff all around. I like this shot of our backyard. . .

These are our Christmas trees. . .

They're right outside our French doors.We didn't put up a tree in our apartment. How could it compete with these trees anyway? 

We had lunch at Poppy's on Wednesday, so while I was there I snapped a picture of Barlow Plaza. Pretty, isn't it?

The river is mostly frozen over. . .

Riverwalk is still pretty though -- even in December on a cloudy day. . .

Dennis proposed to me last Christmas in Columbus, Ohio, where I was living at the time. I came to Estes in January, and we picked out our rings at the Fall River Jewelry and Antique shop. Bob, a gemologist, and Carol, a silversmith, are the owners. They're a wonderful couple, and their shop is one of my favorites. . . .

We attended the Estes Park Community Christmas Eve Service tonight. It was a beautiful service celebrating our Lord's birth. Jesus coming to earth to redeem us is what Christmas is really about. As our speaker tonight said, "It's the greatest story ever lived".

 "For to us a child is born, 
   to us a son is given, 
   and the government will be on his shoulders. 
And he will be called 
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas. May God bless and keep you.