Tag Archives: advent

Looking Ahead, Looking Behind

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Yesterday I got to spend an afternoon with Gavin the Great, my 3 year old grandson.  His dad and mom have been doing a great job preparing him for the new baby due to come Christmas Eve.   When they cut a tree (in our family a Christmas tree isn’t a Christmas tree unless you cut it down) they got him a cute little tree for his bedroom.  Something extra special for this extra special Christmas.

A job on my list was to string lights on Gavin’s tree.  In a moment of inspiration I decided to do this before he took his nap.  As I strung the lights around his bed and tree, Gavin went into hyper-wonder. 

“Look at the lights, Nana!” he kept repeating. 

I thought about how one string of lights (price tag: $8) brings a bit of magic and delight into a child’s life.  One of those tips I wished I had figured out twenty five years ago!

This picture is wretched photography, but it gives you an idea.  The tree is to the left.

The funny moment of the day came when Gavin looked at a picture of himself as a toddler. 

“I miss myself as a baby.” 

He was serious.  But I think the outfit he was wearing might have been a favorite.

Three years old is bit young to be nostalgic, wouldn’t you say?

He That Is Mighty Hath Done Great Things to Me

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Study for an Annunciation by Lorenzo di Credi

My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
    for behold from henceforth
    all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me;
    and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations,
    to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm:
    he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
    and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things;
    and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant,
     being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers,
     to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

                         ~ Song of Mary

We are learning to sing the Magnificat set to Thomas Tallis’ Dorian Service.  It is so foreign to our ears, so difficult to get the right notes even remotely at the right time.  It will be beautiful when we are on the far side of the learning curve. 

I chose this study because the pencil strokes and homely stained paper capture some of the mystery in what is one of the most mysterious, astonishing, mind-boggling events in history.  

Creative Christmas Gifts

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I promise to focus on Thanksgiving…starting tomorrow!   Here are two creative gift ideas.

The first is from my niece Olivia.  One year she did Memories in a Bottle.  She typed up short vignettes, even two-or-three-sentence memories on the long side of brightly colored paper (Page Setup Landscape).   She folded these strips into accordion  folds and put them into a  decorative bottle. [Example: I remember when we drank Hot Chocolate every Sunday night before we went to bed.  The memory of the melted marshmallows still warms me.]  She typed up enough strips so her parents could shake out a folded strip of paper and read one a day until Valentines Day. 

This would work well in any direction: grandparents, parents, siblings, child.  I think it might be especially good for the child who needs to be reminded of his/her roots.  It’s a gift that needs some time for the yeast of ideas to rise. 

The second, Countdown to Christmas, comes from my next door friend/neighbor Rhonda.  Her daughter Lori is a teacher overseas and won’t be able to come home for Christmas.  Her daughter asked family not to send bulky items which will be expensive to ship home later. 

Rhonda’s Christmas Gift to her daughter is a collection of memories. Rhonda asked friends and family to write a letter to Lori, including pictures, and give the letter to Rhonda by this weekend.  She made a beautiful binder with a letter for each day of December enclosed in page protectors.  The letters go behind a page for each day of December which has photos from Lori’s childhood artistically added. 

I can’t describe the creativity that I saw last night, both in form of the letters, and in the pages marking the days.  This is the perfect project for scrapbookers.  It is small enough in scope to actually get finished!

The package will be mailed today and get to Lori by December 1st.  Wouldn’t this be a great idea for soldiers, missionaries or friends overseas?  It’s a lovely idea for any long-distance loved one.   

Cleaning the Grout

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I have a tendency, when the pressure is on, to lose myself in tiny details, neatly blocking out the necessary big items.  We have a phrase for this in our family lexicon: I’m cleaning the grout.  While cobwebs are merrily waving hello, food in my fridge needs to wave goodbye; while beds need to be changed, batteries need to be charged; while dust bunnies need to be banished and resident dirt needs to be dismissed — I take up a toothbrush and focus in on two square inches of grout. 

My grout at the moment is the issue of Christmas stamps.  This is a tiny detail in the totality of Advent, but one about which I happen to care.  Here are some choices.  Generally there is a secular choice and a religious choice.  There are some other non-holiday stamps which might work.


Holiday Knits. 
Folks, these are a little too, um, folksy for me.
They remind me of Grandma Sweatshirts.
You are allowed to like them, though…

Luini’s Madonna of the Carnation
I like this as art.
But I’m not sure as a stamp.
I’m betwixt and between.

Polar Lights
These are certainly colorful. 
I will purchase some of these for regular correspondence and bills.

Celebrate
I guess this stamp replaces the traditional Happy Birthday stamp.
Christmas is the ultimate reason to celebrate, no?

Okay, it’s audience participation time.
What is your favorite?
Do you care?

Preparing for Advent

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I’m getting excited about the upcoming Advent season.  However, translating that enthusiasm into action takes concerted effort.  So I’m thinking about the preparations that have/can/should be done.  If you know me, you know that means, “Do I have a book about it?”  As a matter of fact, I do.  I didn’t have  Christmas Spirit last year, but ordered it ahead for this year.  (Amazon has 50 used copies, starting at 50 cents.)  Our morning poetry selections will come from this book.



When my sister visited, she strongly recommended this CD.  I put that on my yourmusic.com queue, and got it in the mail a few weeks ago.  I was pleasantly surprised at the number of sacred texts she put to music.  It has a typical Windham Hill sound; it’s soothing background music.  Christmas music must have its own post – I’d love to share my favorites and hear yours.



Christmas stamps are usually available by the end of October.  Here’s a look at the upcoming ones.  Which one do you like?  I think the knits look cheesy, and am wavering between the Madonna and the Polar Lights. 

Ever since my garage sale find I’ve been waiting for the first Sunday of Advent to get these dishes out for use during the season. 


It makes sense to look for gifts now and spread the expenses across a few months.  Last year with a wedding a week before Christmas, we did a “gift card” Christmas.  I have to admit, the ease and escape from shopping was absolutely wonderful from my perspective.  But it doesn’t seem right to do that this year. I love to find a great “family” gift for our siblings that I can order online. 

I’ve already chosen my “bread and butter” gift for this year.  I have lots of canning jars pining away in my garage cabinets, and a large Costco-sized bag of baking cocoa.  I’m going to make cooked fudge topping and give it to the neighbors and families at church.  One Saturday of incredible smells in my kitchen should do it.

It’s funny: I hate when the retail stories “hurry” the holiday displays, but I don’t mind thinking about Advent in October in the comfort of my own home.  The music is both the best and worst aspect of Advent.  The tinny “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus” is the biggest reason I avoid shopping during December.  But at home, with a candle and a cup of tea, I love the great music of the season.  More on music soon.

Are you thinking about this stuff yet?  Any suggestions?