Snowflake Patterns

Make your own snowflakes! We've already tried these, and they are beautiful. Boys and girls alike will enjoy these. They look great hanging in the windows!


Enjoy!

Javamom

Christmas Carols in Spanish

Some of my students from my Spanish classes (along with their parents) have joined me in gathering presents to deliver to needy families this weekend. We will be helping my friend Señora Smith. As we deliver goodies, we will get to do some caroling in Spanish as we go. I thought I'd include a link here on the blog for any who'd like recommendations for a big list of Christmas carols in Spanish.


¡Feliz Navidad!


Señora Javamom

Birthday and Christmas instruments

We celebrated the Nineteenth birthday of our eldest son on the day after Christmas. We completely surprised him with a banjo for Christmas, his first hint being banjo strings in a carefully wrapped Christmas package.

For J's birthday, the Hubster has been working long hours in the elf shop cutting and sanding, carving and gluing up this walnut mandolin. This is the sixth mandolin Hubby has made over the years. This one is made primarily of walnut, with a spruce top.

J was completely and utterly speechless. It was great, as he is never speechless!


Teaching the eldest how to restring his banjo, before he leaves for college.


We also played a fun game at our birthday dinner..."Aim for Omaha." The theme of ds's party was "Cars" for various reasons.





Treasuring up many things before he is gone... Javamom

Messiah Sing-along

One of our Christmas traditions...singing all of Handel's Messiah.



...and getting to see a good family friend whom we haven't seen in years, Miss Barbara! She moved back home to Tennessee, so this is the event and the friends for which she returns, ever-so-briefly. She had to fly out the very next morning. (I'm the one making the silly face on the left)



The Tenors - each group or soloist stands when they sing. On the choruses, we all stand.

The host himself is in shorts! It was over 80 degrees last Saturday. I gave him only a little bit of a hard time... he is the host after all! Hubby had the same T-shirt that he wanted to wear, but I cracked the whip :-).


The sopranos. Cathy, our hostess, is on the right in the red blouse.


The basses - Hubster is in the white shirt and red tie :-)


My fellow altos, although I did sing one of the soprano solos (I'm actually a mezzo-soprano)
"How beautiful are the feet of them that bring the gospel of peace..."

My other favorite (alto) solo...

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arms, with his arms...."


This was our best year so far. It gets easier (but that is a relative term!) each year.

This work is so glorious, and being in the middle of it brings goose bumps and causes the little hairs on our arms to raise.

I'm working on it!

Betcha haven't seen this so much in the blogworld!


Not yet picture perfect :-)

Christmas surprises

The Hubster read to us from Luke 2 in De Nyew Testament in Gullah language.

First of all, I have to mention that someone left us a nice Christmas card blessing over the weekend. Thank you, whoever you are!


Oh, my!! Thanks to my in-laws! This is what I REALLY wanted, but didn't ask for. Somehow, my fil just knew! He and my mil are professional photographers, btw.


Close-up of our new camera, (candid taken by our oldest son, on his Canon).




When it comes to college ball, we have a house divided (one decided Longhorns fan and two serious Sooners fans), but boy were these guys surprised with some college football gear they've been asking for :-). We got 'em beanies but later in the day, their Aunt and Uncle supplied them with caps and a hoodie or a vintage T-shirt of their favorite team. They were also happy to receive some Starbucks gift cards that Hubs and I and some friends gave them.



For family bonding through airsoft battles :-)

Ornaments

This is our newest ornament this year, made by one of my American Lit. students. Isn't it well-done?

This sweet locket was given to Hubby and me by his Aunt Gail, who just passed away two weeks ago, on Christmas 1984 and says "First Christmas Together"

The sled was made by someone in our Jr. High youth group in Oklahoma in early marriage. The Loon ornament beside it is a memento from spending time on Roosevelt Lake in Minnesota.

A memento of our Messiah sing-alongs in which we participate.

I bought this scroll-y cross last year. It is one of my favorite ornaments.

The Moose is from our trip to Minnesota in the summer of 2003 with our friends who have just recently moved back there.

Favorite Ornaments

Big favorites, above from our life in Boston: a light-up Fannieul Hall, and just behind it with a burgundy ribbon, a clear glass bulb filled with "Boston Snow," both given to me by a co-worker in the Chiropractic office where I worked b/c.

This manger scene was made by our 17 yo son when he was about five!

Home made felt heart made by our daughter when she was eleven.

The above are from different artsy friends of mine. I love them! They are just like our two cats, Mittens and Tigger!

This is a grouping of some of our favorites: carved bird from an antique store, glass candycane from our trip to Venice, poinsettia star is Andrewcles' favorite, below it is the scripture from Isaiah, and Handel's Messiah: And His name shall be called...Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God...

Christmas "Letters"

Forgive my shallow post. That's all I seem to have time for right now. How do you feel about Christmas letters? Do you write one every year? Do you enjoy getting the family updates from others? Some people just do not like them...they say they seem braggish. Some send straightforward, totally honest and even depressing updates.

I've sent out family update/Christmas letters once. Then another year, I typed one up and never sent it out with the Christmas cards or the New Year's cards. Maybe I'm just not a very good friend or daughter/sister. (lol)

Anyone have some good advice for me regarding the sharing of news and updates (both the good and the not-so-good reality moments; not too dark, and not too "braggy" of course)?

I think it's one of the things that brings me down about this time of year. It's that ole' Ghost of Christmas Expectations...and trying to stay balanced by not seeing only through rose-colored glasses.

Hey, for some this time of year is fun because of food, presents, and football playoffs, you know...the things that count. *says with a smirk*

Anybody?

Christmas Poem

In memory of John Greenleaf Whittier, who was born on Dec. 17th, I share this interesting poem!

THE MYSTIC'S CHRISTMAS
By John Greenleaf Whittier

"ALL hail!" the bells of Christmas rang,
"All hail!" the monks at Christmas sang,
The merry monks who kept with cheer
The gladdest day of all their year.

But still apart, unmoved thereat,
A pious elder brother sat
Silent, in his accustomed place,
With God's sweet peace upon his face.

"Why sitt'st thou thus?" his brethren cried.
"It is the blessed Christmas-tide;
The Christmas lights are all aglow,
The sacred lilies bud and blow.

"Above our heads the joy-bells ring,
Without the happy children sing,
And all God's creatures hail the morn
On which the holy Christ was born!

"Rejoice with us; no more rebuke
Our gladness with thy quiet look."
The gray monk answered: "Keep, I pray,
Even as ye list, the Lord's birthday.

"Let heathen Yule fires flicker red
Where thronged refectory feasts are spread;
With mystery-play and masque and mime
And wait-songs speed the holy time!

"The blindest faith may haply save;
The Lord accepts the things we have;
And reverence, howsoe'er it strays,
May find at last the shining ways.

"They needs must grope who cannot see,
The blade before the ear must be;
As ye are feeling I have felt,
And where ye dwell I too have dwelt.

"But now, beyond the things of sense,
Beyond occasions and events,
I know, through God's exceeding grace,
Release from form and time and place.

"I listen, from no mortal tongue,
To hear the song the angels sung;
And wait within myself to know
The Christmas lilies bud and blow.

'The outward symbols disappear
From him whose inward sight is clear;
And small must be the choice of days
To him who fills them all with praise!

"Keep while you need it, brothers mine,
With honest zest your Christmas sign,
But judge not him who every morn
Feels in his heart the Lord Christ born!"

Christmas Music and Festive Decorating

I have to (get to!) listen to music every day, and Christmas time is no exception. The selections are different, though. They're definitely more "Old World" traditional, and often more obscure than what most people listen to at this time of year. I savor the sounds: the somber, reflective, and sometimes melancholy music of the Christmas season, and our local classical radio station plays many of these beautiful choral pieces and the more obscure works at this time of year. They played one the other day that was music set to a Christina Rossetti poem about Winter...I wrote it down, now I can't find it. It had nice harmonies and resolutions-- Ah! Wonderful! Oh, here it is: In The Bleak Midwinter.

There are so many good CD's available for Christmas listening pleasure, that it truly is difficult to narrow down the favorites. I grew up listening to three, and only three Christmas albums: Julie Andrews, Andy Williams, and Glen Campbell, complete with his reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." It was my personal tradition from very early childhood to put an album on the record player and turn off all the lights, except for the Christmas tree, sit in the olive green rocker (sometimes with my foster sister, sometimes alone) and just listen, rock, and stare at the lights. Julie Andrews' voice was so heavenly, and Andy Williams' vocals so festive and smooth. Glen Campbell was enjoyable, too, and this was Dad's contribution to the collection, with his flare for country music.

This is what is spinning in my humble CD player right now:

Mannheim Steamroller ~ A Fresh Aire Christmas
Up Next: Andrea Bocelli ~ Sacred Arias

We've been cleaning all day so we could get the Christmas tree and Schtuff down from the attic. Hubster, aka King Kong, was home from school today as the Metroplex closes down with the hint of ice on the ground...to protect all the drivers from other drivers who are from the south and cannot drive on black ice! hehehe

So he was the taskmaster and got us in order (mostly)...enough to get out the Christmas and winter decorations. So we kept the coffee on all day, along with lots of hot chocolate, marshmallows, vegie-beef stew and cornbread.

Other favorite albums we listened to today:

Handel's Messiah ~ Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus - Robert Shaw
Michael W. Smith's Christmastime
" " " Christmas (absolutely fantastic)
The Carols of Christmas ~ A Windham Hill Collection
The Bach Variations ~ A Windham Hill Sampler
George Winston's December

Now I must get back to hanging ornaments on the tree, since I finally got all the lights to work...all 1000 of them. I know, it's a little bright in here ;-) The last two ornaments to go on are Fannieul Hall (Boston) and a clear glass ornament with "Boston Snow" crystals on dried "grass" or "brush" in it. They are both from 1987, given to me by a co-worker, and they are among our family favorites. The kiddos put their special ornaments on first, then it's a frenzy, in which Momma has to tell them (mostly Andrewcles) to slow down. Then I make sure the colors are spread out and balanced well (snicker) so there might be a little bit of last minute adjusting going on.

I enjoy the memories associated with many of these ornaments on the tree, gifts given by family...like the giant locket given to us by Hubby's Aunt Gail in 1984 that says, "First Christmas Together". there are also ornaments that are gifts from friends, students, or mementos bought on travels. It reminds me to be thankful and pray for certain people we've known, or blessings we received throughout the years. What are some of your favorite or special ornaments, and why?

~ Seasonal Bargains ~

These are some examples of my favorite types of things! I found these all in the last week at antique stores or bargain shelves. The linen towel says "All Linen Drywell Cloth." The autumn placemats were bought for 80% off, so I purchased 10 of them for our table. I was surprised to find that many, even.

I got a great idea from one antique shop owner. She told me to string the antique cookie cutters to use as ornaments on the Christmas tree. That'll work well, since I collect red-handled kitchen tools, and I've already got miniature red kitchen tool ornaments that I found on clearance last year.

The carved bird was just something extra special that I found, and bought a few for presents.

Lost Stockings!

I don't know if any of you out there can relate to this, but every December, when we go into the attic to retrieve Christmas decorations, something always turns up missing. One year, it was Santa in a musical, rocking chair. Another year, it was a glass nativity. Oh, the nativity box was with everything else, there were just no figurines in it. The next year, it was a lighted, ceramic, snow-covered schoolhouse. And yet another time, our mice, mantle-stocking holders were not with our Christmas decorations. THIS year, we have not been able to find our stockings! Isn't that weird?

I spent most of the day today up in the attic, checking the boxes and bags, to find these goodie holders. Our stockings are the main attraction of our family Christmas, so it has been a little traumatic for the kids this year, not seeing them hung at the mantle. After Christmas, 2003, everyone took their stockings back to their rooms with them after we opened presents, so that is part of the problem.

Every year, there are always stray items that didn't make it into the main boxes of Christmas items. These end up going up to the attic within a couple of weeks of the original clean-up of Christmas decorations, so I'm guessing that the stockings ended up in that stray bag or box...or were sent to the thrift store in a donation box! We may have to just make do with hubby's knitted, knee-high "house booties" from Afghanistan (he has two pair)or some of our big socks! Come to think of it, the Afghan booties will work alright, but they're not very wide. I just don't know if the kids will go for it, but they may just have to deal with it!

I hope you all are finding some special, quiet moments in this season of busy-ness. I prefer peace and quiet. In fact, I enjoy staying home! I do *not* get out to any store after 3:00, 'cause I just can't stand the crowded streets or stores. FORGET the mall, unless I'm caroling there with friends, as I've been known to do!!

I DO love Christmas Carols, and four or six-part harmony. Most of these songs are just beautifully written, unlike too many songs we hear today... sigh.

We finally got the tree up!