The 14th Day of Advent - Homemade Gifts

I am the world's worst at daily blog posts.  Even when I try to schedule them all ahead of time, I still don't get it all done.  For the 24 days of Advent, I had 12 days of posts about gifts and 12 days of digital scrapbooking freebies, and then for the 12 days of Christmas from December 25 through January 5 we will be doing our annual Kindle lapbook 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.  Well, I fell behind quickly, but we will still try to get it all in.  I just won't promise to not miss any days!

The truth is, Gifts are not my love language, but they are for other people whom I love, and they are such a big part of Christmas.  I chose to write about them this year because I think there are a lot of people who, like me, struggle with the dichotomy of gift-giving and yet avoiding materialism during this time of year.  My next post will deal more with why gift-giving is important, but today I would like to share some of my favorite home-made gifts.  Most of the ones I'm sharing here are ornaments, since they are a great gift at Christmas.

A long time ago, I read a "Dear Abby" letter from someone who was tired of friends and relatives being "cheap" by giving home-made gifts, especially home-made wedding gifts.  I was shocked.  The home-made gifts I received for my wedding 24 years ago were among my favorites and the ones I still remember the best and probably use the most.  Of course, people getting married do need a lot of practical items, but I often cannot remember who gave me the various kitchen utensils, linens, etc., and many have worn out and have been replaced by now.  But every time I look at a gift someone made me, I think of that person.  My aunt made me this beautiful, detailed cross-stitch of the 23rd Psalm.  She started it for my high school graduation.  When she could not complete it in time, she continued to work on it for my college graduation.  She finally finished it in time for my wedding!  We have moved 13 times in 24 years, and this decoration has hung in every house in which I've lived but one, where we lived for only one year and didn't put any nails in the walls for hanging items.  It reminds me of the heritage I've received from my family, and how even when we are far apart, God is with each one of us.

These ornaments, as well as the one at the top of this post, were made by another college student from my husband's ministry.  She purchased clear glass ornaments and coated the inside with paint.  After it dried, she painted the designs on the outside.  These are simple but artistic and are some of my favorite ornaments.

This similar ornament was made by a friend of mine who is also a military wife, and we have been stationed near each other multiple times.  Though we are now far apart, I have a number of beautiful things she has made for us over the years that remind me of her.  For these ornaments, she also coated the inside of clear ornaments with paint.  For the outside design, however, she did monograms of all my kids' names in vinyl with her Silhouette.

Here is a beautiful angel made by a friend with beads and safety pins.  You can buy kits to do this.

And then I have some really talented friends who can do this beautiful woodwork.  My friend's husband made us a whole set of these wooden ornaments with Christian symbols that he designed.

Here is one of my very favorites.  My husband's cousin is very talented with woodwork.  He made this beautiful ornament with the communion table, bread, and chalice inside.  The detail is exquisite.  It always holds a prominent place on my tree where it can remind us that the reason Christ came into this world as a baby was to give Himself up and restore our communion with God.

And lastly, at least for tonight, we have all the home-made ornaments my own kids have made over the years that I treasure.  This one is made by taking a colored glass bulb, having the child dip his hand in white paint, and then having the child wrap his hand around the bulb to leave the handprint. Each finger, including the thumb, makes a snowman.  Add the facial features, hats, etc. with pens or paint.

While any crafter can tell you that home-made gifts are NOT always the cheapest option, those who are creative or spend a lot of time on Pinterest can make lovely gifts that will be treasured for years without breaking the bank.

Since we are talking so much about ornaments tonight, let me give you Days 1 and 2 of the digital scrapbooking freebies, some ornament papers.  These were made with CU designs from Daily Art Hub.  See their site for daily freebies!  Click on images for download.

Merry Christmas!

The Second Day of Advent - Favorite Gifts

Today was Cyber Monday.  A lot of people have gotten most of their Christmas gifts purchased this weekend, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Others, like me, chose to save money by not shopping this weekend!  Sometimes the hustle and bustle of the season feels like it takes away from the true meaning of the holiday, like everything has become too commercial.  So why do we keep giving gifts?

In fact, gift-giving has been a way to celebrate religious holidays for millennia.  Specifically, in the ninth chapter of the Book of Esther, when Mordecai established the holiday of Purim to celebrate the Jews' deliverance from the hand of Haman, he sent instructions to all the provinces:

Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.  (Esther 9:20-22 NIV)

Even earlier, during holidays such as the Passover, people ate together and celebrated as a part of their worship to God.  Eating together and giving gifts to each other are ways to show love and to bring people together, which I believe God always wanted during holidays.  Giving gifts to the poor during these times (people were also commanded to give gifts to the poor at other times in the Old Testament) is also an important part of our social responsibility, to help those less fortunate.

When the Wise Men, or Magi, came from the East bearing lavish gifts when Jesus was about two years old, the seeds were planted for the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas.  It is likely that Mary and Joseph needed the money from these gifts to make their ensuing trip to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod.  (We know that Mary and Joseph were poor when Jesus was born because they gave the poor family's sacrifice of two young birds when they dedicated him at the temple, instead of a lamb. See Luke 2:22-24 and Leviticus 12:8)  God used the gifts of the Magi to provide for them what they needed before they even knew they needed it.

Gift-giving, then, is not commercial or materialistic in and of itself, but is an entirely appropriate way to celebrate Christmas.  Gifts do not need to be elaborate or to break the bank.  I would like to highlight here on my blog some of my favorite gifts through the years (there are so many - I will only be able to do a few!) and what they mean to me.

The first gift I'd like to share is the pitcher in the above picture.  Several years ago when my husband was doing campus ministry, we had a Christmas party each year for the college students.  This was one of the highlights of my year, since I love Christmas and I loved having 50+ college students taking a break from their studies and enjoying themselves at my house!  I had the whole house decorated for Christmas and had lots of Christmas dishes that all matched.  One thing that did not match, however, was my pitcher.  We served non-alcoholic coffee-flavored eggnog in a blue pitcher with a snowman on it.  I commented once to a few of the students that I would have to use the snowman pitcher, even though it did not match all my red and green dishes, because a pitcher was the one item I did not have to match my Christmas dishes.

A couple of years later, we had moved on to our next duty station in another state.  One of the students with whom I had become friends, Andrea, was from that state, and she invited me to lunch at her parents' house while she was home over Christmas break.  When I got there, she had a Christmas gift for me.  I opened it to find this beautiful pitcher.  She said she remembered that the one item I didn't have to match for my Christmas parties was a pitcher, so she found one to match my set.  I was overwhelmed by the fact she had been so observant and had remembered the comment I'd made, and that she had gone out of the way to find this item.  Gifts that have a lot of thought put into them are so meaningful for years to come.  Now every Christmas when I use my pitcher, I think of Andrea!

I'll share another gift and memory tomorrow.

Speaking of gifts, I have a lot of freebies for you this month.  For today's freebies, scroll on down to the next blog post.  There are several digital scrapbooking freebies, as well as a Christmas word-finds activity book to download at the end of the Knowledge@Kindle newsletter.

Merry Christmas! 

The First Day of Advent - The Gift of Hope

Today was the first Sunday of Advent, and the first day of the 24 Days of Advent in the month of December leading up to Christmas.  "Advent" means "coming."  In the days before Christ came to earth, the Jewish people waited for a Messiah to come, a Savior.  Now, we still celebrate Advent because we await the Second Coming of Christ.

Isaiah the Prophet penned the words in which the Israelite people placed their hope more than 700 years before Christ was born:  

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
(Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

For many people, the days leading up to Christmas are full of joy, music, and Christmas lights.  It is the time of year we forget about our troubles and spend time making memories with friends and family.  For others, however, it is difficult to forget the troubles.  Every Christmas card from a friend, every decoration, every well-wisher is a reminder that things seem to be going great for other people, but I cannot find my Joy.  Some people just want the season to hurry up and get over with.

Here's the thing.  If you are one of those people, one who is stuck in a dark place and is having a hard time enjoying the parties and the festivities, Isaiah was in your boat, too.  He didn't live in happy times.  He didn't bake cookies and string Christmas lights and hand goodies out to the people while he prophesied.  He was prophesying in dark days.  Israel had turned away from God.  The Northern Kingdom, Israel, fell to Assyria in 722-721 BC.  Things were bleak in the Southern Kingdom, Judah. Isaiah pleaded with the people to turn back to God, lest they be sent into Exile as well.  In the midst of the darkness, however, of the immorality, the famine, the despair, Isaiah gives Hope.  It won't come right away.  It will be a little while.  But Hope is there.  A Savior will come from God.  He will deliver the people.  The darkness and despair will end.  God himself will be with the people.

The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.
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.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9:2-7 NIV)

Isaiah wasn't throwing a party for people who were already happy and were having a great time.  He was offering Hope to people who were walking in darkness.

If you are walking in darkness this Christmas season, reach out for the Hope that God is offering now. Christ has come.  The prophecies were fulfilled.  He is coming back.  He wants to take us to heaven with Him to have eternal life.  "Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end."  You don't have to dress like an elf and put on a fake smile and sing at the top of your lungs.  Just open yourself up to Christ this season.  Dare to Hope.

Come, O Come, Emmanuel, God With Us!

Our Advent Wreath and our 24-Day Advent Calendar,
featuring a Bethlehem scene by Fontanini.

Merry Christmas!