Jesus Christ, please fill us with peace and clear our minds to prepare for a new year. Help us enjoy our friends and families. Unite us with Your grace and love. Please, Jesus, make this year one we will not forget.
Amen.
Happy Birthday Aimee! Have a piece of cake and a mug of hot-chocolate on me! =)
Love you!!!!!
Here are some very interesting facts about Christmas, and Christmasy things!
Holly
The sharply pointed leaves were to symbolize the thorns in Christ's crown and the red berries drops of his blood. Holly became a nativity tradition.
Presents
The tradition of gifts seems to have started with the gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus. The exchanging of gifts between people started in about the 1800's.
Reindeer
The reindeer probably came from stories of the Norse God Woden who rode through the sky with reindeer and 42 ghostly huntsmen. Clement Moore's famous poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (T'was the Night Before Christmas) sealed the image of Santa Claus, his reindeer and the magical flying sleigh loaded with sacks of presents.
Santa Claus
The original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the 4th century. He was very pious from an early age, devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor. At the time, the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and tortured. When Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the Council of Nicaea in 325. Nicholas was delegate to the council. He is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity. He is the patron saint of sailors. He is also of course, the patron saint of children. The Dutch kept the legend of St. Nicholas alive. In the 16th century Holland, Dutch children would place their wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes that they would be filled with a treat. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as Sint Nikolaas, which became corrupted to Sinterklaas, and finally, in Anglican, to Santa Claus. The image of Santa was originally a man in a long brown robe and furs carrying a cross and wine flask with a holly crown on his head. In 1885, a Boston printer, Louis Prang, first devised the red-suited Santa and this theme was later developed by the Coca Cola advertising artist Haddon Sundblom in the 1930'sThis produced the modern image of a jolly character in a red suit trimmed with white fur.
Stockings hanging on your mantel...
According to tradition, Saint Nicholas left his very first gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor girls who needed the money for their wedding dowries. The girls had hung their stockings by the fire to dry. The tradition has modified itself, from gag gifts , to small inexpensive but useful gifts.
The Candy Cane
In the late 1800's, a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He invented the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain white peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus. Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross. There are three of them to represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff because Jesus is the shepherd of man. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter J symbolizing the first letter in Jesus' name. The candy maker made these Candy Canes for Christmas, so everyone would remember what Christmas is all about.
"Silent Night"
In 1818, an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr, was told the day before Christmas, that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music. He wanted to write a carol that could be sung by a choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night, the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" (Silent Night) for the first time.
Lump of Coal
According to tradition, giving a lump of coal in the stockings of naughty children comes from Italy.
More Christmasy Facts!
The Christmas tree, at starting point.
Everyone pitched in to fix up our big tree!
Emma, who is four, worked really hard prettying up the tree.
Here is sweetie pie Elsa, helping decorate! Talk about cute!
You might be able to tell -- Emma had a fabulous time. =)
ngks-g
v
ng)thanksgiving
n 1: fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag [syn: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day] 2: a short prayer of thanks before a meal [syn: grace, blessing]
Poems
How to observe Thanksgiving
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
The Pilgrims came
The Pilgrims came across the sea,
And never thought of you and me;
And yet it's very strange the way
We think of them Thanksgiving day.
We tell their story, old and true
Of how they sailed across the blue,
And found a new land to be free
And built their homes quite near the sea.
Every child knows well the tale
Of how they bravely turned the sail
And journeyed many a day and night,
To worship God as they thought right.
Twas the night of Thanksgiving
'Twas the night of Thanksgiving,
but I just couldn't sleep...
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned...the dark meat and white,
but I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
the thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
stuffing with gravy, green beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all -- pass the cranberries, please.
Quotes
Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You,
And desire nothing save only You.
Let me hate myself and love You.
Let me do everything for the sake of You.
Let me humble myself and exalt You.
Let me think of nothing except You.
Let me die to myself and live in You.
Let me accept whatever happens as from You.
Let me banish self and follow You,
And ever desire to follow You.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in You,
That I may deserve to be defended by You.
Let me fear for myself, let me fear You,
And let me be among those who are chosen by You.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in You.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of You.
Let me cling to nothing save only to You,
And let me be poor because of You.
Look upon me, that I may love You.
Call me that I may see You,
And for ever enjoy You. Amen.Saint Augustine of Hippo, Bishop, Writer, Doctor
Prayer to Seek God Continually
O Lord my God, I believe in you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Insofar as I can, insofar as you have given me the power, I have sought you. I became weary and I loabored.
O Lord my God, my sole hope, help me to believe and never ro cease seeking you. Grant that I may always and ardently seek out your countenance. Give me the strength to seek you, for you help me to find you and you have more and more given me the hope of finding you.
Here I am before you with my firmness and my infirmity. Preserve the first and heal the second.
Here I am before you with my stregnth and my ignorance. Where you have opened the door to me, welcome me at the entrance; where you have closed the door to me, open to my cry; enable me to remember you, to understand you, and to love you. Amen.
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Quotes
God has no need of your money, but the poor have. You give it to the poor, and God receives it.
The love of worldly possessions is a sort of bird line, which entangles the soul, and prevents it flying to God.
Conquer yourself and the world lies at your feet.
God does not command impossibilities, but by commanding admonishes you do what you can and to pray for what you cannot, and aids you that you may be able.
St. Augustine of Hippo
