I can’t believe it’s less than a week until Christmas.  I have lived through many Christmases and each one has been different, but still the spirit of Christmas lives on.

I believe we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday at Christmas time.  Jesus was very probably born in warmer weather since the shepherds were watching their sheep out in the hills around Bethlehem when He was born.  December 25th was picked long ago as the date Christians would celebrate his birth.  Christ Mass is how the word originated.

Anyway, I believe Christmas is special because there is a spirit that surrounds the whole holiday.  The spirit of love, joy, peace and giving of gifts like the magi gave gifts to the Christ child.  I love the gift giving part.  As I grow older, getting gifts just doesn’t seem as important to me as giving them.  I wish I could give more.

David and I have put on our Santa hats and gotten to work building, painting and sewing Christmas gifts.  This weekend I will be baking and making candy.  Some of the grandkids will be here so they can help me.

 

Years ago when David and I had a quilt shop we sold this quilting book.  It has so many wonderful projects in it and I have made a few.

 

I made this quilt and gave it to someone who is a teacher.  I would like to make another because I really love it.

I made this quilt and it is put out every Christmas.  There are a few more projects in the book I plan to make for next Christmas.  Wish I had more time to get them done this year, but time is running out.

 

These are some of the things I am working on or will be working on this week.  I forgot I had the Betty Crocker Christmas cookbook and am finding several recipes in it I want to try.  I also am going to make gingerbread cookies.  Something I haven’t done in years, but it just sounded like fun this year. I would like to make peanut brittle.  I love peanut brittle.  One time I was riding my exercise bicycle while eating peanut brittle at the same time.  David came into the room and laughed and said “You’re defeating the purpose of riding the bike, aren’t you?”  I just laughed and ate another piece of peanut brittle.

I told you I would show you my Jim Shore nativity set so here it is.

I found this in a Hallmark store one year and fell in love with it.  Each figure has a quilt pattern on it.

Look at the beautiful quilt covering Jesus.  He didn’t have something so lovely covering Him there in the stable with all the animals.  All Mary had were a few rags with which to wrap Him.  The Savior of the world wrapped in rags lying in an animal’s feeding trough.  How lowly was the birth of the King of the universe.  God’s son come to earth to save us all.  The best Christmas gift anyone could receive.

This little lamb is so sweet.  Another quilted covering.  Jim Shore knew this added touch would make his figurines special.

 

The Wise men.  Where did they come from?  So far away, Jesus was about two years old when they finally found him. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh which is why people always think there were just three. It doesn’t say three wise men in the Bible.  There could have been more or maybe only two with several gifts.  Still, they knew this was an important enough birth to make the long journey to see the Christ child and bring him expensive gifts.  Mary and Joseph probably used these gifts to help support their little family when they had to flee to Egypt because the evil King Herod was looking for this special baby who would be king.

To think, God’s son was threatened to be killed before He would have ever had a chance to die for us all on the cross.  But God had a plan for His son and for all of us.

 

Mary probably rode a donkey on her and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem to pay taxes,  Yes, taxes have been around ever since there has been governments. How would you like to have to travel eighty miles sitting on a donkey when you were nine months pregnant?   But Mary did it.  It was foretold thousands of years before that a virgin would give birth in the town of Bethlehem so she was destined to go there by whatever mode of travel.

I love this little donkey.  One year little hands dropped this donkey and then hid him under our couch where I found him with an ear off.  David glued it back on and you can barely tell it was ever broken.  Now I put this nativity up high where little hands cannot touch.

These cats did not come with the nativity, but I know from experience there are always cats in a barn where there are cows.  My daddy use to spray milk right into our barn cats’ mouths straight from the cows’ udders.  I always thought that was so funny.

I hope you are looking forward to Christmas as much as I am.  Christmas will come whether there is a tree or gifts under the tree or a big dinner.  It’s all about the spirit.  I plan to spend a little time with Jesus this season enjoying His goodness and light and I hope you know Him and if you don’t, I hope you meet Him one day.  He loves you and cared enough for you to die for you.

Peace, joy, and love to you all.  Bye.