After Christmas

The days after Christmas can sometimes be kind of a let-down after so much activity. I especially feel this on the years when Daniel leaves to go to his dad's house on Christmas afternoon through New Year's Day afternoon. But, I have decided to make a conscious effort to "choose joy" and to look for ways to spend the time doing things that make me happy.

Here are some of the things I like to do over the Christmas holidays, after the gifts are opened and the hubbub has died down:

• Sit in the living room by the Christmas tree and read a Christmas novel. Right now, I'm reading A Christmas Visitor, one of the Cape Light Christmas books by Thomas Kinkade and Catherine Spencer. Some of my other favorites are: Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon, Finding Father Christmas and Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn, The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
• Add new Christmas pictures to my scrapbook (that usually doesn't happen until later in January)
• Play board games with my family (some of our faves are Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Mexican Train Dominoes, Phase 10, Uno)
• Go back through Christmas cards that we received (and go read the Christmas cards/letters that my parents received at their house from long-time family friends)

What are some of your favorite things to do over the Christmas holidays? What books do you like to read at this time of year? If your family likes to play games, what are your tried-and-true favorites? What are some ways that you choose joy at this time of year?

Advent: Day Twenty-five

Merry Christmas! The ornament for today is a nativity scene, symbolizing the birth of Jesus. This morning, Daniel and I shared the Jesse Tree devotion with our family as we sat in our living room around our Christmas tree. Daniel read the story of Jesus' birth from Luke 2 and then I shared the devotional message and prayer. It was a special time for our family to celebrate Jesus' birth and to think about the true reason that we have a holiday on December 25th.

I am glad that I chose to do the Advent Jesse Tree on my blog this year and I appreciate the encouragement I received from those who made comments. I hope that your Advent experience this year has brought you closer to the One who's birth we celebrate. May none of us be the same because of our encounter with the Prince of Peace!

Advent: Day Twenty-four

The twenty-fourth ornament is an angel, which symbolizes the angels that proclaimed the coming of Christ. An angel is a messenger and usually is sent to tell good news. The angels that proclaimed the coming of Christ got the best job angels could get. They got to tell the best news of all time: Christ is born!

But their job didn't stop there, or maybe it was just a benefit they received from doing their job well. After they told the good news that Christ was born, they broke out in praises to God, saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on

whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14

Thankfully, although the shepherds were the first to hear the good news, God has allowed all of us to hear it as well. We can also sing praises to God for this wonderful gift of His son, Jesus Christ.

Christmas Eve Gift!!!!

There is a Ryals family tradition that on Christmas Eve, if you're the first person to say "Christmas Eve Gift" to someone, that person is supposed to give you a gift on Christmas Eve. I asked my dad where it started, but he jokingly said, "In the old country", which basically means he doesn't know. :-)

I can remember doing this from way back when I was a little girl, but I can't remember anyone actually following through on the gift. The main thing is that we all just try and be the first person to say it. My Uncle Randel gets really into it and even calls one of his brothers right after midnight on December 24th to try and say it first. My parents, and maybe my sister, are known to answer the phone saying "Christmas Eve Gift" on December 24th. Of course, with Caller ID, I can know who's calling and make sure I don't say it to someone who doesn't know what's going on. This morning, I sent a text to my sister that said, "Christmas Eve Gift!!!" Let's see if that gets to count!

My mom did start letting us open one present on Christmas Eve when we were little girls, though. I think that we probably were being relentless with our asking to open gifts that night instead of waiting for Christmas morning, which has been our family's tradition. So, Mom began getting us new Christmas nightgowns (or pj's) each year and would let us open those on Christmas Eve. The neat thing about that, besides giving us something to open early, is that we would wear them to bed and then would have Christmas attire on for opening the presents on Christmas morning (and she wasn't even a scrapbooker--ha!). We loved this tradition and it was carried on with us until we were out of college. When Daniel was born, I continued the tradition with him, and I'm sure that Jeanette will do it with Erica in years to come.

Christmas Eve Gift!!!!

Advent: Day Twenty-three

Today's ornament is a candle, symbolizing The Light of the World. When the time had come for the prophecies to finally be revealed, an angel of the Lord came to Mary and told her that she would conceive, and bear a son, and would call his name, "Immanuel," which means, "God with us." She eagerly awaited the Light of the world, as did Simeon, who when seeing the baby Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem said,

"For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Isreal" (Luke 2:30-32)

Jesus came to be our Light and as His followers, we are to be a light shining for others to see Christ. That's not always easy and I definitely don't shine very brightly sometimes. But, thankfully, with His help and by His grace, we can shine and He does illuminate the darkness!

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12).

Advent: Day Twenty-two

The ornament for Day Twenty-two is a star, which is one of my favorite Christmas symbols. The story of the Wise Men following the star to Bethlehem is found in Matthew 2:1-12. The devotional book tells that the five-pointed star is called the Ephiphany Star, symbolizing the body of Jesus Christ. The five points represent His hands and feet that were nailed to the Cross and His head with the crown of thorns (p. 85).

May we all, like the Wise Men who searched for the baby Jesus, be willing to seek Jesus and follow Him as Lord of our lives.

Advent: Day Twenty-one

OK, I'm so tired after doing way too much today, but I'm only five days away from completing this little project, so I can do it! :-)

Actually, I got fresh motivation tonight after Daniel and I read the devotion together. Today's ornament is a brick wall, symbolizing wall of Jerusalem that was rebuilt when the people of Isreal returned to their land from exile. The last paragraph from the book says,

"After the prophecy found in Malachi 3:1, there was silence from
the prophets for 400 years. The people waited for the Messenger of the New
Covenant to come. This is also quoted in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76,
7:27. This prophecy was fulfilled in John the Baptist as the herald of Christ's
first coming." (p. 80)

I had to ask Daniel to reread that last sentence because my brain was working in slow-mo, but once he did, I was once-again amazed at God's timing. Just today at our church, the pastor preached about John the Baptist and how he was born with the purpose of preparing the way for Jesus. Scott encouraged us to look at John's life as an example of one who had "the expulsive power of a new affection for Christ." John the Baptist knew that he had to decrease and that Christ would increase. God had let John the Baptist see that Jesus was the Messiah. John the Baptist found joy in telling others that a greater one than he was coming: Jesus Christ.

I'm so thankful to God for giving us not one, but two lessons about John the Baptist today, and for the reminder that when we humble ourselves before Him, He will give us mercy, which generates love, which generates self-forgetfulness.