A Christmas Tradition

One Christmas tradition we have is that we open our presents on Christmas Eve. Prior to opening our gifts we read the story of the birth of Christ from the second chapter of Luke, we give thanks to the Lord for His mercy, grace and priceless gift of a Savior. I started reading the entire story, but as the grandcrew began to read I would let them read a few verses. Now, one of the family members typically reads the entire story before we open our gifts. It helps us remember exactly why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus is truly the reason for the season. On a cold winters night life was changed by a baby boy. Have a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year.

Our first Christmas Ornaments 1974

The main tree sits in the living room next to the fireplace. Several years ago we downsized from a 9′ tree to a 7-1/2′ pre-lit tree that is a little easier to handle. My wife changes the theme almost every year. The theme of the decorations have been gold, silver, clear, red/green combination and the ribbons always compliment the theme. This year is a pretty festive tree with decorations that span our entire marriage and you can see a heavy dose of gold and white. There are a couple of ornaments that have been with us the entire 50 years and one new ornament that celebrates our 50 years together. We wish you a Merry Christmas.

Scholars tell us that Joseph was a young man and Mary was a teen when she gave birth to the Savior of the world. The first chapter of the book of Luke tells of an angel of the Lord visiting Zacharias to let him know that he would be the father of John the Baptist and then appearing to Mary to notify her that she had been chosen to birth the Savior. Joseph and Faced challenges during her pregnancy and they were very much alone in their journey. Given time to ponder the situation, you have to wonder if Mary was truly aware of what was about to take place. Mary, did you know?

What about Joseph? People advised him to end his relationship with Mary because they thought she had been unfaithful to her betrothed. Joseph trusted the Lord and his fiance. Some difficult days lay ahead of this young couple because the world did not understand all that was happening. After all, it wasn’t his child.

You may recognize this Santa from an earlier post. He was part of a Coca Cola promotion in the mid/late 50’s. A friend of my parents worked in the Coca Cola bottling plant in Ada, OK and secured this item for my mother. The six-pack of Coke is a collector souvenir celebrating the University of Arkansas winning NCAA Championship in basketball.

Now if the image had been captured on film and set in the closet for thirty years, it might look something like this.

I love Photoshop Elements. Have a blessed day.

Promise Made:“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty god, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Promise Kept:“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Bonus Track: Friday night we attended the Gaither Homecoming Christmas concert in Tulsa, OK. The season 12 winner of the Voice, Chris Blue was a featured guest. He is an amazing vocalist. I did a little searching and found this show stopper. There is so much truth in this song. We are asked to prove our worth in this world by keeping our resume up to date on all of our accomplishments, with the hope of climbing some ladder to the next best thing. The truth is, everything I have ever done is simply a testimony of what God has done in me and through me. Christ makes it very clear in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abides in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.” At birth, God breathes the breath of life into us and apart from Him we are incapable of inhaling and exhaling. “I Can’t Even Walk Without You Holding My Hand”. Have a blessed week.

This figurine was on display and Dillard’s department store Rogers, AR.

This is a decorative gift box I found on a shelf at Marshall’s/Homegoods.