It’s hard to believe 17 years have passed since this photo. The little guy that Nana is holding was only three months old; now he stands at 6′-2″. For several years we took some family photos around the large tree in the church foyer.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, the Son of God. Christ himself said that he did not come into this world to condemn it, but through Him the world might be saved. Christmas is the celebration of life, joy, peace on earth, and good will. There is a price for this victory over death and the gift of eternal life. A sacrifice must be paid and it must be paid in blood. God brought His own Son into this world to pay that price. Christ was born to die for you and me,, so come and worship the King.
Christmas is all about family and it presents some rare photo opportunities. Here are the family Great Grandchildren in 2007. These are our grand kids (from left to right #2,4,6,&11) and their first cousins-once removed(?). They are the great grandchildren of my wife’s parents.
Mary, the mother of our Savior had a cousin Elizabeth. Six months prior to the angel Gabriel informing Mary that she would give birth the Christ, he informed Zacharias and Elizabeth that they would be the parents of none other than John the Baptist and that John would be the one to proclaim to his world that Christ was the Messiah. John the Baptist was beheaded for his stand against the immorality of Herod & Herodias. Later, Jesus would say that there was no greater man, born of woman, than John the Baptist. Today the primary means of spreading the gospel is still person to person. If need be, go tell it on the mountain. Have a blessed day.
I have a lot of images of the grand kids in their”jammies” on Christmas Eve, but they look pretty good when you dress them up. Hard to believe it’s been nine years since this photo was taken.
Christmas is definitely the favorite holiday in our family. It is interesting how the whole world celebrates Christmas when so many actually don’t believe in the One who is the focus of the holiday. In contrast, most of the world was unaware of the historic event on the night that it actually took place. Shepherds in nearby fields were notified and wise men who studied the stars were aware of the event, but the world as a whole took almost no notice of the fact that the Messiah, promised in the old testament, had actually been born. Today, many our society take almost no notice of the fact that the Savior is still active in the affairs of mankind and is still in the business of saving souls. Christ was born to bring salvation and we must be born again to receive that salvation. Time and time again the Scriptures tell us that Christ did not come to condemn this world but to save our souls. 2 Peter 3:9 proclaims that God has no desire to see anyone perish but would like for every soul to be saved; however, He has given us the free will to make a choice. On that first Christmas night, Love was born.
This little Santa ornament is celebrating his 39th Christmas as a part of our family. My wife took a ceramics class at church and in 1981 she purchased several ornaments for our tree. She did all of the work on the ornaments and we still have them. I love Santa’s rosy cheeks. Since ceramics are delicate, this Santa has retired from hanging on the tree, but he can be found on display in the house with the others in the collection.
Angels played a special role in the birth of Christ. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias and Elizabeth to inform them that they would become the parents of John the Baptist, the one who came before Christ and proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. Six months later Gabriel informed Mary that she was to be blessed above all by being chosen to give birth to the Savior of mankind. Soon after, Gabriel visited Joseph and informed him that he would be entrusted with the responsibility of being the earthly father to our Lord. On the night of Jesus’ birth, an angel appeared to shepherds in nearby fields to give them the good news. We can assume it was Gabriel only because he seems to be the primary messenger. After his announcement, the angel is joined by a multitude of heavenly hosts singing praises to God. The number is not specific, but most scholars tell us that a multitude is in excess of one thousand. Wow!!! Now that’s a choir.
Lucy, our house princess, is a Christmas baby. She was born on Christmas Eve and will be 4 years old in a couple of weeks. She has brought much joy into this home with her happy disposition.
Christmas Music Marathon – Day 13
I have mentioned that the primary reason for this marathon is to focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas. This is the season when people seem to be a little more willing to give. They seem to be more willing to show a little kindness to their fellow man and help someone with a need. We may talk about Santa Claus and being naughty or nice, but the celebration is about the birth of the Savior of the world. 700 years prior to that first Christmas night in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah (7:14) proclaimed the coming of the King of kings. He even knew what the Son of God would be called, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel means, God with us. In other words, God was coming to this earth as a baby boy and live among men. If there is a church near you that is holding a Christmas Eve service, I encourage you to attend and spend a few minutes thanking our Creator for His marvelous gift of salvation. Why do we celebrate Christmas: The reason is in the name, CHRIST – mas.
Nana has always had plenty of help in the kitchen when baking Christmas goodies. The two grand daughters pictured here still like baking. One of the greatest blessings my wife and I have enjoyed is having the grand kids living close to us. All of us live in the same town and about three miles apart. We have enjoyed soccer, baseball, dance, Easter, birthdays, school plays, vacation Bible school, and Christmas every year. Now they are beginning the next phase of life. The oldest (not pictured here) is married, the two girls in this image are in college and the grandson is a junior in high school. Family time is the most precious time of all. Have a blessed Christmas holiday.
When the grand kids were young the oldest would interview her younger siblings and make a detailed Christmas list of things they wanted for presents. The list was even broken down into categories like, clothes, electronics and toys. Have you ever spent time shopping for the perfect gift for someone that you love? When you found that gift, you were almost as thrilled as the recipient when the gift was opened. God has purchased the most precious gift ever given. It is a gift that everyone needs and it comes at a very high price. The gift cost God his only Son, but when we accept that gift of salvation, there is rejoicing in heaven and no one is happier than our Creator.
This is the little tree and sits in the home office. You have already seen the Coca Cola Santa and a few of the ornaments, but I have a few special ornaments that adorn this tree and I would like to share them with you now.
Yes, that is a photo ornament of Lucy, our house princess, but it is the Santa I want to call to your attention. He is 70 years young. My mother bought several plastic ornaments and a small tree for me to decorate when I was a small child. I think the purpose was to keep me out of the main tree.
Yes, this snowman and Santa are from my same childhood tree.
This fishing reel is about 50 years old and is a one that I gave my dad for Christmas one year. I had a friend make a custom rod specifically for this reel. Fishing was a passion of my Dad and he used this reel for a lot of years. I don’t fish with it, but it will always have a special place in the house.
Finally the train engine. Dad worked for the Frisco railroad for over 40 years and his father before him. Dad loved everything about the railroad, especially the glory days of the steam engines. My father passed away on December 16, 2009. We had an evergreen wreath placed at the front of the sanctuary and adorned it with his railroad watch and this little engine. And that is the story behind the special ornaments.
2020 Christmas Music Marathon Day 11
Mark your calendars. It is my understanding that a special presentation will occur on the evening of December 21. Jupiter and Saturn will align in such a way and be so close together that they will resemble the Christmas star. Who knows, perhaps the creator of the universe used this type of phenomenon to announce the birth of His Son. Heaven knows we could use a reminder of the purpose for our annual celebration.
This photo is my father with his great grandchildren. Dad loved little ones and they loved him. Christmas eve has always been special around our house. We attend a Christmas Eve worship service at church, come home and share a meal, then read the Christmas story found in the second chapter of Luke. Finally, we open the presents. My wife and daughter always managed to find special sleepwear for the grand crew and that continued right up through last year.
I mentioned earlier that part of our Christmas celebration includes reading the Biblical account of the birth of Christ. We believe it is important to take time to focus on the true reason that we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate life, faith, love, and hope. And hope has a name.
A special Christmas for any child is when they get a big bike. This bike literally brought the oldest grand daughter to tears of joy.
Christmas is a season of joy. While me may stress out over shopping, travel, and family issues, much of our efforts are aimed at bringing joy in to the lives of others. We get a special joy when we see a gift unwrapped that it truly appreciated by the recipient. In a feeding trough of a stable in the city of Bethlehem the greatest gift ever given to mankind was bestowed upon s sleeping world. Angels declared that the gift wass one of great joy. Through the Son of God came the gift of eternal life making Christmas the most wonderful time of year.
2007 was a special Christmas for the Big Guy. He got a Jedi light sabre. Fully extended, it was as tall as it’s owner. Today he is 17 and 6′-2″ tall. I don’t think anyone knows what became of the light sabre. One of the joys of doing this marathon is looking back on previous Christmas celebrations and seeing just how much the grand kids have grown.
The grandson is the youngest of our four grandchildren and the only boy. That’s right, he has three older sisters that you will meet in the coming days. After three grand daughters the life in the family was changed by a baby boy. But then, a new baby in any family changes everything. 2000 years ago the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem changed the world and continues to change lives one heart at a time.
Driller's Place 