Tag: holidays

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Journal Joy Notes Who Am I

50th Christmas Tree

50th Christmas Tree
Our 50th Christmas tree

This year was JoAnne’s and my 50th Christmas.  The grand tree pictured above as the centerpiece of our Christmas decor this year (2019) is our 50th Christmas tree.  This year’s version (an artificial tree) is complete with train village and beautiful snowflakes made by our grandson. (For you who subtracted 1970 from 2019 and only got 49, please remember that in counting our Christmases, you count both 1970 and 2019 which will result in a count of 50.)   I could not help but reflect how things have changed over the years.  Memories flooded my mind and I paused again to count my many blessings.  My mind went back to what our tree looked like on our first Christmas together.    

First Christmas Tree
Christmas 1970

I was looking at a photo album the other day for something else and there it was–a picture of JoAnne’s and my first Christmas tree together.   What a contrast between the small little coffee table version that brightened our mobile home living room and the what is the focus of Christmas trim in our living room this season.    That first Christmas tree was the natural kind you get by finding a tree growing out on the home farm and cutting it down.  Sometimes we thinned a stand of trees and used just a top for Christmas.  Notice that on our first tree, many of the ornaments were homemade.  JoAnne made small holes in both ends of egg shells, blew the contents out, and then painted the shells and attached strings.  You can see gold, silver, and green eggs on the tree.  I made ornaments by folding cardboard into geometric shapes and covering them with foil wrapping paper.  Then we added candy canes and tinsel.  Notice that the side of the picture says April, 71.  That was when we got the film developed.  Remember those days?  

50 year ornamant
An original ornament that has hung on all fifty trees.

If you look closely on both trees you will find this ornament.  For the record, it is a homemade dodecahedron with the original foil wrapping paper.  But what is special is that it has hung on all fifty of our Christmas trees.  It has gotten a little shabby looking so some years JoAnne insisted that I hang it in the back, but it has been there to witness all those Christmases.   It has appeared in seven or eight different houses.   That makes it special.  

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Americana Journal

Fireworks across Onondaga Lake

After our Liverpool Band concert in Johnson Park in Liverpool, JoAnne and I, along with Brenda VanDuser and Jane Kinney stopped along Onondaga parkway to watch the Fairground fireworks.   We were a little late for a spot so we needed to turn around and park on the inside.   The sky was very active it seemed, with displays behind us at the ballpark and off in the distance–both to the East and to the Northeast.   The fireworks were well worth the wait.  My favorites are the ones that go up with the wavy white trail and the ones that burst into a shower of sparking contrails—usually orange.  I had fun experimenting with the fireworks setting on my camera too.

Categories
Journal Joy Notes Who Am I

Christmas Joys

Christmas at Gramdma's

What brings joy at Christmas?   It’s not just one thing.  It’s a combination of many.

Family get-togethers

We started the season early, heading out to Keely’s and Mark’s  in mid December as they go West for Christmas.    Their large townhouse was elegantly decorated and it was so good to spend time with them; exchanging gifts, playing games and going to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Then there is my annual birthday dinner; always a joyous time with friends from church who come to help me celebrate another year with a big dinner.   We also try to drive down to Bath and Haskinville, NY too.  That way we can touch base with JoAnne’s side of the family and also attend the big extended family Christmas celebration at my Mom’s house.  I think there were just shy of 30 people in Mom’s house this year.    There is always a program at that Christmas celebration, which JoAnne discovered is very Victorian.

Special movies with just the right touch

Continue reading “Christmas Joys”

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Americana Journal Joy Notes

The Sunday before Christmas is Cherished

advent wreath on the fourth Sunday

JoAnne leading choir on a fourth Sunday of Advent while we served in Bentley Creek PA

How do you describe the Sunday before Christmas?   From my observations over the years, at church, it’s one of the most musical of the year.  Many churches put on special dramatic presentations on this Sunday.  Special groups such as vocal or Handbell or brass choirs are more likely to sing or play on this day than any other except perhaps Easter.  Here we will enjoy a string trio this Sunday–what a treat.   It is also the most likely Sunday of the whole year for children’s dramatic and choir events – those memorable times when the Wallace Purling’s of the world add their own unforgettable touch to the Christmas story (http://www.santaclaus.com/christmas-stories/wally.html).    

From a decorations point of view, it’s always one of the most beautiful Sundays of the year at church too.   Christmas wreaths, lights, ornament, candles, a Christmas tree stacked with gifts for those-in-need, and lots of poinsettias all combine to create a wonderfully inspiring scene.   Our talented decorator, Leah,  has accented richly with red!  Here in Syracuse area, there’s about an 80% or more chance that it will be snowing outside too for that extra touch of romanticism – did I say that?     

The sense of anticipation is heightened as the Advent wreath burns brightly– all four outside candles lit, waiting only for the coming of Christmas Eve and the climactic lighting of the center candle, the Christ candle, that proclaims again that Jesus is indeed the light of our world too.   The whole motive for this Advent emphasis is to help us keep the main thing the main thing in the Christmas season; to assist us in keeping the reason for the season, the reason for our own celebrations; to remind us that giving to others happens because “God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).”  So as the light of the wreath burns brighter, our spiritual eyes brighten too with joy looking forward to celebrating again the arrival of the one who is the light of the world, the light of our lives, and who is also the light of that eternal city that He is preparing for all who love Him.

Categories
Americana Journal Joy Notes

Making Thanksgiving Real

Thanksgiving is one of the great holidays of the year.    These days when so much is determined by commercial value, it is being swallowed up between Halloween and Christmas.  I will do my best to see that never happens because Thanksgiving has so much to contribute to our lives.   

So the question is how do we keep Thanksgiving real and prevent it from going by in a blur between November busyness and Black Friday shopping sprees.    Here are my suggestions.

  1.  Know and teach the history of our Thanksgiving Holiday.   Right now you can download a short summary from http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=118.   A longer and much more informative version is at  http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=17984.
  2.  Don’t let the busyness of the season crowd out the family dimension.   Thanksgiving is still one of the holidays of the year most associated with family togetherness.  Let’s take advantage of that by sharing activities together in addition to the meal.
  3. Decorate for Thanksgiving, not just for fall or Christmas.  Even if you are starting to put Christmas things up afterwards, let the Thanksgiving table decoration remain for a few days to remind everyone.    

We also must remember the sacred dimension of the season.  Thanksgiving requires that we humble ourselves before God and honor the bounty of his hand, both spiritual and physical.    Thanksgiving is an attitude commanded for all seasons anyway so in this season we remind ourselves of those commands and we take special care to practice them.  “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Ps. 107:1 NIV).   “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” (Ps 105:1-2 NIV).  This leads to two more suggestions.

  1.  Attend a service at your church that is especially set aside to celebrate Thanksgiving.   Our service is tonight at 7 pm.
  2. At your Thanksgiving Table, take time to give thanks to God by sharing things you are thankful for and then having a prayer of thanksgiving.   Many families go around the table quickly before the table grace and have each one share one thing they are thankful for.

Another dimension of true thanksgiving is generosity.  If we are truly thankful to God for all that we have, we will want to share with others.  So another great part of every Thanksgiving is giving.  I wonder if Christmas would be as powerful in giving if it were not preceded by Thanksgiving.    So more suggestions come to mind.

  1. At Thanksgiving, share with someone locally who is in need.  Many local churches give baskets to those in need.  I also highly recommend the Syracuse Rescue Mission at  http://www.rmsyr.org/Home/Main_Page.htm. 
  2. Help someone in the third world.  We in the United States have so much that our Thanksgiving should overflow to help others in our big world who suffer.  I recommend World Hope at  https://www.worldhope.org/.