Everyone here at Everyday Providence
wishes you and yours
a very Merry Christmas!
wishes you and yours
a very Merry Christmas!
Functional Friday: When Preparation Has It's Day
Each of us works, plays, and lives in little spheres of influence throughout our days. Our friends, families, co-workers, even the people we pass on the street, see us and they are watching. In times of celebration and times of desperation, people see us. We live each day in preparation for these moments, ready to offer a glimpse of hope for a better day.
Hope is what Christmas is all about. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for a better life. Hope for a better world. Hope for a better you and me. Hope for family, friends and neighbors. That's what this blog is about as well: Hope that together we can plan for the best. Merry Christmas!
Two days till Christmas!
I promised some guest posts for you. Hopefully you caught the one my husband wrote earlier this month. Here's another by my friend, Melody Miller. Melody is co-host of A Positive Start to Your Day, a radio morning show. If you enjoy this, catch her on her morning show blog.
With two days until Christmas, my “this needs to be done before Christmas” checklist is beginning to dwindle. It’s such a busy season. There are so many preparations to made – gifts to buy and then wrap, cards to send, decorations to display, ornaments to hang, parties to attend, food to prepare – an entire season of celebration, all culminating in one special day that we spend with friends and family making memories that we will treasure for a lifetime as we celebrate the gift of a child that born more than 2000 years ago.
I think there was that same sense of the hurry (and probably stress) in the preparation on that first Christmas. The story tells of a long journey back to Joseph’s hometown because it was time to pay the taxes. Mary had to travel on the back of a donkey in the final days of her pregnancy. Then, once they arrived, they couldn’t find a place to stay so they find themselves in a stable, using a manger as a baby bed. That first night most likely was not a silent one – it was likely noisy (there were so many people in town there weren’t even rooms left) and smelly (hanging out with the animals) and painful (she was giving birth in a stable). Yet, this was the night they had prepared for and waited for – not only for the months of a pregnancy as Mary knew the child she carried would some day save the world – and, not only for Mary and Joseph but for so many people who had waited for this day, who had hoped and prayed and prepared for Messiah to come.
In the busy-ness of the season, sometimes it’s difficult to find quiet moments to appreciate and remember the reason for the celebration. Oh those moments are there if you look for them – it’s in the stillness of the house with the glow of the lights on the tree, it’s in the crisp winter air with the sounds of carolers in the distance, it’s in the violin solo for “Silent Night” at the Christmas concert, and it’s in the words of that story from so long ago….
"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Ready or not, Christmas will be here in two days and soon enough we will be taking down the lights and the tree and packing them away for another year. I think the Christmas story gives us a beautiful picture of what our response should be after it is finally time to celebrate the moment we have been preparing for. After the shepherds visited Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus on that night, two things happened. The shepherds left and told EVERYONE – “they made it widely known” and then went back to their jobs in the field, praising God for what had just happened. And, Mary found a moment of quiet reflection at the end of what must have been a very long day to think about these things and “ponder them in her heart.” You can almost picture this new mom not wanting to forget a moment of what had happened on that day as she held her child (who would some day become her Savior) in her arms.
My hope is that during this time of celebration, we will not lose sight of what matters in the midst of the busy-ness and the preparation.
- May we will find the time to tell everyone about the true meaning of Christmas – making certain that our children know and that our friends don’t forget the reason for the celebration.
- May we will find a moment of quiet reflection to ponder the wonder of it all.
- And, may we praise God for providing the greatest gift of all on that very first Christmas – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” --John 3:16
May your Christmas be filled with much hope and peace - Merry Christmas!
A Partridge in a Pear Tree...
Shrouded in rumor and mystery, The Twelve Days of Christmas is a very old carol, recorded in English song books since the 1700's and likely sung before that by commoners in England and perhaps even France. Some have recently claimed it represents an attempt to educate Catholic children under the intolerant rule of Anglicans in England. Others suggest it was a "Twelfth Night" song sung as a memory game for children celebrating the time between Christmas Day and Epiphany on December 6. Either way it is certainly an enduring celebration of the festivities of Christmas. The writing, sharing and recording of songs is a timeless tradition that preserves and extends our history and culture. Songs can take a person back to a moment in time... and many time to a place they have never been.
Make an effort this season to enjoy some of the songs of the season. Make a little music of your own. Explore some new tunes or old forgotten melodies. I've included titles and link to a few songs that make my Christmas season shine. (I've attached links to those I've located on YouTube. Some are my favorite version, other versions are new to me.) Enjoy!
Old Christmas Carols
Christ is Born
Christmas is Coming
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an Open Fire)
The Holly and the Ivy
Gabriel's Message
O come, O come, Emmanuel
Deck the Halls with boughs of holly
Modern Christmas Songs
Blue Christmas
Wonderful Christmastime
Carol of the Bells
Have yourself and Merry Little Christmas
I want a Hippopotamus
Baby, It's cold outside
Songs from My Childhood
The Chipmunk Song
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
Snoopy's Christmas
Linus' Christmas Monologue
Christmastime is Here
Newest Songs
How Many Kings?
Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)
Always in the Season
A drink to warm you from the inside out!
Today, I'm touting the virtually unending benefits of a hot drink, which ties perfectly to the well-stocked pantry... and to winter warming and celebrating.
Most of these ingredients are shelf-stable for many months, which makes them perfect additions to your pantry plan. Stock up on the ones you are most likely to use (rotate your supply) and try a few new ones as well.
Hot drinks are social. People tend to gather at the coffee pot or at the coffee shop. Hot drinks are a ritual. We start our morning or follow our dinner with a cup of coffee. Anyone serve afternoon tea? Hot drinks are an indulgence. Whether you're having a grande latte from Starbucks or a mug of spiced cider at home, you feel special drinking your cozy signature beverage. Hot drinks are healthy. Did you know Americans' number one source of antioxidants is coffee? And along with tea, chocolate, and fruit juice drinks, it provides a host of other possible benefits as well. Hot drinks are therapeutic. Hot drinks have traditionally been used to treat a host of problems, illnesses, and symptoms. Although any diagnosis or treatment recommendation should come from a doctor, I did find a few references that certainly support this claim: treatment for cold and flu, first aid for hypothermia, and providing psychological benefits. Hot drinks are a survival necessity. Beyond the emotional benefits of a fire and a warm drink, heating water can become a necessity for killing bacteria, cooking foods, and extracting nutrients in 'teas' made of wild plants.
Here are a few ideas and recipes to get you thinking about what items to add to your pantry.
Christmas Tea (My Family Recipe)
- 2 cups Tang orange drink mix
- 1 package Wyler's sweetened lemonade
- 1/2 cup Nestea instant Tea
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Hot Cocoa
Hot Buttered Rum
Hot Toddy
Irish Coffee
Spiced Cider
Mulled Wine
Wassail - There are 1,000 variations. I've included my favorite explanation which quotes Shakespeare.
Chai Tea from India is revered for its restorative qualities.
Coffee - ground coffee in the original sealed can stores the longest (check the date)
Black/Green/Oolong Tea
Herbal Teas
Hot water with lemon or honey
Warm milk (with a shot of vanilla syrup)
Vegetable or Chicken Broth or Bouillon
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