Christmas 2013

I’ve spent the last couple of hours or so combing through all the pictures we took in December. I sorted them, did a little editing and am waiting for them to finish uploading to an online photo album. 237 pictures!  Here’s a screen shot of the collection so far:

In looking at this snapshot of a bunch of snapshots, many thoughts come to mind. First: there are a lot of us. Second: we truly enjoy each others’ company. Yes, these are not new revelations, but it is good to be reminded of the great blessing of family.

Here’s a another screen shot of photos, mostly of the Worley household on Christmas morning. When I look at these thumbnails, I think: abundance. In spite of occasional tight financial times, overall, we have been blessed with the ability to give good gifts to our kids. Incidentally, especially from a kid’s perspective, “good gifts” come in many forms. I think I’ve written before about our friends, the Yokes. About how, when they were first married with four small children, things were stretched so thinly that for their first Christmas in a new home, all they could manage to buy was balloons. They bought as many as they could and spent Christmas Eve blowing them all up. On Christmas morning, the kids woke up to a houseful of balloons that they played with all day. Even as adults, the four kids looked back on this Christmas as their favorite.

This set of pictures was taken at Dull’s Tree Farm. Tradition is such important part of celebrating special events. We have been going to this tree farm since before we had kids. It is a truly beautiful place that just seems to get better each year.

In Indiana, snow in December is not a given, but we sure do love it! About a week before Christmas, we got about 5 inches in a 24-hour period and the younger kids made the most of it!

It’s amazing to me to think that all of this (and more) happened in one month! And of course, it wasn’t all snowflakes and Hershey’s Kisses all month. Mixed in with this was loss and grief, illness (colds that hit days before Christmas and left me with laryngitis on Christmas day), schoolwork, housework, deadlines and longer-than-normal to-do lists. And yet, “unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” and in Him we “live and move and have our being.” Joy to the world! Merry Christmas!

 

Christmas 2013 online album (all 237 photos!)

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

 

We lit four candles and read about Anna, the prophetess in Luke 2, who served God while she waited on the Messiah with fasting and prayers.We prayed that God might “make us a people faithful in prayer and in hope,” like her. Once again, we sang “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and I noticed this fourth time through it, Grant had picked up most of the words.

We feasted on Roasted Pork Tenderloin, homemade crescent rolls and fresh pineapple, seasoned green beans and a great salad with some of those big croutons. After the meal, the questions started coming about dessert. Even on a typical day, we’re often asked “What’s for dessert?” I’m sure the kids were surprised, maybe even a little concerned that I didn’t have something ready for dessert. Once they opened their Advent gifts, though, they understood: they each got their own stash of assorted chocolates. I might’ve kept back a few pieces for my own stash.  ;-)

I remember as a kid looking forward each Sunday during Advent to watching each of the four candles being lit as we built up toward Christmas day. Advent is a season of anticipation … and waiting.

The Good Dishes

 

A couple of days ago, we started a new tradition at the Worley home: a Christmas Tea. This sent me on a hunt for some nice tea cups. I spent some time shopping in an antique store and saw quite a few tea cups. There were also a few entire tea sets that appeared to have all the pieces intact. These were beautiful sets, hundreds of dollars and neatly stacked and displayed in locked glass cabinets. I marveled that they could’ve lasted for decades without any of the pieces getting broken or chipped. I suppose they could’ve been used a few times without any damage, but I had to wonder if they’d ever been used at all, especially by kids.

We have a couple of sets of good Christmas dishes, one being a gift from Mom and Dad a few years ago (the Christmas tree set in the picture). We get them out every year and love using them throughout the Christmas season. We try to be careful while handling them, but I told myself a few years ago not to worry too much about something getting broken.

The day after I got back from the antique store, we were all getting ready for this first annual Christmas Tea. We made lots of goodies and the girls were setting the table when there was a loud crash over by the hutch. While getting out the saucers, a platter had shifted and knocked one of the saucers onto the floor, shattering it. Everybody was quiet and the daughter holding the stack of saucers froze. My thoughts about the fancy tea sets I’d seen at the antique shop immediately came to mind. Remembering why were having this Tea in the first place – good food, making memories, celebrating the Advent season – (notice where I placed “food” in that list? ;-) quickly put things in perspective while I swept up the shards. We put it behind us and ended up having a truly special afternoon together. I predict that through the years, we will lose more pieces of the good dishes, but the memories and the precious souls who use them are the inheritance we’re passing down.

Moonset over the snow

 

Yes, I know there are people in the world who are lounging on sunlit beaches right now, and that is a lovely thing, but I know would miss scenes like this if I lived in warmer climates. Yay for snow!

The Third Sunday in Advent

 

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took
place while Quirinius was governing Syria…

This week’s reading came from Luke 2:1-7. We are reminded that Jesus was a real man, born in history during the time of Governor Quirinius, but most importantly the birth of Jesus signifies the beginning of his invasion into the kingdoms of man, bringing them all under His dominion.

As part of His kingdom, we prepare for His coming in big and small ways. Our own Advent preparations included a Sabbath feast, complete with 3 lit candles and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” (Famous Butter Chicken, crescent rolls, and 1 Pan Fudge Cake were the highlights), listening to the Christmas story and singing in the Lessons & Carols program at church, fellowshipping with our friends and family afterward (surely, that is part of “equipping the saints”) and visiting the “house of lights” just up the road from our church.

 

The day is coming; lots of things (big and small) to do still! “Let every heart prepare Him room …”

The Second Sunday in Advent

Two candles were lit. Our reading from Matthew 1 described Joseph’s reaction to the incarnation. We prayed that God would help us to have a faith like Joseph’s, so that we might be “stable and selfless under trying circumstances.” Amen and amen.

Like last Sunday, we planned another casual menu for this Advent meal: Oven-Barbecued Pork Sandwiches, green beans, homemade applesauce and Clementine oranges. The star of the meal was probably the Welch’s Grape Juice. Yes, we did go all out and buy the name brand this time. We get decadent like that during the Advent season.

Dessert was prepared by Rachel and Erica:  Magic Peanut Butter Middles. We’ve made these delicious cookies many times through the years. Tonight, Rachel decided they are the cookie version of a Reese Cup. I agree!

There were smiles all around when it was time to open the Advent gifts.

And lots of excitement!

Can you guess what the girls got?

We decided to give the boys something more in line with their tastes.

Although they probably would’ve been very excited about new slipper socks, too.  ;-)

The First Sunday in Advent

The table was set with the fancy Christmas dishes.  After 3 big meals this weekend, a simple homemade, deep-dish sausage pizza was on the menu. Rather than our regular Sabbath beverage of apple juice, we served Root Beer (a treat!). And we had Peanut Butter Moose Tracks ice cream for dessert.

The first purple candle was lit. Our devotional reminded us of the apostle John stating that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is this Word, this Logos, whose coming we look forward to with great joy and anticipation.  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!