Archive for November, 2009
Advent 2009: Expectation
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Early dawn peeks in through a crack between the window curtains; you roll over and pull the covers over your head. You don’t want to get out of bed, but then your heart flutters and your breath catches — It’s Christmas morning! You’re up out of bed in a flash, running down the hall in your snowman jammies and sock feet thinking, Did Santa come? Are there presents yet? You shout through the house, “Momma! Momma! Wake up it’s Christmas morning!”
Remember what Christmas was like as a child? The wonder, the excitement, the joy of it all? Something so greatly anticipated and looked forward to — what kid hasn’t uttered the phrase “I can’t wait for Christmas!” at least once in their life?
For many kids, Christmas is mostly about presents. Well, it’s that way for many adults, too. Sadly for some people, children and adults alike, Christmas holds no joy at all. Perhaps their experiences with Christmases past has let them down. Perhaps they have no one to celebrate with. Perhaps for many of them, they do not truly understand what joy the holiday really holds.
Though many at the time did not recognize the birth of Jesus for what it was, there were some, who by the supernatural grace of God, saw in this tiny babe the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. They, like Mary, exclaimed “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
But the story doesn’t end there; prophecy tell us that Jesus is coming again in the final fulfillment of all God’s promises. Unfortunately, many of us are not eagerly awaiting that day, basking in the joy of expectation. As a whole people, we have forgotten; individually, many of us have never known. Even myself, though I have always known that there is a promised 2nd coming, feel poorly knowledgeable and inadequately mindful of it. And it’s to this end that I choose to celebrate Advent with my family. Advent, meaning “coming” which celebrates both the coming of the infant savior and the expected 2nd coming of our Savior King.
The King is Coming!
Advent, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving and lasting through Christmas for some and the day of Epiphany for others, is a season of preparing our hearts for the coming of our king - both on Christmas morning (for the purpose of an intentional Christ-centered celebration) and also as a reminder that He will soon be coming again. Advent is an opportunity to train the young hearts of our children to set their eyes on the true joys of Christmas, to seek fulfillment in the things that really matter, and how to enjoy giving and receiving gifts out of love and fellowship without falling prey to materialism, greed, jealousy or envy. Advent is an opportunity to spend more time with your family, intentionally enjoying each other, praising God and worshiping Him. Advent is an opportunity to build wonderful family traditions and memories together.
Won’t you join me in making this Advent season a truly memorable, worshipful, joyous and Christ-centered celebration?
To help you get started on your Advent journey, check out these resources:
- AdventConspiracy.org
- NewAdvent.org
- Online Resources for the Season of Advent - tons of links here!
- The Adventure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions
- Watch For The Light: Readings For Advent And Christmas
So what do you need to do right now?
If you haven’t already, set up for your family an Advent candle wreath. You can purchase these, or you can create your own. We often do our own grouping of little jar candles. You can purchase tapers and little taper holders and arrange them among a bed of pine needles - whatever you want. For instructions on setting up and using your wreath, read this tutorial.
Next you need to decide on a reading schedule (nightly or weekly) and choose a set of readings. You can find some reading resources at the list of online resources linked above, in this post, or you can google “advent readings” and find many resources that way. Nevermind that Advent began yesterday. Begin today! (We are.)
Most importantly, remember that Advent is not a season of legalism and piosity. Advent is a time to embrace the joys of the season, the love of our family, the promise of our king and the many blessings that God has bestowed on us, while keeping Christ the center of our hearts’ affections.
Oh if we could all look at Christmas, celebrating the birth of our savior together with our family, with the same joy and expectation as the little child who so vigorously throws back the covers and runs to discover what bounty Santa left beneath the tree?!
And yet we can, we should, if it we remember the greatest gift ever, birthed beneath the stars and hung upon the most hideous and beautiful tree ever.
God. Is. Good.
In the many weeks ahead I’ll be sharing some great resources and ideas for how to do this with your family, regardless of your family size, age, etc. To review last years Advent series and see what’s in store for this year, you can refer back to yesterday’s post. I also have two carousels in the sidebars, one with my top picks for Advent resources and one with my top pics for Christmas books. Enjoy!
Say it with me: “The King is Coming!”
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Disclosure: I am an Amazon.com affiliate member.
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Advent 2009 ~ The King is Coming!
I’m sitting and thinking about Advent today (today being the first day of the holiday,) preparing and getting ready to both blog about it and also celebrate it with my family over the next six weeks. If you read any of my Advent posts last year, you know that this is a big deal for me. This is my absolute favorite time of year! I have always loved Christmas, and the more I learned about the tradition of Advent several years ago, the more it resonated with my soul. Every year I embrace this wholeheartedly ~ YES, this is how I want to do Christmas! It feels so right. The Christmas holiday should be the single most festive and joyous celebration in all the Christian calendar. Is there anything more exciting? The only other holiday that comes close is Easter, for obvious reasons, of course.
When I read back through my Advent posts from last year, I began to wonder “how in the world am I going to top THAT??” I wrote about it so much I wondered if I’d left anything to talk about. Well.. you know me, I found something. Quite a few somethings, actually. Originally, I’d planned on writing four posts between now and Christmas. I’ve changed my mind, I’m going to be writing about Advent every single Monday between now and January 6th, the Day of Epiphany - the day that Catholic tradition has set aside for the 3 kings who came to visit the infant Savior.
Are you ready? It’s going to be LOTS of fun.
In case you missed last year’s posts, you can review them here, for inspiration and ideas going into the Advent season:
- Our Advent Calendar, Advent Wreath, Traveling Nativity & Other Traditions
- Using Decorations to Add Symbolism & Meaning
- Baking Your Way Into the Holiday Spirit
- Giving: Taking time to give to others.
- Keeping Christ in Christmas; Christmas morning
I’ve already mapped out my plan for the next six week, and I’m excited to begin. Here’s what you can expect for Advent 2009:
- November 30, 2009 - Week 1, “Expectation”: Why Advent? What is it? Goals, etc.
- December 07, 2009 - Week 2, “Execution” : Making it happen.
- December 14, 2009 - Week 3, “Anticipation” : Layering traditions to build anticipation.
- December 21, 2009 - Week 4, “Culmination” : It’s all been building up to this.
- December 28, 2009 - Week 5, “Resolution” : An end, and a beginning.
- January 04, 2010 - Week 6, “Closure” : He’s coming back again.
And lest that sound too stuffy and boring. I promise that every single post will be stuffed with several resource recommendations, or activities or downloadables, or SOMETHING. Plenty for everyone. Can’t WAIT to kick this off tomorrow — see you then!
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Like the Turkey– I AM STUFFED!
Except that we didn’t actually stuff our turkey, but that is beside the point! We did have a really great week this week and we spent a lot of time with my husband’s family lives nearby. We had turkey lunch on Thursday and then we had the BIG turkey spread on Saturday because of my father-in-law’s work schedule. Twice the turkey. Twice the dressing. Twice the pumpking pie. YUM!
While we were doing all of that, my charity donation giveaway ended and tomorrow when I get a chance to sit down, I’m going to be making a donation to the March of Dimes - thanks to Monica @ Daily Dwelling! (You’ll be getting an email soon, too!) And GET THIS!! If I use our mastercard debit card, Mastercard will match the donation. How cool is that??
So now the turkey has been eaten, the pie has been consumed, none of my clothes fit anymore… what’s next? Would you believe that I’ve got another carnival coming right on the very HEELS of this last one? Don’t blame me– the first day of Advent is the Sunday after Thanksgiving! 
Unlike the Thanksgiving carnival or the Advent carnival last year, I’m NOT going to be doing another carnival that lasts several days in a row! This year I’ll be doing a special post about Advent every Monday between now and Christmas. And if you followed along last year, you know there is going to be A LOT of good stuff in store for you! So you plan on coming back on Monday now you hear?
Thanks to all of my bloggy friends and readers who celebrated my bloggiversary with me. You guys (gals) rock!
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Win a Free Christmas Tree from Balsam Hill
Aspen Silver Fir Tree by Balsam Hill
Balsam Hill, a maker of ultra-realistic artificial Christmas trees (I love real trees, but the frugal side of me promotes artificial ones!) wants to bless one special family with a free, gorgeous, Christmas tree this season.
They’re giving away a free Colorado Mountain Spruce, pre-strung with lights, valued at $799.
To enter, visit the Balsam Hill website, scroll down and click on the banner “Enter to win…” While you are there, take a look around at their trees and you’ll see the kind of quality tree they are giving away. They also have a Personalized Tree Finder tool to help you find the right kind of tree for you and your family. I’ve never put that much thought into a Christmas tree before! What did I learn? What I already knew: I have expensive taste!
My favorite tree, hands down, (yes tree fairy you can drop one of these in my lap any day) is the Aspen Silver Fir, pictured above. Look at those realistic needles! Pinecones! It has realistic pinecones!
Go ahead - click that picture to see it bigger. You know you want to!
Isn’t it lovely? Needless to say, Hubs isn’t going to be approving that expenditure request any time soon. =) But good thing for Hubs I’ve already purchased our replacement artificial tree, huh?
In the meantime, you can click this link, or the image ad in the sidebar, scroll down to the banner at the bottom, and enter for your own chance to win this 7.5ft Colorado Mountain Spruce tree:
And “good luck!” (I don’t believe in luck.) ; -)
Disclosure: I am not paid for telling you about this opportunity. However, should the selected winner have been referred through my site I will eligible for a reward also. In other words- it’s a win-win for both of us.If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Give-Thanks-Giving: A Gift of Giving
Wrapping up the one-year bloggiversary celebration, I’m finishing this up with a giveaway of sorts. Inspired by other giving bloggers around the blogosphere this month, and also by the 30 Day Giving Challenge, I’ll be giving away a donation, to the winner’s favorite charity. At the same time, I’ll be passing on to the selected winner a small token of my appreciation - a $25 gift card to Gevalia Coffee that I have but am choosing to pass on rather than keep it for myself.
I am going to make this REALLY simple. You like simple don’t you?
Here’s what you need to do to enter:
- Leave a comment telling me which charity, ministry or organization you would have me make a donation to if you win. You must include a link to the charity, and they must have a way for me to make a donation online. You must also enter a valid email address so that I can contact you about you Gevalia gift card.
- An alternative way to enter: If you would like to join me in my final gust of giving for this carnival…I offer to you, the opportunity to turn around and do the same thing on your blog and offer to give away a donation of a reader’s choice. If you choose to do so, write a post and leave a link in the comments. Don’t forget to leave a link to your own favorite ministry and your email address.
The “rules”:
1.) If you don’t leave a link to the organization website, accept online donations, or your email address your entry will be invalid. (Leave your email address in the comment entry form, not necessarily the comment itself - your email address in the entry form will not be publicly displayed, only allows me to reply by email to your comment and will not be used for any form of solicitation in the future.)
2.) The charity donation is open to bloggers and non bloggers alike, worldwide. Gevalia may or may not make shipments to your destination. It’s up to you to determine if Gevalia coffee is available in your area.
3.) Comments will close Friday, November 27, 2009 at midnight central standard time. At that point in time a winner will be chosen by random draw.
That’s pretty simple, right?
If you have enjoyed any part of my Give-Thanks-Giving Bloggiversary party, consider subscribing to updates from Classic Housewife, joining the fan page on Facebook or following me on Twitter. Thanks for celebrating with me!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Find the results here.
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Give-Thanks-Giving: Holiday Crafts and Fun Stuff
The most fun part about the holidays as far as my kids are concerned is the crafts, the decorating and the activities. Well, unless there are presents. But otherwise it the crafts and fun stuff. To be honest, I quite like it, too.
And I always like finding new crafts and ideas online to keep things fresh & exciting. The kids and I are doing something new this year and they are all going to Thanksgiving dinner dressed as indians. Oh yes they are. We’ve already made our necklaces and bracelets. Over the course of the week they are going to also get headbands, painted (paper sack) vests, and the girls will get dresses but the boy will wear brown shirt and pants under his vest and headdress.
Yesterday we kicked off our Thankful Tree and we’ll work on that all week long trying to fill it up as much as we possibly can. I’d also hoped to find time to make some additional Thanksgiving decorations, like these paper bag turkeys.
Here’s a few other ideas for easy Thanksgiving crafts:
- Corny Cookies: look like mini corn on the cobs (but the M&M’s are sure to please any kid.)
- Paper Cornucopia Craft
- Girl’s Paper Pilgrim Bonnet
- How about these teepees and houses (from little milk cartons and paper plates)
- Paper & Nature Thanksgiving Banner
- Woven Fall Placemat (you could do this with construction paper too)
- Fall Leaf Spiral Mobile
- Thanksgiving Bingo
- Paper Bag Scarecrow
- Paper Plate Scarecrow
- Pilgrim Paper Finger Puppets
- Coffee Filter Thanksgiving Bouquet
Websites chock full of Thanksgiving resources:
Plenty of good stuff, there huh? Let me know if you’ve made any of these and how they turned out. Or do you have links to other crafts and activities that you’ve done with your kids?
Remember, this post is a part of the Give-Thanks-Giving bloggiversary party. And for grins and giggles, what is YOUR Thanksgiving i.q.? Do you know how many pounds of turkey is consumed in America on Thanksgiving Day? (I didn’t!)
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Give-Thanks-Giving: Online Giving Resources
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2nd Corinthians 9:7
It seems the opportunities to give and to serve come crawling out of the woodwork when the holidays roll around. But the majority of those ministries have needs year round. All year long you can donate your time or your money to those in need.
There are so many really good ministries, organizations and charities out there that need year round support. Closer to home, there are also many ministries and individuals in your local community in need. There are so many ways to give to others, so many opportunities to show the love of Christ.
The truth is — the holidays are just when we think about it.
But don’t let that stop you. Many of them do need additional help during the holidays. As the Spirit leads, may you give and serve in love and with a cheerful heart!
Below is a small list, a tiny fraction, of the many, many opportunities online for giving to others. I know there are many, many more. Please, if you have a special ministry or organization that is close to your heart, please leave a link in the comment section and I will add it to the list. And thanks!
Online Resources for Giving:
- Samaritan’s Purse - “For over 35 years, Samaritan’s Purse has done our utmost to follow Christ’s command by going to the aid of the world’s poor, sick, and suffering. We are an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ. This, in turn, earns us a hearing for the Gospel, the Good News of eternal life through Jesus Christ.”
- Women At Risk International - “Women At Risk, International unites and educates women to create circles of protection and hope around women at risk through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects.”
- Hannah’s Socks - “Hannah’s Socks is a non-profit organization focused on providing clothing necessities to the less fortunate in Toledo, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; and their neighboring communities. Hannah’s Socks collects donated materials in the form of men’s, women’s and children’s socks and undergarments, then leverages partnerships with local shelters for distribution to both the homeless and to victims of domestic violence. In addition, we support programs serving under-privileged children. Hannah’s Socks firmly believes that in a country as prosperous as the United States, no man, woman or child should want for something as basic as a warm pair of socks.”
- Hannah House Maternity Home / Promiseland Ministries Inc - “Our Mission…to reach out to teens and young women in a crisis pregancy situation; to provide an alternative to abortion such as adoption or parenting; to develop better decision-making, life, and parenting skills; to further education; to build stronger belief and understanding of the family; to glorify God and share His word and answers for today’s world.”
- Feeding America - Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Our mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. Each year, the Feeding America network provides food to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.
- Feeding America Partners - Many corporate sponsors partner with Feeding America to help the cause, including companies like Honeysuckle White and Snickers.
Also, don’t forget Christmas Change - a website dedicated to changing the way you think and spend this Christmas, encouraging you to spend less and give more. Included: A list of charities and a place to share personal stories.
And also, the 30 Day Giving Challenge - a place to find LOTS of ideas on ways to give this holiday season, including many suggestions for free ways to give.. ways that none of us have excuses not to do! Take part in Alyssa’s challenge to give something, somewhere every day in November (or what is left of it - there is still time to give!)
And last but not least, there are many bloggers who we may come across through our online busyness and browsing, bloggers like Ali @ My God Given Mission Field. Ali & her family are saving up for an adoption and have a very unique fundraiser going on right now. Ali has purchased a large puzzle. When someone sponsors a puzzle piece for five dollars, a puzzle piece (with the sponsors name on the back) is put into place. Once the whole puzzle is complete they will have the funds for the their adoption. Once the whole puzzle is complete, it will be framed and hung in their new adopted child’s room as a symbol. Isn’t that a beautiful idea?? It touched my heart when I first read it and it still gets me now.
What charities, ministries and organizations has God placed on your heart? Leave a comment in the comment section with a link, and a little bit about why it’s special to you or how you found it. If you know about other online resources like Christmas Change or the 30 Day Giving Challenge, or about other bloggers like Ali, tell us about those, too.
Proverbs 3:27 - Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
This post is a part of the Classic Housewife One Year Bloggiversary Give-Thanks-Giving celebration.
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