Browsing Tag
When my kids were little, we spent many long hours traveling to the grandparents’ house for the holidays. In order to help our littles cope with the 6 or 10-hour trips (one way) they always packed a “busy bag”. Invariably, something ALWAYS got left behind and grandma would find it later. So I started making …
No doubt about it: Christmas is a magical season. Short-lived though it may be, the Christmas Spirit transforms our lives and communities each year in a way that no other holiday even comes close to doing. Back when all my children were young (early 2000’s), I had a realization about one particular Christmas transformation that …
In part 1, we learned about the historical inspiration for Santa Claus, Nicholas of Myra, who died on December 6, 343. Nicholas’ habit of cheerful giving, and his commitment to both children and the poor, allowed him to become quite the celebrity. After Nicholas’ death, the stories about him became bigger and more fantastic with each …
Santa Claus is surely one of the most beloved figures of modern times. But did you know that he was perhaps even more beloved long before he acquired a fur-trimmed red suit, a big round belly, and nine flying reindeer to pull his sleigh? It’s true, the historical figure who would one day come to …
I feel like 22 years has just been stolen from me and my family. Why? Because I recently learned about an Icelandic Christmas tradition called Jólabókaflóð. I’ll let the blogger at icelandwillmakeyouhappy.wordpress.com give you the details: “In Iceland, the Christmas season … starts with the publication of a catalogue, the bókatíðindi, a catalogue that lists …
In Act 1, we learned how the little fir tree became important to Christians. Boniface used the tree as an object lesson to teach about God! Then in Act 2 we learned about the Paradise Tree and its use in teaching about Creation and the Fall. But it would be another 350 years before the …
In Act 1, we learned how the little fir tree initially became important to Christians. Boniface used the tree as an object lesson to teach about God the eternal, creator of all things—Father, Spirit, and Son! As the years went by, churches all over heard about what happened and they too wanted to use the …
It’s difficult to imagine Christmas without decorated trees. But do they have any “redeeming” value for Christians? And how did the idea get started in the first place? I think the answer to the first question is a resounding YES! The answer to the second question is a bit longer. Believe it or not, the …
For the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we spend time as a family talking about how we integrate our faith into the Christmas traditions (sort of an Advent approach) that we call the Colors of Christmas. It’s always interesting and really helps us stay centered on what’s important to us as a family and …
It was the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001; hurricane Katrina in 2005; the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Steve Jobs in 2011—each acting as a perfect example of the kind of historic events which have marked us in this generation. These events will live on in our mental rewinds: “Do you remember where you …
