Merry Christmas!...

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given;
and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
- Isaiah 9:6

"Christmas is the harvest time of love. Souls are drawn
to other souls. All that we have read and thought and
hoped comes to fruition at this happy time. Our spirits
are astir. We feel within us a strong desire to serve.
A strange, subtle force, a new kindness, animates man
and child. A new spirit is growing in us. No longer are
we content to relieve pain, to sweeten sorrow, to give
the crust of charity. We dare to give friendship,
service, the equal loaf of bread and love."

- Helen Keller

Christmas Facts

The definition of a white Christmas in England is one
snowflake falling on the roof of the London Weather
Centre in the 24 hours of December 25.

It is considered unlucky to cut a mince pie with a knife.

December 25 was first celebrated as the birthday
of Christ in the year 440 AD.

Christmas wasn’t declared an official holiday in the
United States until June 26, 1870.

There is a Christmas, Arizona and a Christmas, Florida.
In both Arizona and Indiana, there is a town called
  Santa Claus. There is also a Noel, Missouri.

The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees

  out of dyed goose feathers.

Each year more than 3 billion Christmas cards
are sent in the U.S. alone.

All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas
would equal 364 gifts.

It is estimated that the single “White Christmas” by
Irving Berlin is the best selling single of all time,
with over 100 million sales worldwide.

Christmas purchases account for 1/6 of all
retail sales in the U.S.

Click links below for Christmas fun!

Match Game for Kids

My Favorite Christmas Song

Amazing Christmas Light Show

Make a Virtual Snowflake


I hope you are having a blessed Christmas Day!!
Happy Jesus' Birthday!!  Sending out joy from my
home to yours... Val =)



Merry Christmas!...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government

will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

- Isaiah 9:6

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope you are surrounded by

loved ones today and are at a warm and dry and cozy place.

I have some Christmas-themed sites for you all today. I have been

collecting these for a couple of weeks. I hope you have fun with

these and are inspired as well!

God bless you on this day and I hope you have time to reflect

tonight and tomorrow on what priceless gift God gave us and why

we celebrate Christmas. Sending you Christmas joy... Val =)

Two websites with loads of Christmas fun and links:

Xmas Fun!
Christmas World

Decorate a Xmas Tree at Donna's:

Decorate a Xmas Tree

Your kids will giggle with this and so will you:

Carol of the Chins

Just like regular Tic Tac Toe:

Tic Tac Santa

My favorite Christmas song:

O Holy Night!

Read how Christmas is celebrated in other countries:

St. Nicholas Around the World

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census
should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census
that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone
went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and
line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to
be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the
time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn,
a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news
that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David
a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will
be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in
a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with
the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

And on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds
said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was
lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word
concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard
it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured
up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen,
which were just as they had been told.
- Luke 2:1-20

Christmas Fun...

Merry Christmas, my dear friends, family and readers of this blog!!
I put together a few Christmas links that I thought you may enjoy if
you have a few spare moments today or tomorrow. Pour a cup of
coffee and sit back and enjoy. Most of these are fun and funny. I
hope you and yours are having a warm and safe day...
Sending Christmas joy... Val =)


Christmas Links

Fun With Santa and His Reindeer

Decorate a Tree and a Room

Santa Sings with His Reindeer

Silent Monks "Singing" Hallelujah

The Christmas Can-Can

The 12 Days of Christmas with Jimmy Kimmel and Norah Jones
(funny!)

Oh Holy Night
(sung by Celine Dion... my favorite Christmas hymn)

Christmas Facts

Christmas Quiz

Christmas Coloring Pages for Your Children
(or you!)

A Christmas Message...

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was
pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was
found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband
was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he
had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home
as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She
will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he
will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call
him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded
him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she
gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
- Matthew 1:18-25

Please press link below. It is my favorite Christmas song sung by my
favorite artist, Josh Groban. May it touch you on this blessed day.

O Holy Night

From my home to yours, wishing you the
warmest and most wonderful Christmas.

Maxine on Christmas...

Maxine Sharing Christmas With Us

Joke - Santa is a Girl

Santa is a Girl

I hate to be the one to defy sacred myth, but I believe he's a she. Think about it. Christmas is a big, organized, warm, fuzzy, nurturing, social deal, and I have a tough time believing a guy could possibly pull it all off!

For starters, the vast majority of men don't even think about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve. Once at the mall, they always seem surprised to find only Ronco products, socket wrench sets, and mood rings left on the shelves. On this count alone, I'm convinced Santa is a woman. Surely, if he were a man, everyone in the universe would wake up Christmas morning to find a rotating musical Chia Pet under the tree, still in the bag.

Another problem for a he-Santa would be getting there. First of all, there would be no reindeer because they would all be dead, gutted and strapped on to the rear bumper of the sleigh amid wide-eyed, desperate claims that buck season had been extended. Blitzen's rack would already be on the way to the taxidermist. Even if the male Santa DID have reindeer, he'd still have transportation problems because he would inevitably get lost up there in the snow and clouds and then refuse to stop and ask for directions.

Other reasons why Santa can't possibly be a man: Men can't pack a bag. Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red velvet. Men would feel their masculinity is threatened... having to be seen with all those elves. Men don't answer their mail. Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described even in jest as anything remotely resembling a "bowl-full of jelly." Men aren't interested in stockings unless somebody's wearing them. Having to do the Ho Ho Ho thing would seriously harm their macho image.

Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment. I can buy the fact that other mythical holiday characters are men... Father Time shows up once a year unshaven and looking ominous. Definite guy. Cupid flies around carrying weapons. Uncle Sam is a politician who likes to point fingers. Any one of these individuals could pass the testosterone screening test. But not St. Nick. Not a chance.

- By Rex Alexander

Christmas Quotes in Literature and on TV...

Christmas Quotes in Literature and on Television

"I have always thought of Christmas time,
when it has come round, as a good time; a kind,
forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of,
in the long calendar of the year, when men and women
seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely,
and to think of people below them as if they really
were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another
race of creatures bound on other journeys."
- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
---
"There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake
on Christmas morning and not be a child."
Erma Bombeck, I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression
---
"Christmas is a time when people of all religions
come together to worship Jesus Christ."
- Bart Simpson, The Simpsons
---
"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.
In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall."
- Larry Wilde, in The Merry Book of Christmas
---
"Mail your packages early so the post office
can lose them in time for Christmas."
- Johnny Carson
---
Linus Van Pelt:
"And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.'"

[Linus picks up his blanket and walks
back towards Charlie Brown]

Linus Van Pelt:
"That's what Christmas is all
about, Charlie Brown."
- Charles Schulz, Charlie Brown Christmas
---
"Roses are reddish
Violets are bluish
If it weren't for Christmas
We'd all be Jewish."
- Benny Hill
---
"Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to you glad."
- John Greenleaf Whittier

Quotes on Receiving...

Quotes on Receiving

"So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours."
- Matthew 21:22
--
"God gives nothing to those who
keep their arms crossed."
- African Proverb
--
"Gracious acceptance is an art - an art which
most never bother to cultivate. We think that we have
to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting
things, which can be much harder than giving...
Accepting another person's gift is allowing
to express his feelings for you."
- Alexander McCall Smith
--
"He who receives a good turn should never forget it;
he who does one should never remember it."
- Marcel Proust
--
"Each day offers us the gift of being a special
occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving,
it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart."
- Sarah Ban Breathnach
--
"Many look with one eye at what they give,
but with seven at what they receive."
- German Proverb
--
"Friendship consists in forgetting;
what one gives, and remembering what
one receives."
- Alexandre Dumas Pere
--
"May no gift be too small to give,
nor too simple to receive, which is wrapped
in thoughtfulness, and tied with love."
- L. O. Baird
--
"It takes great generosity to accept generosity."
-Merle Shain
--
"If my hands are fully occupied in holding on to
something, I can neither give nor receive."
- Dorothee Solle
--
"Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift.
And you receive it best and you live it best
by holding it with very open hands."
- Leo O'Donovan
--
"You always get back much more than you give."
- Jimmy Carter

Christmas Quotes

Christmas Quotes

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the
past, courage for the present, hope for the future.
It is the fervent wish that every cup may overflow
with blessings rich and eternal, and that
every path may lead to peace."
- Agnes Pharo

"The best of all gifts around any
Christmas tree: the presence of a happy
family all wrapped up in each other."
- Burton Hillis

"Blessed is the Season which engages
the whole world in a conspiracy of love."
- Hamilton Wright Mabie

"Christmas waves a magic wand over
this world, and behold, everything is
softer and more beautiful."
- Norman Vincent Peale

"A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
it makes no noise at all, but softly
gives itself away."
- Eva Logue

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and
devotion exists, and you know that they abound
and give to your life its highest beauty and joy."
- Charles Dana

"I will honor Christmas in my heart
and try to keep it all the year."
- Charles Dickens

"Christmas is the day that
holds all time together."
- Alexander Smith

"The only blind person at Christmastime is
he who has not Christmas in his heart."
- Helen Keller

"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration
is being wreathed in smiles."
- Author Unknown

Do you have a favorite quote?

Does one spark a memory?