Christmas Trivia

It's beginning to look like Christmas around here. After some unseasonable warmer than average temperatures, we had a light snow yesterday and today. It was perfect, just enough to dust the ground and look pretty floating down from the sky but not enough to stay on the roads. Since, the subject of the last post was Christmas songs, I'll post Mike's trivia question that he came up with this year and see if anyone knows the answer...

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Who is Parson Brown? (In the song "Winter Wonderland" the lyrics go..."In the meadow, we can build a snowman, and pretend that he is Parson Brown...")

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Ha, funny, huh, how many times we've heard that song and really don't know what they are talking about...at least I know I had no idea...

Favorite Christmas Songs

So, my brother-in-law asked us at Thanksgiving to go around the table and tell everyone what our favorite Christmas song was. It was very hard to pick just one. Since then, I've been trying to remember all of those wonderful Christmas songs that I love to listen to but often get forgotten (I seem to hear the same songs over and over on the radio). As I pulled out my CDs for this Christmas season, I made a list of my favorites, including the ones that are not quite as well-known. So, here's my compilation so far (not necessarily in any order), some classical, traditional, hymns, carols, others contemporary/worship, mostly likely at least a few that you aren't familiar with...check out any that you aren't familiar with on www.youtube.com, maybe you'll find a new favorite:

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Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Ode to Joy)

O Holy Night

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Christmas Offering

Angels We Have Heard On High

Mary, Did you Know

Carol of the Bells

The Gift

When Love Came Down (Point of Grace)

O Come All Ye Faithful

Christmas Canon

Let There Be Light (Point of Grace)

Breath of Heaven

In the First Light

Little Town (Point of Grace)

For Unto Us

Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah

All is Well

Emmaneul (Chris Tomlin)

My Soul Magnifies the Lord (Chris Tomlin)

Joy to the World/Unspeakable Joy (Chris Tomlin)

Glory in the Highest (Chris Tomlin)

Light of the World (Chris Tomlin)

Winter Snow (Chris Tomlin)

Born That We May Have Life (Chris Tomlin)

Jesus, Born on this Day (Mariah Carey)

Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child (Mariah Carey)

What Child is This

Hope is Born Again (Jim Brickman/Point of Grace)

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Angels from the Realms of Glory

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

The First Noel

O Little Town of Bethlehem (especially verse 4)

Silent Night (especially verse 2 & 3)

I also enjoy singing all of the verses of each of the carols...the additional verses are some of my favorites.

Anyone with other favorites?

A few favorites are listed on the Play list below. (I can only get 9 on there at a time) Enjoy! (You can still listen while viewing other sites if you minimize the window and they will keep playing)

Meal Planner Monday: Gingerbread Pancakes with Lemon Butter Sauce

Last December, we had gingerbread pancakes with warm lemon butter sauce at a bed and breakfast we stayed at in Ashland, OH. Very festive and oh, soooo yummy! The smell of these spices in breakfast pancakes on Christmas morning or on a snowy December day really warms up the home. Personally, I think the lemon butter sauce works better with them than maple syrup, but maybe that's just me. I searched the internet for a recipe that sounded good and this is what I ended up with. I made them this morning. Mike said he like plain pancakes better but he ate 8 of them, so I guess they were pretty good.

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Gingerbread Pancakes (from Taste of Home)

* I made half of the recipe and still had a lot (maybe 24 or so)

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup molasses

6 cups all-purpose flour

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp ginger

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp allspice

4 cups milk

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add molasses. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk.

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Lemon Butter Sauce (Mom's recipe)

Mix together:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

Stir in: 2 cups water

Boil 1 minute.

Add:

1/4 butter

2 tsp lemon juice

Lemon rind

Frugal Friday: Crafty Christmas Ideas

I was looking around on the internet today for a crafty Christmas idea and a new Christmas picture for the background of my blog. I came across these sites...

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You Seriously Made That!? (I love these nativity silouettes! No ideas for how to use them exactly yet)

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Country Living Crafts and Simple Projects

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The 36th Avenue Handmade Gifts Under $5

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And, of course from Money Saving Mom

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Oh, here's one more...Gifts in a Jar eBook free download from Heavenly Homemakers...I think I'm going to try the Simmer Pot in a Jar on p. 17

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I know the ideas out there are endless. I think I'll be posting some pictures of some of my recent projects (such as the pumpkin spice sugar scrub, snowflake busy bags, and pom-poms and pinchers busy bag) soon now that they are no longer "surprises". I also have been inspired to try some hair accessories after I received a very cool headband from my sister, Julie, for Christmas. Seeing new things inspires me. There's still time for another homemade Christmas gift...

***WARNING: You may lose track of time when you start clicking around***

January Update: Christmas Celebrations and New Year Resolutions

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Praise God that everyone was healthy (we were fervently praying that we would not have a repeat of last year's stomach virus) and that we could enjoy time with family. For Christmas Eve, we went to church and celebrated with Mike's extended family. Then, on Christmas Day we spent time with Mike's parents, sister's family, grandma and his aunt's family. Then the following weekend (over the New Year), we traveled to Greenville to celebrate with my family. We really were blessed this year and enjoyed that time together very much, although we missed Jason and Kerby being able to be here with us (http://www.todalagentecr.blogspot.com/). We recently purchased a new camera (Nikon Coolpix P100)after our old one continued to need new batteries each time we used it. We were excited to try it out even though we are still learning how to use it. It has some nice features so hopefully we will become more adept at using it and have some professional looking photos eventually. (Since I'm so behind on putting a post up) Mike has already put together a nice video with many of our pictures of Christmas. So, if you haven't seen it yet, you can view it on his blog. I picked a few of my favorites to post:

Aaron with his letter "A" place card

Caleb with his new geeky fun glasses and the old camera that he carried around with him all weekend taking pictures Katelyn working on her "Build a Bear" craft with Mom Josiah (and Caleb in his muscle shirt) after playing the Kinect Us holding up Josiah's magnetic post-its and Katelyn's woven potholder gifts

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Mike and I hung stockings over our fireplace this year and had some fun filling them for each other (Mike even received a letter from Santa). We also enjoyed decorating our home this year even though the decorations barely made it up before Christmas. So, we left them up a little later this year to fully enjoy them.

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One of our Christmas gifts was the xBox Kinect. We feel so "cool" to receive one of this year's hot Christmas gifts (not that we really care). Our primary motive for asking for the Kinect was to be able to do some fun exercise with it. We took a long time to decide between the Nintendo wii and the xBox Kinect, but we are very happy about it. We have been enjoying it and it has been successful in getting us "moving" in the evenings, as you can see.

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Mike and I each set our own resolutions earlier this month. We find it refreshing to do this together in the New Year. The Jan. 2 sermon at my parent's church was a very good one on leaving your past behind and pressing on toward what God has called you to do (Phil. 3:12-14). You can listen to the sermon at this link. (It's not to late to set a new year's resolution if you haven't already - there is still 1 more week left in January.)

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My family decided to do our own Biggest Loser Competition and we are officially underway. So far it's been lots of fun. We each have our own goal weight to strive for. And, I'm impressed with how well everyone is doing. We are finishing up week 3 on Monday. It's really helped me stay on track knowing there is accountability. Mike and I finally set out to walk the whole way around the lake (it's about 4 1/2 miles but not flat) and we've done it twice now even through the cold and snow. It was quite challenging. We're also playing in a church volleyball league which has been fun and a good way to get to know more people at the church.

On the 9th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Nine drummers drumming...Eight maids a-milking...Seven swans a-swimming...Six geese a-laying...Five golden rings...Four colly birds...Three French hens...Two turtle doves...

...and a partridge in a pear tree...

Did you know that tonight is the 9th Night of Christmas? Did you ever wonder what this song is all about? This is what Wikipedia had to say... The Twelve Days of Christmas, and the associated evenings of those twelve days (Twelve-tide), are the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day (December 25) through the morning of Epiphany (January 6). The associated evenings of the twelve days begin on the evening before the specified day. Thus, the first night of Christmas is December 25–26 and Twelfth Night is January 5–6. Twelfth Day is January 6. This period is also known as Christmastide. With the onset of more Americanized and secular traditions throughout the past two centuries (such as the American "Santa Claus", popularity of Christmas Eve itself as a holiday, and rise in popularity of New Year's Eve parties as well), the traditions of the Twelve Days of Christmas have been largely forgotten in the U.S.. This is also heightened by the commercial practice to have "After-Christmas Sales" begin on December 26 and run usually until New Year's Eve. Indeed, contemporary marketing and media tend to espouse the (erroneous) belief that the Twelve Days end on Christmas and thus begin December 14.[3][4] However, a small percentage of Christians of many sects have held on to their own favorite ways to celebrate and those who choose to also have their own church to guide them in a spiritual way of marking this reverent holiday. Americans who celebrate various ways include secular Christians of all backgrounds, religious Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Moravians and those of the Amish and Mennonite communities. Today, some celebrants give gifts each of the Twelve Days, feast and otherwise celebrate the entire time through to Epiphany morning. Lighting a candle for each day has become a modern tradition in the U.S. and of course, singing the appropriate verses of the famous song each day is also an important and fun part of the American celebrations. Some still celebrate Twelfth Night as the biggest night for parties and gift-giving and some also light a Yule Log on the first night (Christmas) and let it burn some each of the twelve nights. Some Americans also have their own traditional foods to serve each night. As in olden days, Twelfth Night to Epiphany morning is then the traditional time to take down the Christmas tree and decorations. The rhyme or chant "The Twelve Days of Christmas" first appeared in a children's book titled, Mirth Without Mischief, c. 1780. There are possibly three earlier French versions and one Scottish. The song was first known to be performed by James O. Halliwell in 1842. The days in England are traditionally[5] as follows: A partridge in a pear tree Two turtle doves Three French hens Four colly birds Five gold rings Six geese a-laying Seven swans a-swimming Eight maids a-milking Nine drummer drumming Ten pipers piping Eleven ladies dancing Twelve lords a-leaping The song calls for "four colly birds," but these are often mistakenly called calling birds. This is due primarily to a misunderstood pronunciation, probably in the 20th century—and partly because of the evolution of the English language since the 16th century and the differences between Australasian, British, and North American pronunciation.[6] Colly in Early English meaning black, would make day four a reference to "four blackbirds." The "five gold rings" refer to ring-necked pheasants. There have been various interpretations of the religious symbolism for each of the Twelve Days, with some claiming the song to be a code used by persecuted Catholics. This is known to be false.[7]

So don't take down that Christmas tree yet...we have some more celebrating to do!

Frugal Friday: Christmas Clearance Gift Wrapping Supplies

Not that I need any more wrapping paper or ribbon, but I love looking through the Christmas wrapping section this time of year when it is marked down 50% or more. In addition to the Christmas wrapping paper for future Christmas gifts, often I have found wrapping paper and ribbons/bows that can be used anytime of the year (like those shown above), and they are discounted as well because they are labeled "Christmas." It is also when I search the Christmas ornaments on clearance for future package decorations. I'll admit that storing the rolls of wrapping paper can be a problem. I have mine standing upright in a box in the closet. I also came across this clever way to store the wrapping rolls.

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At Walmart this week, the ribbon by the yard (and material) in the craft section was all marked down 75% off clearance. It appears that Walmart (at least ours) is getting rid of all of the items in the sewing section that need to be measured and cut. Unfortunately, it was very picked over but I did find several things, including some colored rhinestone type things to use as "embellishments" on my cards for a total of just $2.10 for my bag of goodies.

Other grocery "freebie" deals from MoneySavingMom...

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

Select Harvest Soup

Crimson, Pine and Candlelight

This past weekend flew by very quickly (we were on the road again) but we did have 2 beautiful Christmas evenings out (Saturday and Sunday). Friday evening the roads were icy, so we decided to wait until Saturday to leave for PA and therefore got to hang out at the seminary game night. It was fun watching the Asians play ping pong. Then Saturday we drove to DuBois for Mike's cousin's wedding. We didn't quite make it to the wedding but we did enjoy the reception. Christmas weddings are so beautiful... After Mike's magic show on Sunday afternoon on the way back to Ohio we stopped at Grove City College. The compromise was that we would watch the 1st half of the Steeler game in Ketler Rec and then go over to the Chapel for the Candlelight Christmas service. Unfortunately for Mike, the ending of the game was the best part.

However, I did enjoy being back on the campus for a little while and sitting in on the Candlelight Christmas service, especially since it will likely be a long time until we will have that opportunity again. ...Thank you, Mike, for giving up your Steeler game to allow me to enjoy that!

Frugal Friday

Shopping was not very exciting this week, so I'll mention my free "Amazing Grace" DVD that I got from Walden Media through this link. And since I posted something earlier in the week about decorating for Christmas, I thought I would mention these frugal decorating ideas , using free evergreen clippings, which I found interesting. Maybe next year I can talk Mike into getting a real live Christmas tree.

Dressing Up

With all of the other things going on, (including traveling every weekend since before Thanksgiving) we have finally managed to complete the decorating of our apartment for Christmas...

We discussed not putting up a tree this year and just not going through the hassle of getting all the decorations out of storage, but I just couldn't do it. I needed to decorate...to place some things around the apartment to keep my mind in anticipation of the coming celebration of the birth of the Christ Child.

Luke 2:17-20 "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."

Can you imagine? A newborn baby. The Birth of the Messiah. Angels announcing His Birth. What it must have been like to experience that!

I think that the Lord is pleased when we make Christmas a big deal (in a worshipful kind of way). The devotional book that I was reading the other day entitled "Come and Behold Him" put it this way...

...if God commissioned angels to roll back the night and fill it with blazing light,

...if God provided a mighty celestial choir to serenade a few startled shepherds,

...if God graced the heavens with a miracle star,

...if God arranged such a memorable entry point as a feeding trough in a stable,

then festooning our homes with a few seasonal reminders to celebrate the event with attention and care...is entirely appropriate. And, may I go so far as to say that if I would have chosen to not put forth the effort, to be too busy, and just skip the decorations this year...would that have been displeasing to the Lord?

Preparing for Christmas

One of the Christmas traditions that we enjoyed as a family growing up was celebrating Advent. Many churches today have gone away from this celebration, but I still think that it is a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for Christmas.

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The word "Advent" is from the Latin word adventus, which means "coming" and refers to the coming of Jesus into our world. The celebration of Advent has been observed for a thousand years and includes the four Sundays preceding Christmas. The Advent wreath is symbolic with the evergreen branches, and each of the five candles.

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Whether you are following a guide which has Scripture and a devotional reading for each week in Advent or have another family tradition which emphasizes the preparation of our hearts for Christmas...I encourage you to keep reminding yourself, even in the many things that we spend our time on during the Christmas season (shopping, decorating, baking, socializing, writing Christmas cards, giving to a charity, gift wrapping, etc), to prepare your heart for the coming of the King as you are doing these things.

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It is so easy in our "drive-through" "instant" society to miss out on the joy of anticipatory waiting. Rather than waiting in anticipation we tend to make the Christmas season a month-long series of events, celebrations and duties. So, this year I am going to work on waiting in anticipation. (See more about "anticipatory waiting" on Mike's blog this "Theological Thursday.")

By the way, did you notice the background music? There were a couple additional songs that I wanted to add to my playlist but they were not available on the playlist.com website. One of those songs is "Christmas Offering." I just love that song. The words are changed from the original version of the song to be sung at Christmas-time...

Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star

While angels sang to lowly shepherds

Three Wiseman seeking truth they traveled from afar

Hoping to find the child from heaven

Falling on their knees they bow before the humble

Prince of Peace

We bring an offering of worship to our King

No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing

Jesus may you receive the honor that you're due

O Lord I bring an offering to you

The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love

There is no shadow in your presence

No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne

Before the Holy One of heaven

It's only by Your blood

It's only through Your mercy

Lord, I come I bring an offering of worship to my King

No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing

Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due

O Lord, I bring an offering to you

We bring an offering to you

We are an offering to you

We are an offering to you, Jesus

We are an offering of worship to our King

No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing

Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due

O Lord, we bring an offering to you

O Lord, we bring an offering to you

We bring an offering to you

We are an offering to you We are an offering to you

You can listen to it from the Casting Crowns "Peace on Earth" album on youtube here.

What are you hoping to find this Christmas???