In The Bleak Midwinter, By Christina Rossetti

“In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.”

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” ~ 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

Dear friends, may your Christmas be beautiful and overflow with joy and love.

And. . .

May the New Year bring you peace, good health, and happiness.

“Star of Wonder, Star of Light, Star with Royal Beauty Bright. . .

Guide Us to Thy Perfect Light.”

Joyeux Noël,

Sandra

Images: via Tumblr and Pinterest

“I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Good Sunday morning, dear friends.  Can you believe this is the last Sunday before Christmas?  The days pass way too quickly for my liking, especially during this most beautiful season of the year.  Although, considering the swiftly moving days, I am just about ready for Christmas.  The house is decorated, baking is almost finished, and the Christmas cards are mailed.  Speaking of Christmas cards, I have something to confess.

Do you keep old Christmas cards?  Oh, I do.  Honestly, I am not a hoarder, but I do keep old cards.  Ones I have received and also ones I have sent.  And, why do I keep them?  I don’t keep them all, they must meet certain criteria.  They must be quite special.  Meaning, the message inside has to be absolutely beautiful.  Each year, I go through them (probably about twenty cards) and enjoy their message and beauty.  They are marvelous enjoyment along with a cookie and coffee.  

Today, I want to share a few with you.  All are from Hallmark Cards and are at least over thirty years old.  Know their message is from my heart and home to you and yours.

“There is a beloved sameness about Christmas with its familiar carols,

its treasured ornaments and favorite traditions.

Still every Christmas is special, one of a kind, as unique as a snowflake,

as bright as a star, as new as a dream that’s about to come true.”

“May the wonderful feelings of Christmas stay with you long after the gifts are unwrapped,

the tree is taken down, and the ornaments are stored safely away. 

May the once-a-year joy of Christmas return to you in memories throughout the year,

each time tugging at your heart strings. . . each time bringing a smile.”

Dear friends, thank you so much for your visit.  

May the gift of peace, love and joy be yours this Christmas.

And. . .

May Christmas Blessings be with you and those you love during the New Year.

“I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.” ~ Fred Rogers

 Joyeux Noël,

Sandra

Images: via tumblr

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” ~ Charles Dickens

Good Sunday morning, dear friends.  I hope this finds you well and enjoying the days and nights of this beautiful month.

Today, I want to share a poem by one of my favorite poets, Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809~1892).  Personally, I feel it is most appropriate for the year we have endured. 

Written in 1850, the poem seems like a prayer for humanity to strive for a kindlier world. I hope you will find Tennyson’s words meaningful and they will give you thoughts to contemplate.  To me, as we approach a new year, I find them to be most worthy of thought.  I  hope will to you also.     

“Ring Out, Wild Bells” ~  by,  Alfred, Lord Tennyson

“Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. . .” ~ Joan Winmill Brown

Amour,

Sandra

Images:  via tumblr

Good Sunday morning, dear friends.  I hope this finds you well and enjoying this beautiful month.  Mike and I are about ready for Christmas.  We have a few remaining things to do outside and some small details inside. And then, the ‘cookie factory’ will open.   The fruit cakes were made last weekend and they are enjoying their soak in Calvados (French apple brandy).  You will find the recipe here. 

“. . . snow~dusted villages lit with wick and wax, lit with wonder by tiny souls.” ~ M, Wonder & Joy

During my years growing up in North Central West Virginia, we always had snow during the Christmas season.  Our downtown area was so pretty dressed in a blanket of snow and the lights sparkled like diamonds.  Everywhere you looked, the lights were twinkling.  There were specialty shops and beautifully decorated department store windows, as well as a huge tree.  The tree, decorated with colored lights, proudly stood on the Court House Square, along with Santa’s house and loads of children so excited to visit Santa.   Wiggling and dancing around, hardly able to contain their excitement.  People were bursting with Christmas cheer as they scurried about, and finally ending their evening with a nice cup of cocoa at the local drug store, Wells and Haymaker.  Truly, this is not a dream, it was just a different time and world.  

“Between bustle and breaths, between twinkling and flurry, December’s warm embrace.” ~ M. Wonder & Joy

“I don’t remember what I got for Christmas when I was six or ten.  I do remember the smell of the kitchen on Christmas morning.  I remember counting the marshmallows my dad put in my hot cocoa.  I remember waking up, giving my parents a hug, and feeling magic before a gift was even opened.  Remember, it is the memories that make the magic.” ~ Unknown

Don’t Christmas ornaments bring back the memories?    We have a tree in our family room with ornaments from both of our childhoods as well as from our school children.  A Christmas ornament is the perfect gift for a teacher or school employee.  Many I received were hand made and to me, that makes them extra special.  I can still tell you who gave them to me, remembering the child fondly.

While we all decorate our trees differently, I have never seen one that was not beautiful.  Large or small, lavish or simple.  . .

“The Christmas tree is a symbol of love, not money. There’s a kind of glory to them when they’re all lit up that exceeds anything all the money in the world could buy.” ~Andy Rooney

I certainly agree with Mr. Hope, ” Why do we have to wait for Christmas to be loving to others?”  But at Christmas we are different, aren’t we?  The entire world seems to be wrapped in the goodness that we do not see so much throughout the year.  We are greeted everywhere with lovely decorations, marvelous smells, and smiles and greetings from strangers.  We feel warm even in unseasonably cold weather.  Such a part of the magic of the season.

“Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day.” ~ Helen Steiner Rice

Dear friends, know I wish you and yours a beautiful day.  

And. . .

May the love of this precious time of year be yours to savor throughout the season and always.  Stay well!

Always Believe,

Sandra

Images:  via Tumblr and M.S. Lambiotte

Good morning, dear friends.  I know you didn’t expect to hear from me this morning.  However, it is December first.  And to me, it is a magical day.  A day of importance.

I wrote this post exactly two years ago.  I felt in lieu of our crazy year, perhaps you would enjoy this story.  If you have followed along with me for the past few years you may remember this post.  Although, if you are reading it for the first time, I hope you will smile. Perhaps, the story may be just what you need to begin this glorious month on an exuberant note.  So, as I said two years ago, “Find your coffee and a comfy chair, and let me tell you what December first means to me.”

“Suddenly December…the magic begins.” ~ Unknown

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

I love Christmas.  I love the fuss, the decorating, the lights, the sparkle, the baking and of course, thinking of gifts for those I love.  I absolutely adore the entire package and anyone who truly knows me will confirm this. 

In our home, the Christmas season begins December first.    I know you are wondering, why December first?   So, here is the story ~ one I hope you will enjoy.

“Wake up “darlin!”  It is December 1^st, the beginning of the most magical, beautiful time of the year.”  Those were my mother’s words to me, every December 1^st.  And to mom, it was a season full of love and beauty.  Every December, I thank her so much for this beautiful gift she gave me repeatedly each year, from when I was a young child until she passed away.

“I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Our mothers are so very precious.  If they have passed away, our memories of them are our personal treasures we tuck away in our hearts and hold them ever so close.  Mothers instill in us our values and give us gifts we treasure throughout our lives.  While many of these gifts “come tied up with strings,” many do not.  I was blessed beyond measure with a mother who gave me an abundance of gifts not “tied up with strings.”  These gifts, not purchased in a store, were from her heart.  She wanted me to understand the real meaning of Christmas, why we give and exchange gifts and she especially wanted me to understand ~ the message of Christmas is love.  Truly, I ‘believe’ she was successful.

Each year on December 1^st, she always, always did something special for me and others she loved.   For me, it might have been her homemade cinnamon rolls, a special dinner, new ribbons for my hair, a new pair of socks, or my favorite ~ a pan of her famous peanut butter fudge. 

She also might spend the afternoon helping me make pomander balls or cookies to give to our neighbors.  Always something small, but it served as a sweet reminder as to how special the day and days to follow should be.

“It’s Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” ~Keith Baines

As the years went along, I grew up, married and moved away.  Always, a tiny package would arrive, marked “Do Not Open Until December 1^st.”  The sweet package was from mom, and she never failed to phone me before I left for work on this special day.  I can still hear her soft Mississippi drawl and her kind words.  She would ask about my plans to make the day special for others, especially plans I had for Mike.   The conversation would always end with her words, “I love you ‘darlin’ – scatter joy.”  Just a note ~ absolutely no one can say ‘darlin’ like someone from the Deep South.

Through the years, many friends and coworkers have often looked at me rather puzzled when they were first introduced to my December 1^st tradition.  However, once they understood how, why, and from whom it originated, they relished in the joyful atmosphere. I can tell you they adored being sprinkled with a bit of mom’s Christmas magic.   The sweetness of the day lingered with them.  As the years unfolded, they would say to me – “It’s almost December 1^st.”  This special joy has been returned to me many times.  Still today, I often hear from friends and former coworkers on December 1^st.   Mom’s tradition touched the lives of many.

As for Mike ~ well, he has enjoyed this special day for 46 years.  He has more Christmas ties than are in the men’s department of Macy’s.  Christmas ties are a perfect gift for a teacher, also Christmas socks.  And, if you were to ask him about his all-time favorite December 1^st gift, he would answer, “Merry.”  Merry was our black Labrador retriever.  Her proper or registered name was Merry Christmas of Crabapple.  Her name suited her perfectly ~ my goodness she was Merry.  Every day she lived, glowed like an overabundantly lit Christmas tree.

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find the simplest things give off the greatest glow of happiness.”  ~ Bob Hope

It really is “the simplest things,” which make this special season glow.  Mom’s sweet tradition enriched my life and, I know, the lives of many.  A lovely tradition which costs little, shows more love than there are words, and creates such wonderful memories.  So, from mom to me to you – “It’s December 1^st” enjoy this most wonderful, magical time of year and… scatter joy! 

Do you have a special tradition which you and your family enjoy during the Christmas season?  I hope you will share.  

Wishing you and yours, a most beautiful and special December!

And, until we meet again…  “May you have heaven in your heart, starlight in your soul, and angels all around you.” ~ Unknown

Au Revoir,

Sandra

Sweet friends, I wish I could bake these and give each and every one of you a lovely bag full.  But, as I can’t, I am doing the next best thing and sending you the recipe. Happy December 1st!

Butter Sugar Cookies

Note:  This was my grandmother’s recipe.  She submitted it to be printed in her church cookbook, The First Presbyterian Church of Collins, Mississippi. 

Ingredients:

1 cup – 2 sticks butter, softened (do not substitute the butter)

1 cup sugar

½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and egg, mixing well.  Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Add gradually to butter mixture, mixing well.  Chill dough for an hour or two.  Make dough into small balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork, or bottom of a glass, that has been dipped in sugar.  Make sure each cookie is sprinkled with sugar.  Bake 15-17 minutes (my oven-14 min.), or just until edges begin to turn golden.  Let stand on cookie sheet 2-3 minutes.  Remove to a rack and cool completely.  Sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired.  Store in airtight container.

Photos: viatumblr

Note: I do not claim ownership of these photos. These photos are the work of tremendously talented people and I simply compiled them for your enjoyment.

“Ring in the nobler modes of life With sweeter manner, purer laws, The larger heart, the kindlier hand…” ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Good Sunday morning, beautiful friends.  I do hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was lovely, even though it was just the two of us.  It was a day in which we felt richly blessed.  One which was peaceful and with way too much good food.

Like Thanksgiving, our Christmas celebrations will probably be different as well.  However, I do not believe our hearts will be less open to the magic, beauty, and meaning of Christmas.  Nor, less open to enjoying and receiving all the love the season holds.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is more beautiful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Bloggers seem to have many things in common that they enjoy.  Many enjoy gardening, reading, and creating beauty.  I have also noticed that several of my blogging friends treasure their favorite Christmas books and read them every year.  I do as well.  Today, I would like to share an excerpt from a favorite of mine, “The Heart of Christmas,” written by the editors of Victoria Magazine.  The excerpt is from “The Four Midwestern Sisters’  Christmas Book,” written by Holly J. Burkhalter.  I do believe it will kindle a spark of Christmas in your heart.

“When we were young, Christmas morning before the presents were opened was the most delicious moment of the entire year.  We were up with the birds.  We prowled around the tree, poking things and guessing madly.  The wait for our parents and grandparents to straggle in was unbearable, but finally they came. . .

They made us wait a little longer while Dad read the Christmas story.  After all the excitement and bustle and bursting happiness of the days before Christmas, the reading of Luke’s words by the tree suspended us for a moment in time.  Did we stop breathing?  It seemed so.  We sat very quietly. . . while the ancient words flowed over us.  

“And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”  Luke 2:16-19

. . . For a time, after we had grown up and gone our separate spiritual ways. we substituted various readings for Luke’s words on Christmas morning.  Mom read a few short stories, like “Why the Chimes Rang” and “The Little Match Girl,”  and one year we each took a part and read the Christmas morning scene from Little Women.  But the substitutes never really worked.  We missed the Christmas story, with its words worn silky smooth from constant use, the images and ideas connecting us to Christmases in the past.  Now we’re back to having Dad read the Christmas story, and as he reads, I can see us around the tree thirty-some years ago with the littlest girls sitting on Grandpa’s lap.  And I can imagine that at Burkhalter Christmases many years from now, we’ll have our own grandchildren in our laps.  And as the Christmas story is read, we’ll always hear it in Dad’s voice.”

Dear friends, during this busy season when time is precious, know how much I appreciate your visit.  I wish you and yours a beautiful day and week ahead.

And…

May the spirit of the season fill your heart and home with love and peace.  Stay well!

“This Christmas may you remember the dreams of childhood, and may you experience the wonder they once held.”  ~ unknown

Joyeux Noël,

Sandra

Images:  via tumblr

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all the other virtues.” ~ Cicero

“Gratitude is the sweet fragrance of an opening heart.” ~ Aine Belton

Good Sunday morning, beautiful souls.  The holidays are here.  And this year, more than ever, let them find us with ‘thankful’ hearts.   While our celebrations may not be like those we have always loved and enjoyed, to me, the fact that Mike and I are well is something beyond wonderful to celebrate.  I have many blessings but count my dear husband of forty-eight years, treasured friends, our sweet old home, and cherished memories of lovely holidays past, as the most precious. 

This year I will be setting an extra special table, and preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Turkey, with all the trimmings.  I know many of you have similar plans.  However, do take extra caution if you are inviting guests or traveling.  As we all well know, the ugly virus is raging in full force everywhere.

Amour,

Sandra

“No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty. Whether as seen carving the lines of the mountains with glaciers, or gathering matter into stars, or planning the movements of water, or gardening ~ still all is Beauty!” ~ John Muir

Good Sunday morning, dear friends.  I don’t know about you, but today finds me desperately trying to hold onto these last beautiful days of autumn. November, like October, is moving way too fast for my liking.  While autumn has been glorious in the ‘Mountain State,’ we are beginning to see signs of ‘Old Man Winter’ with the arrival of his good friend, ‘Mr. Jack Frost.’

“Of yellow leaves and gossamer In autumns that there were With morning mist and silver sun And wind upon my hair.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

A storm blew through our area this past week and most of our lovely yellow leaves are gone.  But I treasure the few which remain.  I thought I would share a few golden beauties, just in case yours may be gone as well. 

“Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue.” ~ John Muir

With November in such a rush,  I must also rush to attend to a few remaining things in the garden before I can say, “She is tucked in for her long winter’s sleep.”  You probably wonder, “Doesn’t she know November arrives at the same time each year?”  Oh, but let me tell you what I have been doing.  Our sunroom looks like a drying shed.  I decided to dry our limelight hydrangeas and they have behaved beautifully, along with a few roses.  My plan is to make an arrangement for our Thanksgiving table.  I want to make the table extra special this year, as I feel the fact that we are well is so very much to celebrate.  If the arrangement manages to resemble the picture in my head, I will ask Mike to take photos.  He is quite good with a camera and you know, I am not.

Also, Mike found the candied fruit at the grocery store yesterday,  last year it was not to be found in any of our markets.  So, the good news is,  I will be making our fruit cakes the day after Thanksgiving.  A long-standing tradition for me.  

Dear friends, I hope you have enjoyed your visit and hearing about what I have been up to.  I should add to my list that much of our Christmas decorating is in the works.  However, we never have our ‘Grand Illumination’ until after Thanksgiving.  To us, Thanksgiving is far too special to be rushed through, and especially this year.

Know I wish you and yours a lovely day.

And…

May you see the light in all the little things along your path.  Stay Well!

“Novembers are for softest sleep when skies are dark and grey. They do not mind the time you keep when night looks much like day. They do not mind the rain that falls so warmly down your cheek. ‘Rest easy now’ is what they’d say if months knew how to speak.” ~ Ellis Nightingale

Amour,

Sandra

Images:  via tumblr

“Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans…” ~ John McCain

Good Sunday morning, dear friends.  Today, we are on the cusp of new beginnings.  Hopefully, an improved chapter in the life of each and every American. 

Our new leadership in the White House has much work to do.  There are so many issues facing our nation, when I think of them my head spins.  But, faith and hope are beautiful things.  They inspire and move people toward good and wonderful accomplishments.   I pray our nation will pull together, support our new president and his team, and that we will, once again, respect one another, and be a beacon of hope for the world.  

Man In The Arena,  Theodore Roosevelt

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”

Dear friends, I hope you have appreciated my thoughts.  And, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, let us move forward…

 “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Know, I wish you and yours a beautiful day.

And…

May your week ahead be full of joy.  Stay Well!

Amour,

Sandra

“Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals, and to imagine that together we can do great things.” ~ Caroline Kennedy

Images:  via tumblr