My blog

Tag: Christmas decorations

  • Jesus…

    Every year I want to write a Christmas post, but I’ve always had way too much to do to prepare for the holidays… baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating (I LOVE to decorate my entire house) and traveling to visit family.

    But this year, I’ve had to forgo two of my favorite things to do at Christmas time: decorating and baking.

    My husband convinced me to at least put up the Christmas tree even if I didn’t decorate every room in the house as in previous years. So, I agreed and only put up the tree with the angel on top with none of my favorite ornaments. We also put the Christmas wreath on the door. That was it for this year.

    Another item scratched off the to do list for 2021 was baking. I love to bake goodies for my family, but this year, I decided to order pastries from a fabulous Italian pastry shop near my hometown. I realized it was less expensive in terms of time and money than for me to buy the ingredients and make them myself. The love factor may not be in the purchased baked goods, but the pressure it eliminated was well worth it. I also recognized no one really cared if they were purchased or homemade. What was important was the people surrounding us during the holidays.

    While my heart lamented, as it got closer to Christmas, I was less stressed and able to enjoy the holiday more.

    Because the entire year had been one of tremendous stress to begin with, spending time with family was more important than ever before. This year we lost the matriarch of our family, so it’ll be a poignant Christmas. Sadly, because of the virus, some have chosen to not travel and stay home. And that’s OK. We will be together at other times of the year, and we can still face time.

    But more important than anything, I was able to focus my thoughts on the Reason For The Season…

    Jesus came to earth on a chilly night. A star led the way to the tiny baby with only shepherds and farm animals to herald his coming. He was swaddled in a manger most likely made of stone. The Messiah was fully God and fully man. A mystery we, as humans, cannot fathom. According to the sermon on the mount. we are blessed because we believe without seeing.

    Prophets predicted his birth long before Jesus was born in that tiny hamlet. He fulfilled at least three hundred prophecies during his earthly ministry. Here are a few he fulfilled at his birth.

    Jesus would be Born of the Family of Jesse and of the House of David

    There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
    And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.     Isaiah 11:1 (NKJV)

    “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
    “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
    A King shall reign and prosper,
    And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.     Jeremiah 23:5 (NKJV)

    Jesus Would be Born of a Virgin in Bethlehem

    Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV)

    “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
    Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
    The One to be Ruler in Israel,
    Whose goings forth are from of old,
    From everlasting.”     Micah 5:2 (NKJV)

    Jesus Would be Filled with Power, Peace, and the Spirit from Birth

    For unto us a Child is born,
    Unto us a Son is given;
    And the government will be upon His shoulder.
    And His name will be called
    Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace    . Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) 

    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
    Because He has anointed Me
    To preach the gospel to     the poor;
    He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
    To proclaim liberty to     the captives
    And recovery of sight to     the blind,
    To set at liberty those who are oppressed; Luke 4:18 (NKJV)

    A Star Would Point the Way Towards Jesus, the Christ

    “I see Him, but not now;
    I behold Him, but not near;
    A Star shall come out of Jacob;
    A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
    And batter the brow of Moab,
    And destroy all the sons of tumult.     Numbers 24:17 (NKJV)

    Jesus Would be Worshipped by Shepherds

    Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Luke 2:8-12 (NKJV)

    Kings would Present Gifts to Jesus

    The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
    Will bring presents;
    The kings of Sheba and Seba
    Will offer gifts.
    Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
    All nations shall serve Him.     Psalm 72:10-11(NKJV)

    An Angelic Dream would Direct Jospeh to escape with Mary and Jesus to Egypt.

    “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    And out of Egypt I called My son.     Hosea 11:1 (NKJV)

    There Would be a Great Sorrow Surrounding the Time of His Birth and Many Children Would be Killed

    Thus says the Lord:

    “A voice was heard in Ramah,
    Lamentation and bitter weeping,
    Rachel weeping for her children,
    Refusing to be comforted for her children,
    Because they are no more.”     Jeremiah 31:15 (NKJV)

    As we celebrate this wondrous day, I want to focus more on Jesus and what he did for me… and for you.

    May you have a blessed Christmas filled with joy and peace, knowing the prophecies surrounding his birth give us the assurance that we may live with him in eternity.

  • The Biltmore

    Christmas 2020 is like no other we’ve ever encountered. There’s an overarching sadness and we all know why. Rather than lamenting on what we can and cannot do, I choose to think about the reason for the season and past Christmases where happiness abounded. Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, we’ll take a trip to a Christmas past and relive a fond memory.

    Every year, my husband and I travel to Northeast Ohio where my entire family gathers for Christmas and we return to North Carolina before New Year’s.  My two children and grandchildren fly or drive to visit my mother, my sibling’s family, and of course, us. Three years ago, it was no different.

    Without telling me, my husband had invited his older sister for a visit to North Carolina for her birthday in January, My husband wanted to do something special for her and take her (and me) to see the Christmas decorations at The Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. (We had visited one summer a few years before, but wanted to see it at Christmas time).

    While the sentiment was lovely and his sister deserved it for all she had done for his family over the years, it was December. I was knee-deep in cleaning, decorating, baking, wrapping, and last-minute year-end work stuff. I told him he had to plan the entire trip because I couldn’t possibly put one more thing on my plate. So he did.

    Of course, anything my husband does, it’s always the last minute. Tickets for Christmas at the Biltmore (not to mention hotel rooms) would have been impossible to get, not to mention ultra-expensive if he’d wanted to go in December. But, thankfully, The Biltmore keeps the Christmas decorations until around the tenth of January. So, he could get tickets and make hotel reservations.

    The day his sister arrived, it snowed. It delighted not only my husband, but his sister as well. Since they grew up in the Los Angeles area, snow was a big deal. Except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, snow had lost its luster for me since I lived in it growing up. The rest of the time, I could do without it. For the three years we had lived in North Carolina, that year was the coldest we’d experienced.

    We had dinner and planned for the four-hour trip to Asheville, North Carolina, the next day. The day we left, the sun shone and but the air was frigid as we traveled to the estate, which is in the northwest mountains of North Carolina. When we arrived, we checked into the smaller of the two Biltmore hotels. To date, with all our travels, it remains my husband’s favorite hotel.

    We had tickets for the Candlelight Christmas tour that evening. The hotel and exterior decorations were spectacular, but being in the mountains, arctic-like temperatures prevailed, which curtailed our ability to walk the estate. Shopping was a must, though, and the quaint shops on the Biltmore estate still had Christmas themed items.

    The carriage house next to The Biltmore has quaint gift shops year-round, but at Christmas, they transform into a unique Christmas shopping experience. Since ornaments are my favorite item to purchase during the holiday season, I bought several not only for myself but for my children for the following year. Interestingly, the sales clerk who sold his sister the delightful Santa she shipped back to California, grew up in the same little town where my husband grew up. What a small world! Neither my husband nor his sister could get over it.

    The intense cold bit through several layers of clothing, but after our shopping expedition, it was finally time to see the interior of the house. Every fireplace and lamp was lit and made the enormous rooms look cozy and inviting. Words cannot do justice to the grandiose beauty of the Biltmore at Christmas, so I won’t even try. Instead, here’s a look at just a few of the photos we took and I hope someday you too, may see the wonder of The Biltmore at Christmas… Enjoy!

     

     

     

     

     

    Merry Christmas from our house to yours!  May you have peaceful and blessed Christmas, remembering the reason for the season. 

     

     

     

  • The Biltmore

    Christmas 2020 is like no other we’ve ever encountered. There’s an overarching sadness and we all know why. Rather than lamenting on what we can and cannot do, I choose to think about the reason for the season and past Christmases where happiness abounded. Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, we’ll take a trip to a Christmas past and relive a fond memory.

    Every year, my husband and I travel to Northeast Ohio where my entire family gathers for Christmas and we return to North Carolina before New Year’s.  My two children and grandchildren fly or drive to visit my mother, my sibling’s family, and of course, us. Three years ago, it was no different.

    Without telling me, my husband had invited his older sister for a visit to North Carolina for her birthday in January, My husband wanted to do something special for her and take her (and me) to see the Christmas decorations at The Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. (We had visited one summer a few years before, but wanted to see it at Christmas time).

    While the sentiment was lovely and his sister deserved it for all she had done for his family over the years, it was December. I was knee-deep in cleaning, decorating, baking, wrapping, and last-minute year-end work stuff. I told him he had to plan the entire trip because I couldn’t possibly put one more thing on my plate. So he did.

    Of course, anything my husband does, it’s always the last minute. Tickets for Christmas at the Biltmore (not to mention hotel rooms) would have been impossible to get, not to mention ultra-expensive if he’d wanted to go in December. But, thankfully, The Biltmore keeps the Christmas decorations until around the tenth of January. So, he could get tickets and make hotel reservations.

    The day his sister arrived, it snowed. It delighted not only my husband, but his sister as well. Since they grew up in the Los Angeles area, snow was a big deal. Except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, snow had lost its luster for me since I lived in it growing up. The rest of the time, I could do without it. For the three years we had lived in North Carolina, that year was the coldest we’d experienced.

    We had dinner and planned for the four-hour trip to Asheville, North Carolina, the next day. The day we left, the sun shone and but the air was frigid as we traveled to the estate, which is in the northwest mountains of North Carolina. When we arrived, we checked into the smaller of the two Biltmore hotels. To date, with all our travels, it remains my husband’s favorite hotel.

    We had tickets for the Candlelight Christmas tour that evening. The hotel and exterior decorations were spectacular, but being in the mountains, arctic-like temperatures prevailed, which curtailed our ability to walk the estate. Shopping was a must, though, and the quaint shops on the Biltmore estate still had Christmas themed items.

    The carriage house next to The Biltmore has quaint gift shops year-round, but at Christmas, they transform into a unique Christmas shopping experience. Since ornaments are my favorite item to purchase during the holiday season, I bought several not only for myself but for my children for the following year. Interestingly, the sales clerk who sold his sister the delightful Santa she shipped back to California, grew up in the same little town where my husband grew up. What a small world! Neither my husband nor his sister could get over it.

    The intense cold bit through several layers of clothing, but after our shopping expedition, it was finally time to see the interior of the house. Every fireplace and lamp was lit and made the enormous rooms look cozy and inviting. Words cannot do justice to the grandiose beauty of the Biltmore at Christmas, so I won’t even try. Instead, here’s a look at just a few of the photos we took and I hope someday you too, may see the wonder of The Biltmore at Christmas… Enjoy!

     

     

     

     

     

    Merry Christmas from our house to yours!  May you have peaceful and blessed Christmas, remembering the reason for the season.