The Seventh Day of Christmas

Blessed seventh day of Christmas and the celebration of the circumcision of the Lord!  For the next few posts I will share my quick impressions of the books I read or listened to in 2017.  There are 37 in all. (A couple? few? of them were read twice.)  What follows is the first installment in no particular order~

A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper--Though a short book at less than 100 pages, this was the toughest book I read this year.  I am still digesting it and probably will be for a long time.  The take-away I got was that Pieper thoroughly disapproves of made-up holidays.  He was writing at the height of the Cold War and uses communist "festivals," such as May Day, as his example, but other more recent manifestations kept coming to my mind.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--A revisit for me.  Austen's wit and insight never fail to please.  Traditionally, "pride" is Mr. Darcy and "prejudice" is Elizabeth, but I'm more convinced than ever that both characters share the two traits roughly equally.  For instance, Elizabeth's pride is injured when Darcy claims in his first proposal that Elizabeth's family  would be an embarrassment to him and her situation in life is so "decidedly beneath [his] own."  And as this comment of Darcy's and many more like it attest, Darcy is prejudiced against Elizabeth for the same reasons.  I'm sure I will be re-reading this book again and again.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens--Every year about this time I read or listen to this story.  I don't think it would be Christmas without it.  My favorite audio version right now is the one read by Jim Dale of Harry Potter fame.  He's always fun!

Lessons from Madame Chic, At Home with Madame Chic, and Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott--These are light, quick reads that I enjoyed very much, though Lessons is a little too "new age-y" for my tastes.  Still, Scott's suggestions for living a more elegant, thoughtful life are very helpful.  Too often, American life has devolved into a sloppy, slouchy affair, and Scott does her best to humorously and patiently lead us to a better way.  I don't do everything she says, and in fact, most of it I was doing anyway, but I enjoyed reading her books.

Join me tomorrow for more from my 2017 reading list!

The Sixth Day of Christmas

I've caught the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad cold (flu?) that's been going around, what seems like, the entire country. It's definitely putting a damper on our twelve-day celebration.  Today was supposed to include a trip to see Darkest Hour, but alas, it will have to wait.  In the meantime, I'm sharing a photo that was recently taken of my hubby and me.

Our daughter has been involved in ministry to Latvian orphans for a couple years.  She has made numerous trips there (four this year!) and has hosted one particular boy in her home for many weeks over the past eighteen months or so. This all costs a great deal of money, so she and her family put on fundraisers from time to time.  This month the fundraiser featured pictures with Santa with a professional photographer, and guess who played Santa? :)  So I stopped by and had my picture snapped with him too!  I don't know when was the last time I had my picture taken with Santa, but this Santa is my favorite for sure!

If you want to know more about ministering to orphans overseas, particularly in eastern Europe, check out New Horizons for Children. 

The Fifth Day of Christmas

Handel's Messiah is a staple of the Christmas season.  In this interview, Dr. Joseph Herl of Concordia University-Nebraska explores the theme of Christ's incarnation in this magnificent composition.

The Fourth Day of Christmas

Every Christmas season there seems to be one particular Christmas hymn or song that stands out to me, one that sheds light on some aspect of Christ's nativity heretofore uncontemplated.  It's sometimes one I'm already familiar with or, as in this year, a brand new one.  I hope you enjoy and are edified by the King's Singers performing Born on a New Day (music by John David, lyrics by Philip Lawson).  The performance is flawless and adds to the beauty of this work!

The King's Singers

The Third Day of Christmas

Today is the feast day of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr.

"GRANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee. our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen."

The Second Day of Christmas

Every year around this time I either read or listen to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I find it an excellent reminder to love our neighbors at all times of the year, not just Christmas time.  My favorite audio version for the past couple years has been this one.  Jim Dale of Harry Potter fame is the narrator.  His ability to invent voices for various characters is excellent!

The First Day of Christmas

We will be celebrating the full twelve days of Christmas around here, and I will try my very best to post something each day.

Day One~

This photo is from divine service Christmas morning.  Our nave never looks more beautiful than during the Christmas season!  Blessed Christmas, everyone!

Flowers in Winter

If you're like me and Must.Have.Flowers, even in wintertime, let me give you a few ideas for bringing blooms into your house without breaking the bank.  Besides buying bouquets at the grocery store, which is what I do when all else fails, there are other inexpensive ways to do this.

Did you know shamrocks bloom?  I didn't until I saw my daughter's.  Every March, you can find shamrocks for just a few dollars at the grocery store (or better yet, be blessed with a start from someone dividing an overgrown plant, as I was from my daughter).  They are hearty and withstand a fair bit of neglect; in fact, they hate over-watering more than under-watering, and burst into bloom, randomly but often, with delicate white flowers.

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Amaryllis, not yet fully opened, on left; poinsettia on right

Amaryllis bulbs are cheap in the run-up to Christmas.  They are easy to plant and care for and will reward you with big, gorgeous blooms that last for a couple weeks.  The bulb will even re-bloom if you follow the instructions on the package.  I try to time mine to bloom on Christmas Day.

Of course, poinsettias are a staple of Christmas decor, and now they come in a variety of colors.  My favorite is the traditional red, and I always buy at least one every December.  This year, I saw tiny ones available for just over $2, though it is possible to spend much more for bigger plants.  With proper watering, they last a long time, too.  I have a friend who once had a poinsettia plant that grew to the size of a small tree!

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Photo: Southern Living

Paperwhites are another winter flower easy to grow from bulbs.  Pick up a package when you get your amaryllis; they are often sold together in the same display.  These sweet white flowers are perfect for January.  Just plant them around Christmas time and you'll have flowers in the dead of winter.

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Photo:  Optimara African Violets

African violets are fussier than any of the flowers I've mentioned, but when they bloom they add a spot of bright cheeriness to your home.  Once they bloom, the tend to keep on, but I've only once managed to get them to re-bloom.  That may be due to my lack of care and skill than anything else, though.  Be sure to feed them African violet food to keep them healthy and encourage re-blooming.  Little pots of African violets are available from grocery stores usually in the late winter or early spring.



When nothing else is blooming in the house, I buy a bouquet from the grocery store to fill in flowerless gaps.  And there's always the hope of a bouquet on Valentine's Day. :)  But with mums, zinnia, and lavender blooming into November and crocuses and snowdrops beginning in February, there are only three months out of the year in which it is a bit challenging to have flowers.  The luxury of flowers doesn't have to cost a lot.