How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7

In the spirit of my favorite Christmas carol this year, may God bless you with all of the comfort, knowledge, and hope to “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, and everywhere! Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!”

Okay, so we all have misunderstood a lyric here and there. Vivienne revealed her latest today. Let’s see if you can guess which carol she was talking about when she said,

“OH! I thought the inn keeper’s name was “Shellsy” because it was in his stable!”

Consider this Hint #1. If no one guesses correctly by Monday, I’ll give you Hint #2.

“Mommy, when I was living with the babies in New York, we got lots and lots of trees – 24 trees – and put them all over our house. And they twinkled up our whole house! And we put gingerbread men and candy canes all over them. And we put them all around our whole house and they TWINKLED OUR WHOLE HOUSE! We hanged our stockings up and our candy canes dangled.

And one time a man came and hung his stocking up in our house and it twinkled. He was our friend’s husband. He was pretty old. He said he was getting ready to die. I never got there when He finally died. Someday he’ll come back and we will get a Christmas tree.

When we got our tree, it was so sparkly, we had to wrap our finger up in a ribbon to pull it inside. And we put a big skirt on it.

(Mommy, this is just a make-believe story, you know.)”

Christmas is 8 short days away! Of course, by now, you’ve probably faced the realization that you just don’t have time to knit those matching one-piece jump suits for everybody in your family (you’ll have to use those 12 balls of rainbow yarn for something else, I guess), nor will you be able to put the finishing touches on that adorable tea party set that is still a piece of plywood. At this point in time, it’s probably even too late to buy a goat for a hungry family in Africa.

Even though I can’t change your circumstances, I do have a few words of advice for you. In you’re frenzy, do not settle for any of the following gifts:

This:

This:

or This:

Someone posted a request for my thoughts about the man in the big red suit.

I’ve jotted down some seemingly random points that will (hopefully) come together to form “What I think about Jolly Old St. Nick… at this point in life”:

* A couple of years ago, I researched why we English-speaking-folk say, “Jesus” instead of “Yeshua”. Does it make sense that we translate His name – the very name that will cause every knee to bow and every tongue confess His lordship??

My research revealed that some English-speaking people still do call Him “Yeshua”; they say that doing so is beautifully intimate. They also say, that although they wish all Christians would experience this level of intimacy with the God-man, they are thankful for the translation since the word “Jesus” is so often profaned.

Perhaps the use of “Jesus” is like a protection of that which is truly sacred… His true name: Yeshua.

* The Lord’s Feasts have always fascinated me. Ryan and I have celebrated the true Messianic Passover for several years and we love it. It’s sacred and good for us to reflect on the many “passovers” that God has completed in our own lives while we raise our glasses in celebration of the Passover Lamb.

This coming year, we plan to celebrate all seven of the Lord’s Feasts as they are described in the Old Testament. The Feast of Trumpets, for one, occurs in autumn. Biblical scholars believe that this was the actual season of Jesus’ birth; they also believe it will be the season of his return. How refreshing to celebrate His birth and return according to Scripture and Hebrew tradition… without the distraction of jingle bells, stocking-stuffers, and sugar cookies.

We are able, then, to enjoy the thrill of December 25 without feeling threatened: presents, folk-lore, red suits, sentimentality and all. After all, these really are a part of the Christmas season. What a fun holiday! Of course, like every other calendar day and every other celebration, Christ must be preeminent, so our primary goal is to honor Him, remember Him, and look for Him.  But, we don’t get too worked up about the “ho ho ho’s”, “commercialism”, or “hub-bub” that surround the Christmas season; after all, it’s not the only day of the year in which we stop and celebrate Jesus’ miraculous birth.

Perhaps “Christmas”, too, is a protection of that which is truly sacred… Yeshua’s true arrivals: with the blast of trumpets!

* Being a literature buff, I’ve grown to value myths. Sometimes, myths communicate more truth than factual stories. Just think, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George MacDonald have deeply affected history through their myths that aren’t true, but are – alarmingly – true.

I enjoy enriching Vivienne’s and Lia’s understanding by explaining that every story reflects the One True Story of the gospel of Jesus Christ; every plot is whittled down to a conflict: good vs. evil. Already, this has helped Vivienne make sense of villains and heroes. She looks for the “devil” figure; she looks for the “Christ” figure. (As she matures, she will learn that, although the devil is fully evil and Christ is fully good, stories about humans and figments simply represent evil and good, teaching us their complexities and consequences.)

She is also learning that other characters play integral parts in the larger story; just as we play integral parts in a larger story.

Santa Claus happens to be a figure in our story. He’s a figment of our cultural imagination, but who can deny that he’s an important one (for whatever reason)? Vivienne knows he represents jolly, generous, tender giving… No doubt, she’ll hear the lyrics that his generosity is conditional (you know that part about the coal in my stocking?). She thinks it’s fun that someone dresses up and acts the part… And that’s about it. He’s not a big deal in our home, one way or another.

* There are so so many fun and engaging Christmas activities to do that bring our hearts and minds to the Christ child, leaving very little room for a fascination or dependency on Santa Claus.

* Make of it what you will, but I haven’t told Vivienne what to say when someone asks, “Are you ready for Santa Claus to come?!” To me, this is a good opportunity for her to think, observe, and develop a response over time. (The way I figure it, I give her enough scripts for things that are more important and don’t afford an open-ended response!)  I try to just stand back to hear what she says. So far, she hasn’t been caught off guard or confused; she hasn’t told anyone off,  nor has she evangelically recited Luke 2. We’ll see how she processes these things over time. (Now, if they were to ask me, however, I might just bring out my bullet points about the Feast of Trumpets and the Almighty Lamb of God!)

(Interested in a Christian’s perspective on myth? Check out my former colleague’s fantastic book, From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy and then snuggle up with Tolkien’s The Hobbit.)

Teachable Tuesday is designed to share teaching ideas that specifically connect a child’s heart with God’s. What are you teaching this week?

With the right packaging, I theorize that practically anyone on your gift-list will genuinely appreciate one of the following gifts.

Upon first glance, my suggestions might appear silly, but imagine the potential if:

* you really believed in the authentic coolness of your gift,

* wrapped it just right, and

* anticipated a pleasantly surprised, “Oh, cool! It’s….

1. funky buttons

2. a retro iron-on patch

3. classic chapstick

4. one unique marble

5. a special tin of mints

6. four cloth napkins

7. a slick 6-inch flashlight

8. a super ball (we’re never too old)

9. a box of Vegetable Lo Mein (don’t forget the chopsticks)

10. Archer Farms Cookies (really, anything from Archer Farms is a gift somehow)

11. the perfect nap blanket

12. this month’s National Geographic Magazine

13. matching candlesticks (ooo, with a box of large kitchen matches)

14. a pomegranate (click the fruit for instructions)

15. a kumquat

15. a box of organic tea (we recommend this)

16. an 8-ounce stainless steel thermos (cheers to healthy drinking!)

17. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

18. a pack of old-fashioned No. 2 wooden pencils (worth the first whiff)

19. an automatic pencil-sharpener or an old-fashioned crank sharpener (each cool for its own reason)

20. a jug of windshield wiper fluid, a new squidgy, and a vanilla air freshener

21. a crock of marmalade

22. Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (a picture book with allure!)

23. Carr’s ginger lemon cremes (you don’t believe me?!)

24. a half-gallon Mason jar (to put stuff in; invaluable)

25. a squishy ball, cylinder, or creature (how can you resist this Solar Flare Puffer Ball or the Knobbly Wobbly?)

Q: What crafts have you been doing this season? You must be having so much fun with all of the festivities!!

A: Hmmm… well, the only things we have been successfully making this season are: one runny nose, a raw upper lip, and a dumpster-full of crumpled tissues.

Not very festive.

Not very fun.

Oh, and the worst part is that since Vivienne is a nurse and is highly aware of bodily functions, she cannot stand even one invisible bit of runniness. So, if she feels it, it must be wiped or blown away! And she will not rudely sniff it in as I am trying desperately to teach her. She explains all kinds of reasons why it is not good for her body to do this. I explain that, although it might not be good for her body (I’d still like to see the research for this, though), it’s good for my sanity, which is ultimately good for her… and her body. Oh, and did I mention that she cannot sleep if she feels the slightest tickle in her throat? If she feels it, it must be coughed away even if she must stay up until 4 a.m. to get it out.

The poor girl really must be at her wits’ end.

I sure am!

Yesterday, I told Ryan that I want to do one of two things:

* take the cheapest flight out of town to anywhere

OR

* curl up in the fetal position and hide in the closet.

He said I’d have to go with the closet.

I said I didn’t fit.

Not that I tried. Yet.

So, pray for our little family. Pray for Vivienne, who has been sick for at least two weeks and has been positively miserable with all of the drippings. It’s amazing how these things can really inspire a mother to retire, retreat, empty her closet, and play movies back-to-back all day long.

Pray for the tissue industry and the garbage man who will have to haul away our fluffy pile on Tuesday.

“That is why the real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day.  Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.” – C.S. Lewis

Every year, Vivienne and I make some sort of Christmas present for folks.

When Vivienne was 1.5, we made those Styrofoam ball ornaments. She pushed minute colored beads onto pins and stuck them into the balls… She might have poked her finger once or twice. After all, she was 1.5 years old. I was nuts.

When Vivienne was 2.5, we made Christmas magnets. These were super cute. Much easier. And much more age-appropriate. Except, this time, she pushed cute little buttons onto hot glue blobs. She might have burnt her finger once.

This year, as Vivienne is 3.5, we made Cookies in a Jar, mostly because I bought 50 pounds of rolled oats from a co-op. At the time of ordering these oats, I didn’t really comprehend how many oats comprised 50 pounds. Do you happen to know? Let’s put it this way: many, many oats. Upon the arrival of these oats, Ryan informed me that only bakeries buy 50 pounds of rolled oats. He was right. SO, we are whittling away at these oats any way we can.

One of those ways: making 12 Jars of Oatmeal Scotchies for friends and neighbors! (I had wanted to make 12 Jars of Just Oatmeal, but Ryan suggested I was doing that simply to get rid of the oats and not truly considering the best wishes of others. Of course he was right again.)

So, cookies in a jar it was.

‘Ever take on that project?

As it turns out, it’s not as easy as it looks.

Here are some tricks of the trade that I wish I had known ahead of time:

* use a funnel to pour the ingredients into the jar; otherwise, you’ll have a very messy counter-top

* know the proper order of the ingredients: it does matter!

* pack each ingredient down with an ice-cream scooper (or something) otherwise you’ll never have room to stuff in the flour mixture at the top

Despite the hardships along the way, I was quite pleased to realize that, when a quart jar is awkwardly covered with a 7-inch circle of red tissue paper, tied on with brown twine, it resembles a shepherd! Vivienne collected some candy canes from our Christmas Tree and wa-la: shepherds were watching their flocks by night! What an amazing discovery. All without pin pricks or glue burns!