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Saturday, December 12, 2020

What is Bringing Me Peace and Joy this December


This most beautiful Christmas time of year came early for me, and also came slowly for me. It came early, in that for the first time ever, we put up our Christmas tree the weekend before Thanksgiving! (I'll explain why we did that a bit later.) And it came slowly for me, as the month of December began with some sadness for me. (And I'll explain that a bit later, as well.) How has it come for you? 

The coming early and the putting up our Christmas tree even before Thanksgiving, happened unexpectedly when a dear friend shared with me that she was putting up her tree early, and the thought just stuck with me. Why not? Especially this year, our first year of retirement ... why not? And coupled with that idea, is that I wanted to decorate the tree differently this time; focusing on more simplicity ... lots of tiny lights, and three different sizes and textures of silver balls. A simple, beautiful look, that actually went along with my "winter" decorating theme. Decorating first for winter, and then adding extra touches for the December celebration of Christmas!

This book has given multiple ideas that have brought me  joy this fall, and now as we move into the winter season. If you are drawn to the idea of decorating and filling our homes with beauty for all of our five senses, and also of decorating for each season with simplicity, well, you should put Welcome Home on your wish list for Christmas gifts! It was part of my September birthday gift from my hubby ... and I am loving it.

And the coming slowly and with some sadness, has been because ... well, because of this strange pandemic year that we are all in. And that means, that this year will be the first time in many years that we will not been able to host our big family gathering for Christmas. It is just not possible to bring about two dozen dearly loved family members into our home for Christmas. The reality of it hit me as I was putting up Christmas decor after Thanksgiving. It's a sadness that many or all of us share in one way or another this year. 

But even in the midst of this reality, I still have joy. There is much to be thankful for! For even though I will greatly miss having all our family home ... we'll still continue on having warm connections from a distance in all the ways that we can communicate, and we'll still be able to be with some of our family. 

Another source of deep joy this Christmas time, has also come unexpectedly. I think it has come because of the underlying current of the loss in our country of trust and fairness in elections, and of deep concerns that are occurring. How can it be that these losses could bring joy? Though losses bring sadness, they can also point us to focus on and draw even nearer to the things that never change. Loss and darkness point us to the light, and to all that God brings us through the birth and sacrifice of Jesus. The need in our world for the true light is becoming more and more apparent. 


The true joy of Christmas shines extra brightly in darkness, and this year I'm also finding so much beauty and comfort in the sounds of this season.                                                                                              In addition to a winter playlist that I've created (bringing in the beauty of all our five senses), 
I have loved creating a new playlist of Christmas music this year, which we have been listening to over and over  these days. My collection of a mix of about 40 vocal and instrumental pieces (so far), on my Amazon Music app are filling our home with so much joy, beauty, and the deep truth and joy of our Savior coming to this earth. 
In addition to the sights and sounds of Christmas filling our home, my kitchen has been filled with the scents and aromas of the fun and festive baking of this time of year. And that may be a topic of my next post here ...
 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Cherry,
    I love your white and silver themed winter and Christmas. I find myself moving more toward white as well. The silver balls on the Christmas tree are beautiful and the theme gives that heavenly feel.
    Our Christmas tree has always been more of a marking the growth and adventures of our family. It tells our life story and I'm not sure I could change it even though I love the white and silver. Maybe, I should do a second, smaller tree in white and silver.
    Your book looks very interesting. I'm feeling overwhelmed this year with so much to do as I'm writing a women's devotional. All the prep for it as it is based on women's actual stories of how God led them in certain situations and the book proposal have taken a lot of time. Much still has to be done, especially if I send it to a traditional publisher. We'll see what the Lord has for this book of His.
    Christmas blessings to you as we all adjust to this foreign way of celebrating. May my heart turn more to Christ through the confusion and perplexities of this year.

    Janis (https://janisvankeuren.com/

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    1. Thanks for your thoughts, Janis ... sounds like you do have a lot on your mind and heart this year with your writing project! May all go well for you, in the midst of this busy time of year. Merry Christmas!

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