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Guest Post: Memories of Christmas Past

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Memories of Christmas Past

by Steph Beth Nickel

About this time of year I get the warm fuzzies. Today I’d like to share six of my favourite memories and what they can teach us about the Greatest Gift of All Time, the reason for that very first Christmas so long ago.

A Much-Too-Large Christmas Tree

I remember my dad hauling in a freshly cut Scotch pine each Christmas—only to have to drag it back outside to cut off several inches of the trunk and a number of the bottom branches. Funny how it didn’t look near as big in the forest!

Philippians 5:17 says we are to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (ESV)

To fulfill our God-appointed purposes, we must be pruned and reshaped. As in everything, Jesus set the ultimate example.

Shimmering Tinsel … Hung Strand by Strand

Each year we would carefully place the tinsel on the tree two or three strands at a time. Sure it would have been easier simply to toss it on, but the end result wouldn’t have been near so lovely.

That first Christmas was a long time coming. God’s people had been waiting for centuries, eons even. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.” (ESV) (emphasis mine)

Things aren’t always as easy or as immediate as we’d like, but we must trust the Lord to work out His plans and purposes in His perfect time.

An Overflowing Stocking

My parents were incredibly generous. My stocking always had to be taken down from the doorway in which it was hung (we didn’t have a fireplace) and placed, stuffed to overflowing, on the couch. It was usually topped with a stuffed animal that peeked over the back of the couch at me when I padded down the hall early Christmas morning.

This reminds me of the prodigal. When he returned to his father to beg for a position as one of his servants, he was in for a welcome he never expected. His father poured out abundant gifts on his undeserving son—and threw a huge celebration to boot.

My parents were generous, but it’s nothing compared to the lavish gifts the heavenly Father pours out on His children.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Christmas Lights

Well, back in the day, our Christmas lights weren’t exactly little, but “twinkle, twinkle chubby Christmas lights” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

At any rate … the multi-coloured lights that adorned our Christmas tree and the front of the house lit up the dark, cold nights of December.

In John 8:12, Jesus tells us, “I am the light of the world.” (ESV)

In Matthew 5:14, He says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (ESV)

Again, He sets the perfect example for us. We must shine brightly and add beauty to this dark world.

Fun with My Father

I still remember the snow forts and non-traditional snowmen my dad made for me. He had old metal drums that he would fill with snow, invert, and carefully remove. Viola! Who says snowmen have to be made of three snowballs of various sizes? And you mean other kids didn’t have snowmen sporting the occasional fleck of rusty metal? (Ok, so it’s a wonder I didn’t get tetanus, but hey, Dad and I had a good time.)

Sure it’s serious business being the Saviour, but Jesus was approachable. After all, moms and dads brought their children to Him to be blessed. And the Lord didn’t send them away—like His disciples tried to. Instead, Jesus gathered them to Himself and blessed them. What a beautiful picture!

Romans 8:15 is a wondrous verse.  “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Abba is a familiar term, the equivalent of “Daddy” or, as one of my friends puts it, “Papa.” Is that not mind-boggling?

My Precarious Uphill Climb

My dad had a friend who owned several acres of woodland, but my favourite portion of the property was a long sledding hill free of trees. I could ride my Crazy Carpet down, down, down. But when my dad wasn’t around to shuttle me to the top on his massive Snow Prince snowmobile, I had to make the trek to the top of the hill on foot.

One winter we experienced some freezing and thawing and there was a layer of ice over several centimetres of snow. The only thing … the ice wasn’t of a consistent thickness. I never knew with each step if it would support my weight. Sometimes it did. And other times, I broke through and sank up to my thigh. It was slow going but fun nonetheless.

Life’s like that sometimes—minus the fun. We take a step forward and we’re not sure if life will support our weight. Will we stand tall or break through? But, as Christians, we have one of the most amazing promises ever uttered.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (ESV)

All things … let’s hold onto that promise as we go forward.

What are some of your favourite Christmas memories? Have they taught you anything about the Greatest Gift? If so, we’d love to hear about it. [Scroll down to join the conversation.]

[English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.]

Steph Beth Nickel

Steph Beth Nickel
(Photo by Stephen G. Woo Photography)

Stephanie (Steph Beth) Nickel is an award-winning co-author, a freelance editor and writer, a labour doula, and a former personal trainer. She also loves to speak, teach, and take slice-of-life photos. She would love to connect with you on Facebook or Twitter, on her website or blog.

Review: The Greatest Gift, by Ann Voskamp

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The Greatest Gift, by Ann VoskampThe Greatest Gift, by Ann Voskamp (Tyndale House, 2013)

What better antidote to the stress and hurry-hurry of December than a few quiet minutes, every day, to re-orient our thinking and ponder the true meaning of Christmas?

The Greatest Gift, subtitled “Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas,” is a collection of Advent devotional readings tracing the promise of a Saviour – “the love story that’s been coming for you since the beginning” (p. x).

Each day’s reading begins with a page of Scripture and a brief look at how this is part of the Advent story and how it’s relevant to us today, whatever our circumstances. It ends with a practical suggestion for applying the day’s thought and with three questions for further exploration.

Ann Voskamp is known for her lyrical prose and for her call to recognize God’s grace – and find gratitude – in both the happy and the difficult days. These daily Advent reflections speak to wherever we may find ourselves, and they offer hope, peace and perspective.

My favourite lines:

The Light never comes how you expect it. It comes as the unlikely and unexpected – straight into Bethlehem unlikely and the feed trough hopeless, and Christmas whispers there is always hope. (p. 139)

The secret of joy is always a matter of focus: a resolute focusing on the Father, not on the fears. All fear is but the notion that God’s love ends. When does He ever end?” (p. 189)

I found these daily moments of reflection helped me to more fully appreciate the days leading up to Christmas. The Greatest Gift is a lovely gift book for yourself or a loved one, and it’s rich enough in content to read again in future years.

The author’s website offers downloadable paper ornaments which readers are encouraged to place daily on a simple “Jesse Tree” (instructions included). This could be a personal or a family act. For those interested in a family Advent devotional, there’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas.

Ann Voskamp is the bestselling author of One Thousand Gifts. She blogs daily at A Holy Experience. The Greatest Gift is a 2014 “Christian Retailing’s Best” award winner.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Christmas

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The King has come.

Let every heart prepare Him room,

Let every spirit live to worship and delight in Him.

Let every knee bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

Let us be ready for His return.

When God Does Something Good

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“How kind the Lord is!” [Elizabeth] exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
Luke 1:25, NLT*

North American culture today doesn’t equate a woman’s worth with her fertility, but for women in Bible times, failure to produce a child – especially a male heir – was a source of shame.

What strikes me here is Elizabeth’s response. She’s old by this point, well past natural childbearing age. God surprises her with a miracle pregnancy as announced by an angel to her husband, Zechariah. (Luke 1:5-25)

Elizabeth is purely grateful. She alludes to the long disappointment in her life, but she’s not bitter. She sees how God’s gift is meeting that hurt.

She sees the power of God. And she accepts His timing. There’s no hint of asking why He took so long, let her be barren for so many years, waited until she’s old and feeble and has no stamina to chase a toddler all day.

“How kind the Lord is!”

If God chooses to meet our unmet longings – or if He chooses not to – He is still kind and good. He is still enough. He still does good things for us.

How do we respond?

First of all, let’s keep our eyes and hearts open to notice what He does. Let’s respond like Elizabeth, with gratitude and trust. Not with “well, it took You long enough!” Not with complaints to taint the thanks. Neither with mindless acceptance or casual indifference – nor a sense of entitlement.

Let’s respond with mindful worship and gratitude, acknowledging God’s goodness and mercy, and knowing that while He doesn’t owe us anything, He loves us enough to give His own Son to rescue and redeem us.

Our Father God, how good You are! How kind indeed. Grow in us an awareness of Your care and a humble gratitude for Your many gifts. Teach us, like Elizabeth, to respond with praise, adoration and trust.

∞

I don’t have an “Elizabeth” song, but here’s Christy Nockels singing a “Mary” song of praise: “Magnificat” (from one of my favourite Christmas albums, Do You See What I See? by Todd Agnew & Friends).

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

En-joying Advent

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I hope last week’s post, On Joy and Interruptions, wasn’t a downer. The intent was to acknowledge and work through some of the feelings common to the season, but maybe the positives didn’t come through clearly enough.

Everyone finds their own way, and different circumstances impact our situations, but whether life in general is happy or sad, Christmas comes just the same. Not everyone was happy and peaceful in Bethlehem when God broke into human history.

Now that I’ve embraced the Christmas season, the joy is coming in. I still don’t like the commercialism and a lot of what North American culture adds and subtracts from the observance of my Saviour’s birth, but I don’t have to beat them or join them. I can be myself, present with the Lord, and enjoying His presence with me.

I encourage you to take a few quiet minutes each day — hard to carve out of the whirlwind, perhaps, but of great restorative value. Read the Christmas narratives. Or some of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Listen to — truly hear — a Christmas carol. Sit with God and ask for His peace.

No, I’m not “ready for Christmas” in the sense of hatches battened down, presents bought and wrapped, cards mailed, freezer stocked with goodies. But I’m contented in Advent. And the other things will come in due time. My responsibility today is to not accept the anxiety, but to abide with God and to be alert to the gift ideas and other nudges that He will give in His own good time.

One of my top 5 Christmas albums is A Day of Glory, from The Austin Stone Church. Five and a half minutes of stillness to hear the words of this song will bless you. It might even set your spirit dancing: Hallelujah, What a Saviour.

On Joy and Interruptions

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How did I lose the joy of Christmas?

It would be easy to blame the commercialism and hype. The music that starts too early in the stores. The trees that pop up, fully decorated, after Halloween – not even pausing for Remembrance Day.

Or the details, oh, the details. What to buy? Make a list. Be sure everyone gets enough – enough stuff they don’t have room or need for. Cringe when the bills come in.

Beneath it all, the dread – what if I can’t find the perfect gift for each loved one? They like money, but it always feels like I’ve failed to come up with anything better. The giving, after all, is to please them – not just a hollow ritual.

Pull out the same old decorations. Hang them in the same places. Bake. At least the baking’s fun – and the eating, if not the weight gain.

Cram an already-full schedule even fuller with extra events and gatherings – and with the unstated pressure to do it all, “because it’s Christmas.”

Jesus didn’t come to bring expectations and guilt – just the opposite. He didn’t come to drive us into debt or anxiety, but to set us free, enrich our spirits, and pour His peace into troubled hearts.

He came to interrupt our mundane lives and give us new life – abundant life. How often do I cling to the mundane instead?

I think that’s where the joy went – brushed aside because my agenda is as full as the Bethlehem inn.

This year, instead of carrying the weight of the doing, I want to cultivate the being. Being still with God, daily exploring the message of Advent. Being open to the interruptions that December brings to my plans. Not resisting the decorations as one more clutter-filled chore, but embracing the chance to love my family by creating a festive environment.

Choosing to enjoy the opportunities to spend time with friends and family. Hearing and celebrating the music of the season. Being with God, even in a crowded store, and listening for His nudges in what gifts to buy for whom.

I don’t want to miss the joy of Christmas by clinging to the mundane. I’d rather be a shepherd than a sleeping (or grumpy) citizen of Bethlehem.

Writing this post on Sunday helped me articulate the issue and put me on a better track. There’s something about identifying the problem that lets us begin to fix it.

This may be too early in the season for me to experience Christmas joy, but I’m finding meaning in deliberate, daily Advent readings, and once I stopped avoiding the Christmas activities, I’ve even begun to enjoy those. We have no decorations up yet – my husband and I are both sick. But we did a bit of shopping Wednesday night, and in God’s sense of humour, He helped us find a surprising amount of gifts (including one for us).

If you’re experiencing Christmas angst, you might check out Janice Dick’s post, “Christmas Stress.”

I encourage you to pop over to Carolyn Arends’ website and click on her song list to play “Vacancy.” It’ll bless you 🙂

God and People, Reconciled

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The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
Luke 2:11, NLT*

Nobody was ready. They didn’t even know He was coming, especially not that way—as a helpless baby—and in that place and moment.

But He came. God incarnate.

Because we’d never be ready without His help.

God with us. Our salvation. Our redeemer. Our friend. Our hope.

The word “sinners” is out of favour these days, perhaps because it conjures images of pointing fingers and judging tones. But “sin” means anything that separates us from God. Sinners, thus, are those people who are separated from Him.

That means all of us, as long as we’re living in our own strength. The only One entitled to point the finger chose instead to take on human form, identify with us, and bring us back into relationship with Himself.

God and sinners reconciled.

Not a bad gift at all.

Merry Christmas and a blessed new year to each of my readers. Thank you for taking time with me.

Creator and Redeemer God, we could never earn Your favour, but You love us too much to abandon us when we fall short. As we accept Your great gift of salvation, all we can offer is our hearts in obedient trust and love. We are Yours, and we rejoice in Your presence.

∞

Singing about our reconciliation, here’s Austin Stone Worship with Hark the Herald Angels Sing (from their Christmas album, which is one of my favourites)

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: Christmas in Shades of Gray, by Tina Pinson

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Christmas in Shades of Gray, by Tina PinsonChristmas in Shades of Gray, by Tina Pinson (Desert Breeze Publishing, 2013)

We meet David Pareman as a terminally ill man in hospital, bitter and alone. There’s something about his voice, though, that appeals. I bought the novel after reading the opening online. Listen to how he describes himself:

It’s Christmas time, but I’m not feeling altogether festive. Given the strands of tubing attached to me and all the off sounding carols played by the machines keeping track of my body rhythms, and the packages of blood and saline tied up neatly on stands, I could be the Christmas tree… I am a Christmas tree. A Charlie Brown special—weak and spindly. [Kindle locations 83 and 203]

Chemotherapy is poisoning David, and the morphine makes him hallucinate. Still, his mysterious visitor, Arion, seems like more than a figment of the medication. In Christmas Carol style, Arion whisks David out of the hospital bed and into scenes from his past: unflattering scenes that reveal David at his worst.

Tina Pinson is wise to introduce us to David in a way that builds sympathy, because he is not a likeable man. He has ruined many lives, and parts of his story are hard to read. He finds them hard to watch, here at the end of his life.

The search for something—anything—redeeming in David’s and his children’s lives brings only despair. Reading, I assumed that Arion’s insistence on a reason why God should answer David’s prayer for his children was to bring David to realize he can’t earn favour and needs to ask for grace.

Christmas in Shades of Gray is a satisfying tale. The ending is hopeful yet realistic, and there’s a twist I didn’t see coming. If David’s sordid life tempts you to stop reading, push through to the end. It’s worth it.

Tina Pinson’s website says that she “started writing in elementary school. (it was that or get in trouble for lying).” She’s the author of the Shadows (American Civil War) series plus 5 other novels including Christmas in Shades of Gray.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Letting Christ Shine In You At Christmas (Guest Post)

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Letting Christ Shine In You At Christmas
by Nike Chillemi

Nike Chillemi

Nike Chillemi

The Christmas season can get kinda funny when I start thinking about God’s will and plan for me. That’s true even though I dearly desire for God’s priorities to be my priorities.

Right after Thanksgiving, if not before, I’m in the Christmas spirit. Things seem a little lighter, a little brighter. You don’t have to be a believer to feel this. Lots of individuals who do not classify themselves as Christians have moments during the Christmas season when they get all warm and fuzzy inside and they can’t put their finger on why. I think the light of Jesus coming into the world as a tiny baby in a manger simply has that effect on people. As a writer, I love a good story and this story warms us inside.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [Gospel of Luke: 7-11 ~ KJV]

On the other hand, my schedule is so full during this time of year that even though I’m all wrapped up in holiday goings on, I can forget the reason for the season, as they say. Then I have to remind myself to slow down and let Christ shine through me. To do this, I’ve got to push aside the decorating, the cooking, the menu planning, the Christmas card sending, and make sure I’m connected to God, listening to Him, letting him direct the show.

But God will have His way and very often at Christmas He presents to me somebody with a great need, somebody who’s lonely… and I will welcome that person as a friend, include them at my Christmas dinner table, and/or get them a gift.

In my 1940s Christmas novel GOODBYE NOEL, pediatric nurse Katrina Lenart has been asked by the local police chief to care for an infant whose mother has been found murdered in front of a decorated Christmas tree. Katrina soon falls in love with the baby and we see Christ’s love shine through her as she sets her mind and will to protect this child from a heinous killer. At one point, Katrina risks her own life to save the infant from a kidnapping. I loved writing this Christmas story and particularly enjoyed crafting Katrina, whose faith grows and deepens as the novel goes forward through all the twists and turns of a murder mystery novel.

Goodbye Noel, by Nike Chillemi

Purchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle, Christianbooks.com

Author Bio:

Like so many writers, Nike Chillemi started writing at a very young age. She still has the Crayola, fully illustrated book she penned (penciled might be more accurate) as a little girl about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.

She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and is its Chairman, a reader’s choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 and 2012 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. BURNING HEARTS, the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, finaled in the Grace Awards 2011 in the Romance/Historical Romance category. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series released in December, 2011 won the Grace Award 2011 in the Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller category. PERILOUS SHADOWS, third in the series released July, 2012, and DARKEST HOUR, the fourth in the series released in February, 2013.  She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning).

Review: Goodbye Noel, by Nike Chillemi

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Goodbye Noel, by Nike ChillemiGoodbye Noel, by Nike Chillemi (Desert Breeze Publishing, 2011)

The year is 1946. In the fictional town of Sanctuary Point, on the south shore of Long Island, New York, life is getting back on track after the war. It’s Christmas time, and spirits are high – until Katrina Lenart finds one of her neighbours dead.

Who would murder this young woman while her baby slept in the next room? With the father nowhere to be found, Katrina gets permission to care for the infant. She is, after all, a pediatric nurse. And she lives with her parents, who will babysit while she’s at work.

Katrina and the detective assigned to the case, Ian Daltry, get off to a bad start but quickly fall for one another. Ian can’t forget losing his wife in a drive-by shooting, and he’ll do anything to keep Katrina, his daughter Amy, and baby Leslie safe.

But can he do enough? Why is the baby a target? And for whom?

Katrina is equally determined to protect the baby, and she quickly becomes Ian’s unofficial helper to solve the mystery.

Goodbye Noel is a fun mystery with plenty of clues and red herrings. It gives an interesting picture of this era, where children of immigrant parents still face discrimination (Katrina’s parents are Czech) and where there aren’t enough eligible bachelors to go around. It’s an elegant time, even for middle-class people like Katrina and her family, and we get to observe a high-society soiree as well.

Nike Chillemi has written four mysteries so far in the Sanctuary Point series. Goodbye Noel is the second. For more about the author and her books, visit her Crime Fictionista website.

[Review copy from my personal library.]