12 Books of Christmas: THE MOST SPECTACULAR TREE by Shirley Crowder

Each Christmas as I unwrap the ornaments and decorations, years of memories flood my mind. I remember countless family and friends with whom I have shared Christmas—in Nigeria, West Africa, and in the States.

When it is time to decorate, I lay out all the ornaments in color groups so I can see each one. Next I put the lights on the tree (even though the tree I have now is pre-lit, I add a bunch of colored lights).

Then I begin the several night process of putting the ornaments on the tree in the way that my big brother Tim taught me. Admittedly there are times since his death that I have fussed at him as I decorated my tree. The reason I fuss is because it wasn’t enough for Tim that I have a few lights and a few ornaments on my tree, HIS little sister had to have the most spectacular tree of all!

So, a tree must be decorated so that from whatever angle or height you look you see ornaments. Seeing all the way through to the trunk is a huge no-no! As you can imagine it takes a lot of ornaments of all kinds: fancy, handmade, expensive, cheap, old, new, pretty, not so pretty, big, little—you name it!! A tree just looks skimpy if I don’t decorate it the way big brother taught me!

After putting the last (well, maybe the last) ornament on the tree, I sit down and soak up the beauty of the lights and the ornaments while one of my favorite Christmas music boxes plays “Joy to the World.”

I reflect upon my life, God’s grace and mercy to me, and how the Lord has blessed me throughout the years. I think of the tree as representing my life. The white lights represent The Light of the World (Jesus) Who came to this earth to redeem me. The colored lights represent all the experiences that have given depth and meaning to my life, some bright and cheerful, others darker and more somber. The ornaments represent the many different family and friends who have added color and dimension to my life through shared worship, laughter, fun, sorrow, encouragement and comfort.

I thank the Lord for the rich blessings of family and friends!! And I am thankful for my family and friends, and for the wonderful ways each one has enriched my life!!

About the Author:

Born in a mission guest house under the shade of a mango tree in Nigeria, West Africa, where her parents served as missionaries, Shirley is passionate about disciple-making, which is conducted in and through myriad ministry opportunities. She is a biblical counselor and co-host of "Think on These Things" a Birmingham, Alabama, radio/TV program for women. Shirley is commissioned by and serves on the national Advisory Team for, The Addiction Connection. You can learn more about Shirley at her author page on our Write Integrity website. 

And before you go, enjoy Shirley's favorite recipe for an easy version of fudge!

Recipe for Jeannie’s Microwave Fudge:

3 cups of Chocolate chips
1 can (14oz) of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
4 TBS butter (at room temperature)
1 TSP vanilla extract
¼ TSP salt
8x8 pan, line with aluminum foil, spray foil with Pam.

Put chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter in microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute (note: if butter is very cold you may need to cook an additional 30 seconds. DO NOT OVERCOOK.) Mix all ingredients until well blended. Add vanilla & salt. Continue stirring until thoroughly mixed. Pour into pan and refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours. Cut into squares or triangles.


Best served room temperature.

12 Books of Christmas: 

Shirley's written a companion Bible study guide for our yesterday's book, PRAYER: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU by Harriet Michael. Available in early January, you can win your own copy of both books, along with 10 other books (US residents only) by commenting below and leaving your email address for us to add to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) Here's a question you can answer: Do you have ornaments that, even though they aren't the best or nicest, you just can't release?

12 Books of Christmas: CHRISTMAS MEMORIES by Elizabeth Noyes

Elizabeth Noyes writes suspense
and romance in her Cameron series.
Learn more about her at her author
page on the Write Integrity Press site.

Christmas has always been a special time for me.  As a child, my Daddy would read the Christmas Story from the Bible to us on the night before Christmas. He had a strong voice that grew deeper as he read. It filled with reverence as he made the story come to life for us. My sister, brother, and I would crowd around him, spellbound. It didn’t matter that we heard it year after year.

Afterward, Mama would make ‘real’ hot cocoa with marshmallows, and then we’d gather around the tree to open all the wrapped presents we gave each other.  That’s because Santa left his presents on Christmas morning. He didn’t wrap them, either because he had to visit every child in the world and wrapping paper took too long.

Despite my suspicions and lots of heckling from my brother, sister, and friends, I held onto the myth of Santa long beyond the normal age. My parents, bless their hearts, never once let on that he wasn’t real. They let me come to that conclusion on my own. It was a slow process for me. There was no conscious one day it’s fantasy and then the light bulb came on. No abrupt understanding, only a sad acceptance and a loss of wonderment.

Fast forward to my young adult years and I met the love of my life. Some might think it serendipity, happenstance, or chance. Others might call it fate, but as I look back I know it was God working in our lives. All the twists and turns that led to our unexpected meeting went way beyond possibility, one of those ‘you can’t make this stuff up’ kind of circumstances.

We got married, roamed the world, had kids, and started our own traditions. We collected ornaments and decorations from all the places we visited, and kept every tiny decoration our kids made when they were little. And every year, our tree grows more meaningful. There’s a Rudolph peanut with googly eyes from our little girl in first grade, a hand-painted ornament a Korean artist made for us, a clothespin nutcracker soldier our son made in third grade, a brötchen (hard roll) that a German friend decorated and varnished (40+ years we still have it!) … and the list goes on.

We still travel and collect ornaments, and now we save those treasures our grandchildren make. You see, ours is not just a Christmas Tree – it’s a Memory Tree.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Noyes—professional writer, aspiring author, dedicated dreamer—lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and best friend, Paul, who listens tirelessly while she regales him with all the tales in her head of damaged, but very human characters clamoring to be heard.

You can learn more about Elizabeth and all of her books at her author page on the Write Integrity Press website: www.WriteIntegrity.com

Mama’s Old Fashioned Homemade Hot Cocoa:

(with marshmallows!)

Ingredients

¼ c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

½ c. Granulated Sugar

½ c. Hot Water

¼ t. Salt

3 c. Whole Milk

1 c. Heavy Cream

1 t. Vanilla Extract

Marshmallows (we like the big ones!)

Instructions

1. Mix milk and cream together and set aside.

2. Combine the cocoa, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil, and heat/stir for 1 minute.

3. Reduce heat and add the milk and cream mixture slowly, still stirring constantly. Heat, but do not boil.

4. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Stir well. 

5. Serve immediately, topped with marshmallows.

12 Books of Christmas: 

You can win a copy of the first book of Elizabeth's Cameron series, IMPERFECT WINGS, as part of our 12 Books of Christmas contest. Leave a comment below with your email address (US residents only). Your email address will also be added to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) While you're commenting, share a memory of a handmade decoration!