{"id":5566,"date":"2020-12-20T09:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-12-20T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=5566"},"modified":"2020-07-05T21:14:46","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T02:14:46","slug":"a-few-of-my-favorite-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=5566","title":{"rendered":"A Few of My Favorite Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Journal of Joy: Things that make my heart smile\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRaindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens\u201d are cute but not my favorite things, especially at Christmastime. Have I mentioned that I love Christmas? So here\u2019s a list of just a few of my favorite Christmas things guaranteed to make me smile.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nativity Scenes:<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019re big, little, or miniature scenes, with or without animals. I love them all. Seeing them reminds me about the birth of our Savior, a gift for the world.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Music: <\/strong>So many of the latter verses of familiar Christmas hymns or carols, the ones that aren\u2019t usually sung, focus on the reason Jesus came. Even piped-in Christmas elevator music has me humming along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Cookies:<\/strong> In years past, if my parents couldn\u2019t make it out here to California from the Midwest to celebrate Christmas with us, Mom sent a mega amount of cookies\u2014more than enough to share with everyone. We put them in a huge, red box labeled \u201cGrandma\u2019s Cookies\u201d and snapped pictures of everyone who took one out. The photos were placed in a mini album and sent to her. One Christmas Mom used salt instead of sugar in her cookies. Ah, the joy of aging! We never told her but boy does this memory make us laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Messiah<\/em><\/strong>, Christmas Performances:<\/strong> It\u2019s great to see a performance of The Messiah<\/em> and sometimes they actually let the audience sing along. This is very nostalgic for me since I sang it in high school and college. \u201cThe Hallelujah Chorus\u201d alone is worth the price of admission. I also like live performances of Christmas stage plays and musicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snow:<\/strong> Newborn snow like we see back East or in the Midwest is beautiful. What a miracle snow is! Did you know that no two snowflakes are alike? What a testament to God\u2019s creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Giving Tree:<\/strong> Each year our bank sponsors \u201cThe Giving Tree\u201d which allows me to buy gifts for homeless families or toys for needy children. These people have made a little wish list and I have the opportunity to grant it. Imagine the smile of a child who doesn\u2019t have much when he or she receives that special gift.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Caroling:<\/strong> Some of our friends used to do this in their neighborhood each year a few days before Christmas and we loved going with them. We only sang at the decorated houses so as not to offend. The people we sang to loved it. They gave us cookies and drinks. We felt like we are on an old Currier and Ives postcard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading Christmas Stories<\/strong>: I read O\u2019Henry\u2019s \u201cThe Gift of the Magi\u201d almost every year. This poignant story captures the true meaning of Christmas. I also love an article by Taylor Caldwell entitled \u201cMy Christmas Miracle\u201d which has my favorite Christmas quote: \u201cAnd this is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.\u201d What a Christmas message! One of the names for Jesus is Immanuel which means God with us! I also love Charles Dickens\u2019s \u201cA Christmas Carol.\u201d Tiny Tim says, \u201cGod bless us everyone!\u201d Amen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family Dinner:<\/strong> We always have a meal together. Sometimes it\u2019s a repeat of the turkey dinner we cook for Thanksgiving. The meal is always good, but the family time is better. Sometimes we sing Christmas carols afterwards and open our Secret Santa stockings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Movies:<\/strong> Many know that I\u2019m a movie buff so this list could get a little long, but I feel compelled to share it. Some aren\u2019t familiar with the older movies so this might help when trying to choose a family movie to watch during the Christmas season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n