Home for the Holidays with Author Catherine Castle

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Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas traditions, Home for the Holidays, nativites, pictures of nativities

A Nativity Collection Tradition

 

Today marks the end of the Home for the Holiday blog series. I hope you’ve all enjoyed meeting new authors and finding out how they celebrate the Christmas holidays.  I’m closing out the series with a photo display of a few items from my Nativity collection. Every other year they go up on the sideboard I inherited from my mother. Opposite years get the Christmas village collection. The sideboard is getting quite full, and it takes me a long time to unwrap and arrange the Holy Family.

 

I especially love the unusual nativities, like this Celtic stone nativity.

And the American Indian nativity.

This next set was made by my sister and sister-in-law. I received it for Christmas in 1970.  It has a lighted stable, which you can see in the background. Don’t you love the expression on the little shepherd boy’s face? The small items in front of the manger are the wisemen’s gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.  I picked the gold nugget up on a trip out west. I don’t remember where the other gifts came from.

Here’s another favorite of mine-a Southwest design. The arms above the birds are three candleholders.

 

This is the oldest nativity I have. It’s a matching set of bookends painted by my husband when he was in grade school, and yes, I do display it.

And I can’t forget the needlepoint set crafted by my mother-in-law. The stable has “wings” on each side so it stands upright on its own, as do the Holy Family pieces.

These are just a few of my assortment of nativites. I have dozens more of all sizes and shapes, from Lennox china nativities to paper nativities. When we travel, I’m always on the hunt for them. Santa and his reindeer may be fun, but, to me, a nativity embodies the real spirit of Christmas.

What about you? Do you have a favorite nativity that you display at Christmas?

Thanks for sharing Home for the Holidays with me and my guest authors this year. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

 

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Home for the Holidays with author Bonnie Engstrom

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Three Engstrom Family Traditions

Thirty+ years ago I started buying three ornaments the day after Christmas when they were on sale. These would be a surprise for my three children next year when we decorated the tree. Since we had two boys and a girl, I had to be sure I found matching ornaments that represented each. My favorites are skiing bunnies, two boy bunnies (one dressed in green and one in blue) and a girl bunny dressed in red. These and their companions are now in storage in a box labeled Family Ornaments.

The Santa house is born!

When our first grandchild, Mookie, was born 10 1/2 years ago I wanted her to know the magic of Christmas. I wanted something she could understand at a young age. I wanted it to be bright and festive, so I focused on a Santa theme for our home. I never felt Santa took the place of Jesus, just added a bit of frivolity. So, my tree is decorated entirely, yes entirely, with Santas – many representing family members: a fishing Santa for Grandpa; a surfing Santa for one uncle, and a techie Santa for another; a baseball and golfing Santa for the kids’ dad; even dog and cat Santas for the pets. My entire house is decorated with Santas, even Santas representing the colleges we all attended. This year Mookie and her three siblings helped decorate the tree and enjoyed asking  which Santa represents whom.

  

Blessedly, my grandchildren attend Sunday school and I talk with them often about Jesus and His birth. Their parents and I have beautiful Nativity scenes in our homes. Perhaps when the children get a bit older, I will retire my Santas and decorate only with Nativity scenes (harder to find, though). Or, I may unwrap the family ornaments and use them. I’m not sorry I decorate with Santas. I’ve talked with God about this, and I think He’s okay with it. He knows my heart.

I have six grandchildren now. God has truly blessed me. And, it’s so exciting to see their faces light up seeing all the red Santas on the tree and the others in my house. I want them to remember Grammy’s house as the Santa house. Then, I will remind them about Jesus’ birth and the true story of Christmas. Santa is just fun, Jesus is what life on this earth is all about. Yet, both are givers of gifts. One the silly, fun gifts, the Other the gift of precious life.

Perhaps my very favorite tradition happens when we have our semi-annual holiday party between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The invitation requests each guest bring a wrapped ornament with a tag explaining its significance to their family. As guests enter the party they drop their ornament in a big basket by the door, and as they leave they take one from the basket. It’s a fun exchange and almost always results in a perfect surprise. One year a neighbor who is a pilot brought a tiny airplane ornament. By pure chance our son who had recently purchased his own airplane got it! Now that’s serendipity! The Day family in my novella Her Candy Cane Christmas^* shares this tradition. Read the story to find out what ornament Noelle picks. And, like our family, they serve Honey Baked Ham soup; but unlike ours, they skip the tradition of Swedish Glögg, my hubby’s specialty.

 

About the Author

BONNIE ENGSTROM, is a freelance writer, former newspaper columnist, wife, mom and grandmother. She lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with Dave, her psychologist husband of over fifty years, and Sam and Lola, their dogs. Her favorite genres are romance, mystery, and ‘fun’ animal stories.  You can learn more about Bonnie at her website http://bonnieengstrom.com/  Her Candy Cane Christmas is available at Amazon on Kindle or in print.

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Joi Copeland

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Photo from Wikimedia

 

Christmas Lights

 

“Baby, it’s cold outside!” And we love it! Christmas time in Metro-Denver, Colorado, with a chill in the air, is one of the things my family and I adore. It just isn’t Christmas for us if it is 80 degrees.

So, one night a year, we adorn our jackets, scarves, mittens, and beanies, and we head outside to our vehicle. We drive just a little ways down the street to another one of our favorite places: Starbucks. Once we each have our drinks, we jump into the van, turn on Christmas music, and drive around looking at Christmas lights.

We love to see what different houses do to celebrate the birth of our Savior! When we lived in California, we used to drive to Rancho Cucamonga and Glendora and check out the neighborhood light displays. Those were always the best. Such creativity went into lighting up each house in those neighborhoods.

When we moved to Colorado seven years ago, we discovered they don’t have neighborhood lights like we are used to. So, we pick a few streets to drive down, ooh and ahh over the light displays, enjoy the music, and enjoy each other. My boys, husband, and I love this tradition. Sometimes, we last an hour, others we last a little less. It doesn’t matter how long we are out, as long as we are with each other

 

ABout the Author:

Joi loves Christmas because of the beauty and wonder of how God chose to reach man. His love for us astounds Joi and she loves to celebrate this time of year! It is her favorite season!

Joi writes Women’s Christian Fiction, based on Hope and Redemption. You can find Joi and her books at Amazon.

 

Home for the Holidays with author Traci Tyne Hilton

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A Sweet Christmas

When I say my mom can cook, I’m not just being polite. Once, her food was described as “magical” by a woman whose own mother was a home ec teacher! She has “the touch” for want of better word. A way of making simple food glorious and fancy food taste like it came from finest restaurant in the world. I suspect cooking is her spiritual gift.

Growing up with that kind of talent meant that every holiday was a “food” holiday, and none more so than Christmas. I could sing raptures about the seven or eight kinds of Christmas cookies we had every year, or the broiled sweet potato spears she invented a few years back, or the double-stuffed overnight mashed potatoes, but those are second tier foods when compared to the one thing that says Christmas to our family.

Cinnamon Rolls.

These aren’t your normal fluffy bread and frosting things you can get at the mall. These are decadent, gooey, caramel covered pieces of heaven. Once, while traveling across the state on vacation, I came across one restaurant who made cinnamon rolls that rivaled my mom’s, but that was the only time I have had anything as good, ever. In my life. I know I should share the recipe with you now. That is what you came for. But how can you share a spiritual gift? You have the touch, or you don’t!

Her recipe was one she learned in high school, and hasn’t changed much since. She makes the sweet bread “to touch.” When it looks right, it’s ready. She lets it raise, then butters it and sprinkles it liberally with cinnamon and sugar, in proportions that look right to her expert eye. Then she rolls it up, slices it, and lets it rise again. She bakes it with a special brew of butter and brown sugar to make the caramel, as I can’t eat corn syrup any more, though it used to be Karo Syrup for the caramel.

That’s it. Some sweet bread, some sugar, some butter, and some cinnamon. Anyone could do it, right? Sure. If they are magic! Want to try it anyway? (and who wouldn’t?) Here’s a link to a similar recipe. If it tastes like magic when you are done, I suspect, just maybe, cooking is your spiritual gift as well!  Caramel rolls

 

About the Author:

Traci Tyne Hilton is a Christian Cozy Mystery author with over 13 novels out, three of which are pretty darn wintery. She and her family are praying for a white Christmas—a rare treat in their part of the Pacific Northwest! Learn more about Traci’s work at http://www.tracihilton.com and come by and say hi on facebook at Facebook.com/tracithilton.

Home for the Holidays with Author Lillian Duncan

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DON’T BE GRINCHY–CELEBRATE!

I’ve got no kids so why put up a tree?

I’m alone now, so what’s the point of decorating?

It’s too much work.

I’m so busy.

Mmmm….Do any of those excuses sound familiar?

My latest release is No Home For The Holidays, a Christmas-themed romantic suspense novella. Christmas and suspense? I love the challenge of finding a way to mix the two together. The gist of the story is about a “prodigal daughter” who wants to go home but knows she will put her family in danger as well as herself if she does.

In the story, Chloe is downright grinchy. Christmas reminds her of home and since she can’t go home, she refuses to acknowledge or celebrate Christmas in any way.

I wonder how many of us do the same thing?

There’s nothing like a serious health crisis to teach us to appreciate life!  It started on April Fool’s Day in 2012 when I developed Bell’s palsy (an inflammation of the facial nerves). An MRI brought even more shocking news—bilateral brain tumors and a diagnosis of NF2, a genetic disorder.  It continues still today.

How it will end? Only God knows. It’s been a long and difficult journey, but God has taught me much. And one of those nuggets of wisdom is to celebrate life!

For the past several years, we’d cleared off our enclosed porch and filled it with Christmas trees–lots of them!  It’s just for fun and just for us–no grandbabies around to enjoy it.  But when I started experience side effects from my second  brain tumor treatment in 2013 much earlier than expected, we decided to forego the Christmas Porch.  Too much work and I didn’t feel well enough to help.

But one morning I woke up to a porch full of Christmas trees, thanks to my sweet husband.  I can’t tell you how much joy I got from just seeing the Christmas Trees.  And it taught me a lesson, life is worth celebrating, especially at Christmas.

At this time of the year, we have so much to celebrate–the birth of a babe in a lowly manger. A birth that changed the world! A birth that brought heaven to earth! It’s a time of the year when we should all be celebrating, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

We’re celebrating the birth of Jesus, our king, our savior!

 

About the Author:

 

Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon bestsellers, including The Christmas Stalking. She lives near Wooster, Ohio where one of their claims to fame is that they had the first Christmas tree in America.

According to the Wayne County Historical Society’s website: In 1847 a young German immigrant, August Imgard, 21, while a resident of Wooster introduced the first Christmas tree to America.

Young Imgard missed the Christmas tree which had marked the Christmas he had known in his native Bavaria. He also believed a Christmas tree would bring added joy to his nephew and niece, Albert and Mary Imgard. For these two reasons he went to the woods outside Wooster and dropped down a spruce tree. He obtained a tin star and made paper decorations, which ornamented the first tree at the Imgard home on December 24, 1847.

The novelty appealed to other Wooster residents and the next year many people cut and decorated thier own trees. Out of Wooster the custom spread and now it is universal throughout the States.

It could explain her own love of Christmas trees!

To celebrate the release of No Home For The Holidays, Lillian is running a contest on her blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes. Five lucky winners will receive a $10 Amazon Gift card. So hop on over to www.lillian-duncan.com and leave a comment under the No Home For The Holidays blog post so you’ll be entered to win one of the gift cards.

 

 

 

 

Home for the Holidays with Author June Foster

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Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas Memories, Christmas traditions, HOme for the Holidays with author June Foster, Jesse Tree

Christmas Memories—Then and Now

 

Times have changed. But I still remember one Christmas tradition our family enjoyed. We gathered in the dining room for a luscious meal then adjourned into the living room where our Christmas tree, bare except for lights, stood ready for our homemade ornaments patterned after the Jesse Tree.

First we read the story of the Jesse Tree which tells, through the use of symbols, the Biblical story from creation to the birth of Christ. We learned that in Medieval times, when the  tradition of the Jesse Tree first began, people created  large carvings, tapestries or even stained glass windows to place in churches for members of the congregation who were illiterate.

Nowadays, the cutout symbols represent Bible stories we know so well. For example, the earth represents the Creation, a picture of an apple is the Garden of Eden, and a rainbow is symbolic of Noah and the flood—and many more.

So, now it was time to get creative. Each family member chose a couple of symbols for ornaments they wished to construct from the variety of materials I had accumulated and set out on the dining room table. When the ornaments were completed, we hung them on the tree. The next week we gathered again and told the Christmas story. In the correct order, each person removed their ornament, relayed the Bible story and replaced the cutout on the tree. Afterward we prayed and asked the Lord to help us keep Christmas in our hearts every day of the year.

But alas, those were the wonderful days when our children were home to celebrate. In the last ten years, we’ve traveled in our RV and our tree morphed from a six-foot pine to a two foot plastic tree small enough to fit in our coach. But we still remembered the real reason for the season as we celebrated with our Florida friends in a room full of white-haired Christians instead of boisterous children. I suppose we’ll head on to Florida again this year.

 

About the Author:

Christmas has always been a special time of year for June. As a child, the celebration was about family, food, gifts, and fun. Now as an adult, June loves the season because we celebrate the birth of our Savior. An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. Find June and her books online at Amazon or at www.junefoster.com

 

 

 

Home For the Holidays with Author Peggy Foster

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"Hot Chocolate" song from Polar Express, Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Home for the Holidays with Author Peggy Foster, Polar Express, Special Olympics

A Special Night at Christmas

 

I unwrapped some of our Christmas decorations last evening. In one of the boxes, I found a silver jingle bell. I shook it and listened to its sweet, metallic ring.

After my husband passed away in 2001 at the young age of forty, I attempted to fill the painful void in my family’s holidays in any and all ways I could imagine.

One year I invited our “special” friends from my daughter’s Special Olympic’s bowling team to come to our home to watch Christmas movies, socialize and a little holiday magic vis-a-vis a white elephant gift drawn from a red velvet grab bag.

My daughter has been bowling with the same children — now adults — for many years. The parents and caregivers have all become friends and support systems for each other. We understand the unusual challenges and the tremendous blessings of raising and loving individuals with special needs.

The year Polar Express came out on DVD, we decided that was the movie we would watch for our “special” evening.  I bought polar themed accessories. Snow flakes, snowmen, ice blue plates, napkins, table clothes, set the mood for a night visiting the North Pole. I pulled out my biggest pot for hot chocolate. Each of the “kids” brought a white elephant gift. After a few slices of pizza and great anticipation, they drew a gift from a large red velvet bag. We gave each of our guests a large jingle bell on a long, sky blue ribbon to ring at the end of the movie. It has since then become an annual event.

They sit on the sofa, the floor, and all available chairs and snuggle up next to the fireplace.

The parents and caregivers each have their traditional roles. When the song “Hot Chocolate” starts to play, we make a conga line, lead by a fellow caregiver and friend, Wayne. The “kids” and the parents sing and chant, “Hot, hot, hot. Hot Chocolate!”  with the song. We carry cups of hot chocolate dipped out from the pot on the kitchen stove and topped with whipped cream into the great room and deliver them steaming, to each of the Olympians.

In the film, as the children grow into adulthood, they lose their ability to hear the sound of the silver jingle bell ring with the Faith and Belief of Santa.

The “kids” come prepared to ring their silver jingle bells at the end of the movie.

“I believe!” they declare. I can’t imagine our holidays without our “special” evening; a night when angels descend upon our home to bring glad tidings and a full cup of faith.

As the shaken silver jingle bell I had taken from the box fell silent, I wondered about the faith and belief of the sweet, special angels that will cross our threshold this year for our traditional evening watching Polar Express. They will still ring their bells regardless of how old they become. They will always believe in the magic.

 

About the Author

Peggy Foster has thirty years of experience as a writer, editor, and publisher. She edited a memoir that became a regional number one best seller. She founded and published a community newspaper for her hometown and published a proprietary periodical for families with disabled children.

Peggy has taught workshops locally and for the Writing Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota on “Structure for the Fiction Writer,” and multiple workshops on how to write fairy tales. (www.fairytalefest.net).

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Kimberly Rose Johnson

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Today Kimberly Rose Johnson is visiting Home for the Holidays.  She’s going to share a couple of holiday traditions. Can you guess from her newly released inspirational Christmas romance book cover, pictured above, what might be her favorite Christmas tradition? I’ll give you a hint–it’s not the snow.

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is my favorite. I don’t have a lot of traditions, but one thing we always do is have Thanksgiving meal as an extended family. My family, my parents, and my sister’s family all get together at either my house or my parents’ for Thanksgiving. We all live close, so it’s potluck style. We all know what the other person is bringing, so we have the meal taken care of.

Our biggest tradition on this day, besides our turkey dinner, is eating way too many homemade cookies. My sister and I usually go a little nuts baking.  This year will be a lot different though. I can no longer have gluten, so if I bake any cookies they will have to be gluten free. I’ve not yet mastered the art of baking gluten free, so I don’t expect to be eating cookies this year.

My mom always kicks off the Christmas season at the end of the evening by handing out Christmas ornaments. This has been a tradition ever since her mother passed away twenty some years ago. My grandma used to give me an ornament every year and now my mom does. J

My dad has had a Christmas tree lot, or sold trees from his farm every year my entire adult life. My kids grew up “working” at the tree lot on weekends with their papa and daddy. They loved it, until my youngest and my husband developed an allergy to Christmas trees. Now they stay away from the lot and we have a fake tree.

I can’t imagine not having a Christmas tree, so I am very thankful that the fake trees now look so real. In my book Island Christmas, Rachel Narrelli’s three-year-old son, Jason, is anxious to put up a tree, but life keeps getting in the way. LOL Being married to a very busy Christmas tree farmer, my mom can certainly relate to that. J

I think the Christmas tree is my favorite decoration. I’ve been known to put mine up the night of Thanksgiving or the following morning. I think I may have put it up a little sooner than Thanksgiving last year. LOL My oldest son informed me that I must wait for him to come home at Thanksgiving, so he can help with the tree. J

Our final tradition comes Christmas morning when we all gather at my parents’ home and gather around the tree. My dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible. He started this tradition when my boys were little. It was hard for them to sit there, so I found a very cool Children’s book that told the story. They enjoyed hearing the story much more when there were pictures to look at.

 

About the Author:

Kimberly Rose Johnson lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of twenty-five years. She writes inspirational romance and loves to read anything Christian that has a romance thread. Kimberly enjoys long walks with her husband their yellow lab, as well as copious amounts of dark chocolate. If you would like to learn more about Kimberly you may find her at http://kimberlyrjohnson.com/ .