Breath of Heaven

Angel Suspended Inside Hollow Glass Ornament in Cornflower Blue

This sweet angel is made from cloth petals of a white rose, a brilliant sky blue chrysanthemum and an organza flower bud. Her skirts are so full that they fill the hollow, 4 inch glass ornament. Atop her head is a glittering halo in Florentine gold. Look closely at her hair and you will find several different shades of blond, a detail which any collector of angels will appreciate. She is tethered to the metal top so she won’t flutter around. $29.99 USD Etsy Petalbelles

Angel Suspended In...
petalbelles




QUITE SKY post by farhad

"The worth of a prayer is not gauged by its dimensions." Robert Murray M'Cheyne



Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant

"To pray effectively we must want what God wants--that and that only is to pray in the will of God." Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer

Little Drummer Boy

Little Drummer Boy Ornament
$45.00 new - Drum Bum






Do you hear what I hear? Beautiful coloring and detail on this Little Drummer Boy. See him reverently play his drum as the star over Bethlehem shines down on the Nativity. The Christ child, Mary, and Joseph can be seen in the light of the star's rays. A precious lamb looks heavenward on that first Christmas night. Gorgeous! Comes with a metal hanger on back so it can be displayed on the wall. Measures 16 inches from top to bottom.A 1-inch hair got trapped into the finish on front, in the black sky area.

Little Drummer Boy...
Mysweetpu...
$65.00 USD




The Little Drummer Boy Book by Ezra Jack Keats


"For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Romans 8:14




Little Drummer Boy
Chistmas song, Boney M
s

"The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:17 KJV

Everyone Has Christmas Secrets

"Dear Santa, For Christmas I want a surprise! Last year when I asked for a surprise I got a very nice one. I liked it a lot. I hope you get me a good surprise again.Love,Libby"

Submit Your Christmas Secrets for a Chance to Be in Woman's Day ...
Sep 24, 2009 ... We want to hear all about how you spend your Christmas, from special family traditions to top-secret recipes you're finally willing to part ...

Here are some of my favorite reader comments:

Posted by Ritab2pamperu

I have an open door Christmas breakfast. It started when my son was small and he is now 24. We never know who will be there but there is plenty of food and fellowship. Even friends who know someone who has no one to share the holidays with invite them. I don't think anyone should be alone on such a wonderful occasion.

Posted by Melissa Smedley

Every year since my children were born (16 and 12 now); I write each of them a special Christmas letter that I put inside a Christmas card with a picture of them at Christmas. In the letter, I write what family activities we did for the holiday, what we ate for Christmas dinner, presents and all the memories of the season. I put each one in an envelope marked with the date. When they turn 18, I will give them all of their Christmas cards so they can look back and reminisce and see how they changed through the years. I can't wait to see their reactions! Also, since my husband and I have been married (20 years), I have bought a special ornament every year. I usually try to get something that symbolizes something special we did that year. One is of course, our first Christmas together, our childrens births are another; one is for a new house, and this year will be a yorkie puppy ornament, because we just got our new teacup Yorkie name Piper!!

Posted by Kendra Bosten

Last year for Christmas, my family decided not to give presents to each other. Money was tight and we could do without presents for one year. So I thought maybe we could give to others. I asked everyone to bring one or two canned food items to our christmas get-together. I then donated all the items to the women's shelter here in Cedar Rapids. The center helps abused and needy women and children. The warmth I felt by doing that will never equal any present I get. I suggest everyone try it. :)


Posted by Angie S in Chicago area

At the beginning of December the kids and I always make homemade snowflakes to hang on the windows. We use different "wintery" papers and outline them in glitter glue to make them extra special. It's a simple craft that they all still enjoy (ages 8 - 13). Our guests are impressed with them, too!

Posted by Lisa G.

To keep from going broke or feeling overwhelmed buying gifts, I give couple/family presents instead of individual ones. (I still give individual gifts for birthdays, which are spread throughout the year.) Popular family gifts I've given in the past: Movie Night - A DVD, popcorn, and boxes of "movie candy," such as Red Vines and Junior MInts. Let's Cook - An ethnic cookbook surrounded by special ingredients, such as lemon gr*** and coconut milk for Thai food. I Love the Northwest - For family that no longer lives in the Seattle area, I pack a basket with local treats, such as Space Noodles, Pike Place Fish tartar sauce, Almond Roca, and Seattle's Best Coffee.

We Three Trees

Miniature Pinecone Christmas
We Three Trees - M...
truLuxe
$38.00 USD





Ribbon Tree
Tabletop Christmas...
NiftySupp...
$21.99 USD





"To create a baking-cup Christmas tree, drill a hole into the center of a 3" wooden disk. Insert a lollipop stick into the hole and secure with hot glue. Spread glue over top of disk, sprinkle with glitter; let dry. Cut an X into bottom of small to large baking cups. Insert lollipop stick through largest cup, push to bottom of base, and hot glue in place. Slit next cup along one side and up to center to facilitate sizing. Wrap around bottom cup. Glue sides of slit cup together, then glue into place on "tree" to prevent shifting. Continue to hot glue subsequent cups in graduating sizes up to the top. For trim, hot glue 6-mm tinsel-type colored pipe cleaners to paper-cup edges. Glue a bead to treetop, cover bead with glue, then sprinkle with glitter." - Country Living Magazine
www.countryliving.com/holidays-lp/holiday-pap...




DIY Table Top Christmas Tree

"This then is the message which we heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5 KJV

The Christmas Counter

Philadelphia Christmas Market

"The man who gives little with a smile gives more than the man who gives much with a frown." Anon.




Christmas Counter post by Nightjar


"God has given us two hands--one for receiving and the other for giving." William Franklin (Billy) Graham






Jack Benny Buys A Watch

"Feel for others --in your pocket." Charles Haddon Spurgeon




Simple Gifts - Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss

"True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense." Emanuel Swedenborg

When You Say Nothing At All

Silent Prayer by kev

"Silence is not much preached today, so it is for prayer to preach it. If we do not listen we do not come to the truth. If we do not pray we do not even get as far as listening. The four things do together: silence, listening, prayer, truth." Hubert van Zeller





The Silent Keys post by kev

"It requires great listening as well as great preaching to make a great sermon." John Andrew Holme





Boat, Lake and Silence - Alex Nanut

"Mere silence is not wisdom, for wisdom consists of knowing when and how to speak and when and where to keep silent." Bishop Jean Pierre Camus

Alison Krauss - When You Say Nothing At All

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln

The Theatre of a Lonely Table

The Theatre of a Lonely Table by Ede Stein

"All of heaven is waiting to help those who will discover the will of God and do it." J.Robert Ashcroft




U.S. Troops Celebrate Thanksgiving Day 2008

"No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks." St. Ambrose





2008: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cindy Crawford help serve the Los Angeles Mission and Anne Douglas Center's Thanksgiving Meal for the Homeless on Wednesday (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

"If we seek God for our own good and profit, we are not seeking God." Meister Eckhart

Thanksgiving around a ping-pong table