Crafty Christmas

I started a Christmas tradition many years ago, partially to satisfy my crafting obsession, but mostly because I love to give gifts. I make and share a simple gift with my coworkers, family and friends. The gift is usually a Christmas ornament, but I've also given display pieces and wall plaques.

This tradition is an annual process that begins as early as January, but typically gears up in October. The first step is brainstorming. This is the hmm stage. I peruse. I scrounge. I ponder. Hours are spent at Hobby Lobby or the other place my husband has jokingly dubbed, "my boyfriend's house." Michaels.

Following the AHA! moment, the busy time of buying and gathering supplies for the chosen project commences. The testing process begins in earnest with a prototype or two or twelve. I tend to be a perfectionist, which in retrospect, is a good thing. Some of my best ideas have come from the frustration of a crumpled paper or a crushed object that ends up being the absolute perfect part of the finished piece. Hours squirreled away in my craft room produce just the right gift for the season.

Production begins on the dozens of gifts to be crafted. Each gift is lovingly pieced together and critiqued when finished. The final step in the entire process is gift wrapping. The finishing touch of wrapping is almost as important as the gift itself. Great care and planning is involved for the protection and display of the gift itself.

Over the years, projects have included Christmas trees and jingle bells, vintage stars and snowmen, but one ornament seems to be a favorite. Each year, without fail, a coworker or friend will bring up the "Names of God" ornament. These ornaments were hand lettered with some of my favorite Biblical references to our Triune God.

And that's where I'd like us to rest. I'd like us to reflect on Christmas Eve. To ponder the Christ child and his gift of life.

Guide. Maker. God. Potter. Lamb of God. Redeemer. Living Water. Comforter. Alpha and Omega. Everlasting Father. Mighty God. I AM. Holy One. Lamp. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. Master. Creator. Shield. The Way, the Truth and the Life. Cornerstone. Head. Messiah. Pearl of Great Price. Hope. Prince of Peace. Deliverer. Savior. Jesus. Friend. Life.

Merry Christmas, dear friend. Merry Christmas.

Vintage Treasures...

I am obsessed with all things old. It started with my favorite childhood things. The singing angels who adorned the mantel in my parent's home during Christmas. The Terri Lee dolls that I played with as a child. The handmade styrofoam sleigh and reindeer my grandma made years before I was born.




As my family learned of my obsession, I inherited these favorites plus a plethora of other antique items. A family Bible. My aunt's nativity set. My grandma's carnival glass bowls. Volumes of vintage books and historical newspapers. Over time, my obsession became a full-blown addiction. An addiction to vintage Christmas ornaments.

It all began quite innocently. I acquired a dozen or so of my grandmother's ornaments after she passed away. No one else in my family was interested in these colorful, yet blemished, beauties. I thought it a shame to toss these delicate orbs, so naturally they found their way into my home and onto our family Christmas tree. Over the years, I've stumbled across ornaments in thrift stores, I've found boxes on eBay and bought cartons of Shiny Brites at summer garage sales where, gasp(!) other folks thought their worth at a mere buck a box.




My pretties come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some are round. Others teardrop. Still others are bell-shaped. Some are striped. Others solid. These precious ornaments are clothed in various shades of blue, pink, turquoise and green. Each ornament is special. Each ornament is cherished.

During this advent season, I'm reminded of the reason for this season. It's not about presents. It's not about food. It's not even about the gathering of family and friends. And while you may need to search diligently in the midst of the glamour and glitz to find him. He's there.

Jesus.

Jesus came for his precious treasure. He came to rescue the outcasts, the blemished, the seemingly worthless, rejected, black sheep of the world. He sought me out. He searched for you. His addiction is our salvation. And the amazing part is, he went through an even greater rejection because of his love for us.

Isaiah 55:1-6 says it so well.  Here from The Message:

1 Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
    Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?
2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
    a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
    nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
    on him, on him.

And the end of verse 12 says it in such simple terms:

he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

While we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, let's rejoice! Rejoice in the fact that our Savior came for us! Rejoice in the knowledge that he intimately loves us. Rejoice in the hope that he gives us - the hope of eternal life!

He is the ultimate gift. Reach out and open the present he offers. His presence. His life.

Merry Christmas, dear friend.

Just like everyone else...

Just a few short weeks ago, my hubby and I were basking in the warm South Carolina sunshine. It already seems like ages ago. Insert sigh here.

While on vacation, we spend much of our time walking the wide, sandy beach located mere steps from our condo. We enjoy walking near the water's edge where we can scan the ocean for dolphins or where I can search the beach for seashell treasure. While Hilton Head Island isn't a seashell hot spot, we usually find an abundance of sand dollars and smaller scallop shells.

Most of the beach areas are relatively shell free, but I'm fascinated by the way the tide brings mounds of shells to other areas of the shore in sporadic bunches.

At first glance, these piles of shells seem to contain a bland assortment of broken shells.

Upon close inspection and lots of rummaging, I find that the bland assortment is anything but. Shells of all sizes and colors are hidden in a "Where's Waldo" seascape. Each tiny shell is perfectly formed. Delicate. Intricate. Simple. Beautiful.



Human nature nags us to conform and be like everyone else. How many times do we want, strive for or dress according to the what the masses dictate? We think of people the same way we think of seashells. At first glance, we all seem to be the same. Ordinary. Plain. Just like everyone else.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God made us his special creations. Perfectly formed. Delicate. Intricate. Simple. Beautiful. Formed carefully by his hand.

Thank God for who you are. Be who God created you to be. Loved. Special. Unique.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. Psalm 139:14 Living Bible