Home Decor by Brenda Nixon

A few friends tell me they keep their nativity set up year round to remind them of Christ's first and His anticipated second coming. While I respect that tradition, it's not one our family has adopted.

We do have a lovely, handmade nativity that I bought one fall for the upcoming Christmas season. Since my wedding anniversary is in November, I bought the blue-glazed porcelain nativity as our anniversary gift knowing we'd have it for years.

We also decorate outdoors. I don't do the lawn ornaments nor look like Clark W. Griswold in Christmas Vacation but our home is festive.

Actually, in my home decor, I like to rotate the furnishings by season. If you visit me in the spring you'll see fresh flowers, "springy" wall decor, and other reminders of new life. If you visit in Autumn, you'll munch candy corn and smell fall scented candles. Changing my decor with the season is one way I make my home a haven to family and friends.

How do you decorate for the holidays . . . or anytime of year?

Brenda Nixon, www.BrendaNixon.com
Co-author, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts

Hooked on Chocolate--Godiva Chocolate

I'm not much of an online shopper--for that matter, I'm a disgrace to my gender regarding shopping. Even when we are traveling, I don't spend much time in souvenir shops or those "bargain outlets" you find in the Caribbean. I do have a favorite story however about being on the receiving end of an online gift.

My husband had a company he did business with that always sent us a gift at Christmas. One year they chose to send Godiva chocolate. Unfortunately, when the box arrived, we opened it to find that many of the candies had been crushed. Trust me, it did not hurt the taste one bit. I had never had such an indulgence before and after the first taste, I was hooked.

Knowing that the company had probably spent a great deal on the gift, Bob called the sales rep and told them the condition of the chocolates when they arrived. The company called Godiva and complained and a week later we received a second box--beautifully intact and scrumptiously delicious! Now I'm addicted and worse yet, there's a Godiva chocolate store in our mall that I have to pass--well, it usually calls my name and I indulge. Can't let those fresh chocolate covered strawberries go to waste.

Do you have a good chocolate story?