Once Christmas is over and the new year arrives, we begin putting away our holiday decorations, and begin with our tree.
I feel a bit sad taking the ornaments and lights off of the tree, but it needs to be done. Our city recycles the trees, and picks them up when it picks up regular recycling. Then they chop the trees to create mulch which they use in city parks.
So when the dozen boxes of decorations fill up, my husband takes them up to the attic. We write "lights" on one box, "nativity sets" on another and "nutcrackers" on a third.
That is as organized as we get.
The other cardboard boxes are full of ornaments, stockings, our jingle bell wreath, and other Christmas decorations, and are stored away til next December when the fun begins all over again as we celebrate Jesus' birthday.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Storing All the STUFF!!!
If you read my post from last week, you know I had a stroke in 2004. In the days immediately following, I struggled to regain short-term memory. I was also physically weak and depleted from a week-long hospital stay and attempts to regulate both oral and IV blood thinners.
My dear husband had called everyone we knew to ask them to pray for my recovery—particularly our trip from Colorado back to Texas. The doctors insisted we stop every couple of hours to let me walk around; I didn’t need any more blood clots forming!
When we arrived home, I had waiting for me the greatest, non-spiritual Christmas gift I have ever received. Our close friends, the Mases and the Arledges had secured our house key from my parents and gone into our home to put away all of our Christmas decorations! Can you imagine a more profound labor of love? (I mean besides being a surrogate.)
We walked through that front door and an immaculate home greeted us, no trace of tinsel, no hint of holly, no sign of Santa . . . anywhere. These dear friends had even bought red and green containers (something I’d always wanted but been too cheap to buy for myself) to house our ornaments, stockings, and Christmas lights. They labeled everything and stored it back in our attic.
Not only could I have not done a better job myself, but that particular year I couldn’t have done the job at all. These friends stepped in to help in a practical, tangible way I’ll never forget.
That’s my Christmas storage story. And I’m sticking to it.
My dear husband had called everyone we knew to ask them to pray for my recovery—particularly our trip from Colorado back to Texas. The doctors insisted we stop every couple of hours to let me walk around; I didn’t need any more blood clots forming!
When we arrived home, I had waiting for me the greatest, non-spiritual Christmas gift I have ever received. Our close friends, the Mases and the Arledges had secured our house key from my parents and gone into our home to put away all of our Christmas decorations! Can you imagine a more profound labor of love? (I mean besides being a surrogate.)
We walked through that front door and an immaculate home greeted us, no trace of tinsel, no hint of holly, no sign of Santa . . . anywhere. These dear friends had even bought red and green containers (something I’d always wanted but been too cheap to buy for myself) to house our ornaments, stockings, and Christmas lights. They labeled everything and stored it back in our attic.
Not only could I have not done a better job myself, but that particular year I couldn’t have done the job at all. These friends stepped in to help in a practical, tangible way I’ll never forget.
That’s my Christmas storage story. And I’m sticking to it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
How do you store away Christmas? This week the Word Quilters will share our ideas for packing away Christmas and give you hints for orderliness, packing and labeling.
If you are into labeling, here's a hint for this week of 2009. Office Depot has a Brother's handheld labeler for $9.99 through January 10th, this Saturday. If you apply for an office Depot card, you can get an additional 10% off of that purchase and other future purchases. Labelers are helpful for growing families, especially for labeling "places" for children to get into habit of finding the right place to put away items. OK. Back to storing away Christmas.
I prefer the clear large storage boxes, no labeling needed because contents can be seen. I keep my inside holiday decor to a minimum, so mine fit into about 3 tubs, with a few runneth-over-items, too large for tubs (think Christmas throw pillows). Larger wreaths (hang on our country gates) are kept in garage on pegboards. No need to wrap them or keep them dust free. They are outdoor ornaments that get washed off with the first December rain. For my fake, but very realistic looking inside poinsettias, I store them with a plastic bag covering, clear cleaner bags are no-extra-costs and perfect for this purpose.
If you are in the mood to have less, read Mindy Starnes The House that Cleans Itself. I just finished it. It is for the "housecleaning impaired." I have that gene. Through her own trial and error, she discovered her strengths and weaknesses in the art of housecleaning. She passes along some very doable and workable solutions. Some, I'd already discovered on my own, but I especially loved her suggestions for an incoming paper station and just set mine up yesterday.
I just prayed for all who will read these posts that you will be able to tuck away the tangible Christmas, but that the intangible spirit of giving and loving will stable itself in your hearts year round.
If you are into labeling, here's a hint for this week of 2009. Office Depot has a Brother's handheld labeler for $9.99 through January 10th, this Saturday. If you apply for an office Depot card, you can get an additional 10% off of that purchase and other future purchases. Labelers are helpful for growing families, especially for labeling "places" for children to get into habit of finding the right place to put away items. OK. Back to storing away Christmas.
I prefer the clear large storage boxes, no labeling needed because contents can be seen. I keep my inside holiday decor to a minimum, so mine fit into about 3 tubs, with a few runneth-over-items, too large for tubs (think Christmas throw pillows). Larger wreaths (hang on our country gates) are kept in garage on pegboards. No need to wrap them or keep them dust free. They are outdoor ornaments that get washed off with the first December rain. For my fake, but very realistic looking inside poinsettias, I store them with a plastic bag covering, clear cleaner bags are no-extra-costs and perfect for this purpose.
If you are in the mood to have less, read Mindy Starnes The House that Cleans Itself. I just finished it. It is for the "housecleaning impaired." I have that gene. Through her own trial and error, she discovered her strengths and weaknesses in the art of housecleaning. She passes along some very doable and workable solutions. Some, I'd already discovered on my own, but I especially loved her suggestions for an incoming paper station and just set mine up yesterday.
I just prayed for all who will read these posts that you will be able to tuck away the tangible Christmas, but that the intangible spirit of giving and loving will stable itself in your hearts year round.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
A Caribbean New Year's Celebration
We have just returned from a holiday cruise aboard the Eurodam, a Holland America Line ship. This is the third time we've done Christmas and New Year's in the Caribbean. It's fun and gives our kids less stress in having to be one more place for their Christmas rounds--well, it's a good excuse, right?
New Year's celebrations in the Caribbean were very noisy. We spent the last two days of 2008 in Aruba and Curacao and both were alive with fireworks. There were more firecrackers going off that we had around home for the Fourth of July!
In Willemstad, Curacao, we could hear them all over the town and from the ship's upper decks we could see columns of smoke rising when they went off. Curious, we ventured out and found that there were chains of firecrackers a city block long that were being set off. They took about 20 minutes to all go off in a noisy celebration of the New Year.
Sadly, by the time we returned to the ship, the Christmas decorations were gone and in their place were all the glitz and glimmer for the New Year party that night. But what a wonderful time of seeing in the New Year with people from all over the world gathered together on a ship in the middle of a warm Caribbean Sea. Did I mention it was warm??
Warm wishes for a wonderful New Year filled with peace and joy!
[BTW--There are more pictures on my blog.]
Friday, January 2, 2009
A New Year Already
Happy New Year to One and All.
Here is a photo taken of me dressed as a Christmas Santa's helper, and our volunteer sunflower which is in full bloom on Christmas Day. This is a symbol of hope to me, as it survived nights of freezing to bloom boldly. Let's all do great and unexpected things in 2009.
Does your house look less bright when the Christmas tree is set out on the curb, or stored in the attic, and the wreaths and stockings are put away?
Christmas is a sparkly time of year, and 2009 holds all kinds of possibilities for us.
Thinking of the world situation, and family concerns, I like this Scripture, and hope you will find it encouraging:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Ephesians 5:20 NKJV Thomas Nelson Chronological Study Bible
Thursday, January 1, 2009
And Then It Was January - Trish Berg
Well, it is now January 1st, 2009, and Christmas is over. Not exactly for Christians, but as far as the world sees Christmas, the celebrations, dinners, and gift giving is over.
The decorations come down. The trees are drug out of the house or put back up into the attic.
I don't know about you, but once we take everything down, the house always looks kind of empty and bare. It can be such a downer.
But, with January also comes a fresh start. God grants us new beginnings each and every day of our lives. When the sun comes up, we have a new beginning. His grace provides forgiveness for our mistakes, and we get to start again.
Do-overs. That's what we get. Do-overs.
But with January comes GREAT BIG do-overs. A new year. A new start. A fresh beginning.
I am not one for New Year's resolutions, since I have enough guilt in my life.
But I am one for fresh starts.
So today, as you begin to take down your Christmas decorations, see it not as an ending of celebrating Jesus' birthday, but as a beginning of a new year with Jesus walking beside you.
He has big pans for you this year. He has a purpose for your life.
"The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, o Lord, endures forever." - Psalm 138:8
And all we need to do is to commit 2009 to God. To His plan for our lives.
That is what I am doing.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." - Proverbs 16:3
So, Happy New Year.
January 2009 is upon us, and it is just the beginning of a fresh start, a new beginning for your life.
What will God do in your life in 2009?
His plans are anything but empty and bare.
So go ahead and take down that Christmas tree. Tuck all your decorations away in the attic.
Let God decorate your life with His love, His grace, and His plans.
And that is the most beautiful decorations of all....
Happy New Year.
Trish Berg
www.TrishBerg.com
The decorations come down. The trees are drug out of the house or put back up into the attic.
I don't know about you, but once we take everything down, the house always looks kind of empty and bare. It can be such a downer.
But, with January also comes a fresh start. God grants us new beginnings each and every day of our lives. When the sun comes up, we have a new beginning. His grace provides forgiveness for our mistakes, and we get to start again.
Do-overs. That's what we get. Do-overs.
But with January comes GREAT BIG do-overs. A new year. A new start. A fresh beginning.
I am not one for New Year's resolutions, since I have enough guilt in my life.
But I am one for fresh starts.
So today, as you begin to take down your Christmas decorations, see it not as an ending of celebrating Jesus' birthday, but as a beginning of a new year with Jesus walking beside you.
He has big pans for you this year. He has a purpose for your life.
"The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, o Lord, endures forever." - Psalm 138:8
And all we need to do is to commit 2009 to God. To His plan for our lives.
That is what I am doing.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." - Proverbs 16:3
So, Happy New Year.
January 2009 is upon us, and it is just the beginning of a fresh start, a new beginning for your life.
What will God do in your life in 2009?
His plans are anything but empty and bare.
So go ahead and take down that Christmas tree. Tuck all your decorations away in the attic.
Let God decorate your life with His love, His grace, and His plans.
And that is the most beautiful decorations of all....
Happy New Year.
Trish Berg
www.TrishBerg.com
Avoiding the Post-Christmas Let-Down
The phenomenon reminds me of coming home from church camp. As a young person, I enjoyed experiencing a spiritual high each year as I worshipped with friends, learned from dynamic speakers, and played hard on too little sleep. That one-two punch always left me depleted, though, and the days following camp were often marked by a low—a brief time of depression or the blues.
I think many of us experience something similar right after Christmas. After all, we’ve put so much energy and enthusiasm into decorating, cooking, and entertaining for the weeks leading up to Christmas. The time following can be a let-down of giant proportions.
My attitude toward this common occurrence changed dramatically in 2004, when I suffered a massive stroke on our trip home from Colorado to Texas. You may read in more detail about this life-changing event on my website (http://www.lesliewilson.com/), but as anyone who undergoes an extreme medical crisis can tell you it gives you a different perspective on life—and the things we tend to gripe about or take for granted. While this certainly doesn’t mean that I run around every day singing praise songs and thanking God for the very gift of life, it has influenced me to slow down, stop worrying so much and to experience greater contentment right where I am. January of 2009 marks the 5th anniversary of my stroke. However, the memories of that day are as fresh in my mind—and the minds of my family members—as if it were yesterday. And the truth I rest in is this: Who do I live for? Who’s important to me? What can I do now to influence my eternity?
I’ll be honest with you. I wish it hadn’t taken a stroke that paralyzed the entire right side of my body to get my attention. I wish I had been more attentive to God and been able to hear His voice and determine His direction for my life without going through such a crisis. But it is what it is. I did go through it. I not only lived, but I’m also able to praise Him for the miracles He worked through it. Praise God for His incredible wisdom and for loving me in spite of myself.
All I have to do is read back through the story of my life at that time to help me maintain a proper—optimistic, peaceful, eternal—perspective today. I invite you to do the same.
I think many of us experience something similar right after Christmas. After all, we’ve put so much energy and enthusiasm into decorating, cooking, and entertaining for the weeks leading up to Christmas. The time following can be a let-down of giant proportions.
My attitude toward this common occurrence changed dramatically in 2004, when I suffered a massive stroke on our trip home from Colorado to Texas. You may read in more detail about this life-changing event on my website (http://www.lesliewilson.com/), but as anyone who undergoes an extreme medical crisis can tell you it gives you a different perspective on life—and the things we tend to gripe about or take for granted. While this certainly doesn’t mean that I run around every day singing praise songs and thanking God for the very gift of life, it has influenced me to slow down, stop worrying so much and to experience greater contentment right where I am. January of 2009 marks the 5th anniversary of my stroke. However, the memories of that day are as fresh in my mind—and the minds of my family members—as if it were yesterday. And the truth I rest in is this: Who do I live for? Who’s important to me? What can I do now to influence my eternity?
I’ll be honest with you. I wish it hadn’t taken a stroke that paralyzed the entire right side of my body to get my attention. I wish I had been more attentive to God and been able to hear His voice and determine His direction for my life without going through such a crisis. But it is what it is. I did go through it. I not only lived, but I’m also able to praise Him for the miracles He worked through it. Praise God for His incredible wisdom and for loving me in spite of myself.
All I have to do is read back through the story of my life at that time to help me maintain a proper—optimistic, peaceful, eternal—perspective today. I invite you to do the same.
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