Christmas

An Expression of Light

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

My favorite thing about Christmas decorations are lights.  I could exist the entire month of December with just little white lights to shine each night.  Today the first surprise in our stocking revealed that we were getting a Christmas tree today!  We have traipsed many a farm, and though that may be in our future again, we tend to stick to Produce Junction, where the trees are inexpensive and hardly ever drop their needles.  Our top farm-traipsing trip had to be in California when we chopped down, and very carefully drove home, a 17-ft Christmas tree.  The second best year was when I went with a friend and our (then) four kids and we were chosen to get a free tree.  I picked out as big a tree as we could manage, and basked in the fact that it was a gift.  I love big trees, and maybe one year we’ll have another huge tree with a thousand lights, but this year I really like the one we have.  Before we could decorate it, we pulled out all our strings of lights.  Dead.  Or half-dead, which is as good as dead.  So, off Elsie and I traipsed (see, we got our traipsing in after all!) to get some more lights.

The first thing we do is string the lights.  At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, was with God, and was God, and he existed with God from the beginning… In him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind.

Of course when it came time to hang up my banister lights, the same thing happened.  Half-lit strands.  I finagled big time, and made it work without traipsing this time.  The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.

Then amid all this joy, a despondency overwhelmed my spirit.  I think it was the end of a long, draining week, finally catching up to me.  I think it was the sight of my woolly husband, so kindly offering to make me oven-fried chicken because that is what I was craving.  (No, I’m not pregnant).  I think it was the beauty of so many white lights.  I know it was the realization that no matter how I feel, Emmanuel,  God with us, was there.  Sadness at my human-ness and short-comings, blended together with the awe and joy of God with us, then mingled with my salty tears.  So the word of God became a human being and lived among us. We saw his splendour (the splendour as of a father’s only son), full of grace and truth.DSC_8941-001

Month of Socks

/ amylynw / 3 Comments

In last-minute fashion, I prepared our annual sock calendar Christmas countdown tonight.  We always manage to have at least 24 lonely socks by December, and they are usefully re-purposed    Instead of warming toes, they carry special secrets and surprises for the kids to find throughout the month of December.  When I asked them if they wanted to try something new this year, there was a resounding no way!  I think the socks are here to stay.  There will be cards in each one with a clue about what we’ll be doing that day, or directions to something they’re supposed to open, or coupons good for special treats.  Some will involve people outside our family, some won’t.  I’m not as good of a planner as I am a dreamer.  I was taking down our Happy Birthday banners from the past two months of birthdays, in the same hour I was putting up our Christmas socks.  But I ‘m thankful the kids roll with my haphazard ways.
DSC_8920
I don’t feel real pressured into the commercialism of this season.  I am more drawn to the man in the boat who slept through a wicked and wild storm, then firmly but surely rebuked the chaos into complete submission.  I would much rather possess the peace He came to bring, rather than the crazed yet drained look I sense in people’s eyes in line at the grocery store.  I’m drawn to the baby wrapped in rags, lying where a cow had just eaten its last meal.  I’m drawn to Him because He calls me to come and follow Him.  Where He is, there is much calm and contentment.  This is where I need to abide.
DSC_8924

Morning Tea and Other Things

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

For some reason I woke up way earlier than usual this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep.  My morning routine includes shuffling to the tea kettle, putting some water on to boil and making a nice big mug of hot tea.  I was sad to find all of my good British Blend tea gone this morning.  I had bought some cheap tea this week, knowing I was running low.  I had an open mind, willing myself to find it just as delightful and delicious as my favorite, more pricey kind.  My mind closed up pretty quickly after that first sip.  Oh, well.  There are just some things that I won’t scrimp on, and tea is one of them!  Give me beat up furniture and hand-me-down clothes, but I’ll take good tea, please!  So, with my mediocre cup of tea this morning, and before any more time goes marching into the past, here is our second half of Christmas: Syracuse style.  We dearly missed our North Carolina gang!  Without too many words, here is a snapshot of our short but wonderful weekend:

Chess games, superheroes, carrot-eating boys, silly gifts, meaningful gifts, cute kids, and lots and lots of joy.  We took a wet walk to a nearby park.  My favorite shots include a sneaky behind-the-back-photo of Abby and her mom, and Betty being snuggled by Uncle Beck.  Our usual “sister picture” never happened, but I do have an almost sister picture.  Can you find it?

  This boy was in his glory, surrounded by boy cousins his age, legos, nerf guns, and apple pie.

I’m so thankful for family, and every minute spent together is so special.  We borrowed Matthew’s parents’ “big red van” for the trip, because our van is just super tight for more than a two-hour trip.  The whole time driving, whenever we would hit a bump, it would feel like the roof was about to fly off.  There are other interesting noises it makes as well, so we  weren’t sure if what we heard was legitimate and didn’t think too much about it.  The day we got home from NY, we drove to the Sodies’ house to help demolish their kitchen and repair leak damage.  On the way, we hit the lip of a curb right before entering a small train tunnel.  The bump was so huge that the entire front windshield spider-webbed in an instant.  Everyone was crying, and we made our way the last five minutes to their house.  Thankfully, we were able to get it to a place that day to get fixed.  The entire drive there, I could hear the glass crackling and I was so nervous.  
When Heather & I went to pick it up, the guy told us that it was a good thing the windshield cracked, because it was barely being held onto the roof and something much more serious could have happened at any time.  So, even though it was scary, inconvenient, and not in our plan, God protected us and preserved us from something worse happening down the road.  So thankful!  Also, Matt & I weren’t imagining the sounds that the roof was about to fly off!


Thankful for a great many things this new year.  I am even thankful for my mediocre cup of tea.  It’s hot, and because I woke up so early, I got to spend some time with Matthew before he left for work: a rare treat.  Next on the grocery list: REAL tea.

To: You

/ amylynw / Leave a comment

Christmas this year was full of mixed emotions.  When I found out that one of my dearest friends lost her dad very suddenly, two days before Christmas, the sadness that mingled with joy was so palpable.  It was like oil and vinegar that just don’t mix.  So often the ache kept rising to the top.  Knowing that someone is spending Christmas with the One we’re celebrating is joyous too… just hard for the ones left behind.  It made me extra thankful for every moment spent with our family this weekend!

This is the first Christmas morning we have ever woken up in our own house!  It was a lot of fun to host the Weldon family.  One of the highlights was talking to Will & Rebecca on facetime.  Matt put them in a bowl of coffee beans so we could all stand around and see them… it was hilarious.  We miss them terribly and would gladly have given up coffee to have them with us!  What a treat to see and hear them, though!

The cinnamon rolls and monkey bread were a hit.  There were light sabers and nerf darts galore.  Battleship, puzzles, and other classic games are being played as I write.


The whole day was wrapped in coziness and love.


One of my favorite presents to give, was this chess/checkerboard table for Matthew.  The table was rescued by Rebecca about four years ago when Matt’s parents moved.  It was black and somewhat ugly.  She saw beauty in the rough, painted it white, and her daughter used it as an art table.  When they moved to Italy, she gave me the table to take care of and I decided to paint a checkerboard on it.  My friend Emily came to my rescue with baby food jar lids so I could complete the project with checker pieces!  I spray painted each lid with brown and white and the opposite-colored star from a stencil I cut out of a little card.  My hands were mysteriously covered in brown paint for three days, but it was super fun to make!


My favorite gift that I received was a home-made necklace from Matt’s sister, Heidi.  She made this fabulous piece out of an old spoon!  I love the class, charm, and uniqueness of it.

With every present under the tree, came the reminder again of the best gift of all.    A child was born with simplicity and everything natural that a baby brings.  He was simply wrapped in cloth.  A fanfare of shepherds and stable animals welcomed him into this world.  His destiny was our salvation.  From: God.  To: You.  Merry Christmas!

Star of Wonder Giveaway

/ amylynw / 11 Comments

During the in-between moments of the past few days I’ve been cutting, folding and gluing these Christmas ornaments.  Made from recycled cardboard and old sheet music, they are sure to add whimsical charm to any tree!  Today I’m excited to give away one of these oranaments to two people!  Leave a comment, telling me what theme your Christmas tree is this year and whether you prefer white or colored lights, and tomorrow I will announce the winners!  I’m completely stoked about my first give away!