Holidays

AH, THANKSGIVING, HOW I LOVE YOU!

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Leading up to our Thanksgiving Day celebration in the U.S., I’m doing a few posts that revisit some of my poems that focus on that holiday. I hope you enjoy them, whether you’re reading them again or for the first time.

Community-wide Thanksgiving Dinner

Ah, Thanksgiving, how I love you!
Golden crowning jewel of Fall,
Beacon of warmth and cam’raderie,
Sending glad invitation to all:

“Gather to worship; gather to visit;
Gather to focus on all that’s worthwhile;
Feast from tables resplendent with harvest;
Feast on the love in a touch and a smile.”

All the year’s labors weigh heavy upon us.
All the world’s problems seem bigger by far.
But out from that wearisome struggle you call us,
And laying it down, we run to where you are.

And whether in cottages, mansions, or churches,
Community buildings, or tables in parks,
We gather with gratitude full – overflowing;
To the Giver of blessings lift voices and hearts.

Then we return to life’s pattern awaiting.
Filled up with joy, we set off on our way,
Warmer and richer and kinder in spirit
For pausing to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

PERFECT THANKSGIVING GIFT

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Here it is: The perfect little Thanksgiving gift for those you want to bless during this time of gratitude for God’s abundant blessings in our lives. This small soft-cover book is a seasonal collection of scriptures, pictures, and Thanksgiving poems and essays by my father Ted Pavloff and me. The cover features the photography of my sister Brenda Calvert, so it’s really a family collaboration.

Only 25 pages long, measuring 5 1/5 x 8 1/2,  it is just the right size to pick up and enjoy for a few moments of seasonal pleasure in the weeks anticipating Thanksgiving Day or in the hours after dinner, when you’re letting your turkey and dressing settle.

$4.00 on Amazon. You can find your copy at this link.

creating christmas cards

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

It’s the time of year, when I start creating Christmas cards for the new holiday season. This is the front of the very first card for the 2021 Christmas season. I think I’m going to leave the inside of this one blank so the sender will have plenty of room for his own personal message or even a short note. I did the original work in watercolor, and then turned it into prints for the cards.

12 Days of Christmas Coffee – Day 12

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

COFFEE W. GLASSES - Gerd Altmann - PX

Wishing all of you the happiest, merriest, most carefree new year ever — and lots of great coffee to enjoy in 2020!

In case you missed some of the earlier posts in “12 Days of Christmas Coffee,” just drop down and click on “12 Days of Christmas Coffee” in the tag line at the end of this post. That will take you to a page with all 12 posts.

photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann @ pixabay.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

12 Days of Christmas Coffee – Day 8

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

MUG WITH BOW - PUB DOM - PX

Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas includes giving gifts each of the 12 days to someone we care about. Why not treat yourself to the gift of a great cup of coffee, along with some little tarts — or a chocolate bar — or some peanut butter cookies — or some of all three.

Not only is it Day 8 of the 12-day celebration, but it’s New Year’s Day, after all. And there’s no better way to welcome in 2020 than with coffee and sweets. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Celebrating the Real 12 Days of Christmas

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

CHRISTMAS SWIRL -- Gerd Altmann -- PX

TODAY, DECEMBER 25TH, IS THE BEGINNING OF THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS — the period which, for centuries, has been set aside to focus on the joy of Jesus’ having come to us in the flesh: 12 days when believers rejoice and celebrate by giving gifts to others every day.

Gifts do not have to be extravagant. They can be very simple. It’s the meaning behind them that matters — Giving something to someone you care about because you want to emphasize God’s gift to us. Probably many of you have given loads and loads of gifts to family and friends during the past couple days. But spreading out the joy and the giving over a much longer period of time intensifies the treasure of this celebration in our own hearts. And it helps to reaffirm for us that the true meaning of Christmas does not come to a close at midnight on December 25th.

In the United States especially, a majority of people seem to have the attitude that after the 25th, everything “Christmas” should come down and be packed away — and wait for another 11 months before being seen or heard from again. How sad. We would do well to take a lesson from believers of previous centuries — particularly in many of the European countries — who relished the celebration of 12 full days of joy that just got started on December 25th.

If you’ve never celebrated the 12 days of rejoicing and sharing the joy with others, try it. Begin today and celebrate through January 5th, 2020. The following day, January 6th, is Epiphany — which is it’s own celebration — focusing on Jesus’ manifestation as savior to the Gentile nations and the whole world.

Get out of the rut of making Christmas a 2-day party and then a “let-down.” Instead, get a fresh start today and let Jesus bring you a brand new revelation of who He is during this 12 days of Christmas and Epiphany season.

photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann @ pixabay.com