not my father's nativity

This is what Christmas is truly about: the birth of a baby who would become the perfect man, our example, our Savior.  It's awesome to me that the circumstances of his birth were so simple and uninspiring, and yet through the ages his birth has inspired faith in so many people.  I'm sure his parents, Mary and Joseph, couldn't imagine at the time the blessings this little child would bring or all the prophecies he would fulfill.  

After receiving shepherds who had been told by angels to follow a star where they would find and worship a newborn baby in a stable manger, and then three wisemen who brought priceless gifts and followed a star to find a king, these young parents must have known he was pretty special and that other people thought so too.  The scripture says "...Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."  For me it's hard to imagine the wonder and awe that Mary felt as she experienced these things.

And yet each Christmas I feel a sense of wonder as I think about the true meaning of Christmas.  There is so much about this season that I love, and that inspires me.  It's easy to get lost in all the symbols of Christmas and forget the true reason behind our celebrations and gift giving.  Ever since my brother died six years ago at Christmas it's become a little easier to remember the true meaning of Christmas.  This tiny child born in a stable, whose birth was heralded by angels and recorded in the stars, gave us so much promise and hope.  He showed us how to truly live, love and serve.  He paid for our sins and overcame death so we could have the promise of life--life immortal and life eternal with God, our father. 

I love Christmas for these reasons.  I love setting up the nativity and focusing on the the Christ child.  What a season of joy and hope this truly is.  I hope you feel it in your heart.

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

At home with my parents, we set up the little nativity scene from my father's family.  He's had this nativity since he was a child.  It's a well loved classic nativity from the 1940s, with cracked paint and multiple repairs.  The original baby Jesus is missing.  Dad wanted to slide down the coal chute and thought his mom would let him if he threw baby Jesus down the coal chute.  To his great disappointment he didn't get to slide down the coal chute and so baby Jesus remained in the coal.  I love this piece of family history and all the imperfections from aging and the love that it has received.  I miss this little nativity.  (Please see the comments for my father's version of the coal chute baby Jesus.  Thanks Dad for setting me straight.)

This year for my first Christmas in my own apartment before buying a tree or putting up lights, I set up a nativity.  In my travels this year I bought a nativity from the Woodcarver's Village in Kenya. It looks totally different from any nativity I have. It's earthy, tribal and stern, but it gets the basic story line across. I love the animals: a warthog, hyena and a sort of African sheep. This is definitely not my father's nativity, but I love it anyway.

And then I have this nativity from my sister-in-law, which I put under my tree.  What better place to put God's greatest gift to us than under the Christmas tree where we put all the gifts we are giving and receiving.  This has really helped me to remember the true meaning of Christmas this year.

I really love this one too.  My mom made this for me in Relief Society one year.  I just feel loved when I get this one out.

I picked this one up in Italy.  I have seen similar scenes on many of the buildings there.  I plan on keeping this one out all year.  So very Catholic of me...

photos by me

an overlooked carol

You'll know what I mean by the title when you hear which carol it is.

I love this version! 

It's fun, fresh and has pretty amazing vocals. 

I want to see these guys in concert.

May your true love give you some very nice gifts this Christmas.

capitol christmas!

Each year at Christmas I tell myself, "Self, you will go see a tree lighting ceremony at the White House."  And then I don't do it.  This year I told myself the same thing and then happened to mention it out loud to my friend AL.  She's a fan of the Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony because you can actually get onto the Capitol grounds and feel more a part of the ceremony than at the White House.  I said, "Self, this is a pretty good idea.  Let's do it."  So, we did.

Like all events on the Capitol lawn involving any members of the Congress or Senate, attendees to the tree lighting ceremony had to pass through security.  As we went through, we saw people with their government IDs getting into the area closest to the tree.  I had come straight from work, and had my ID with me, so we used it to try and get in.  No luck, only a Capitol staffer ID worked the required magic, but we still had a pretty great view of the tree outside the fence.  I'll get some close up photos another time.

The tree is 85 feet of Christmas gorgeousness covered in handmade ornaments.  It's from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in Arizona.  The school kids of the Grand Canyon State made all the ornaments. 

Apache dancers danced and blessed the tree, so it would be a true symbol of peace and goodwill towards all men.  It was really cool to hear their drumming and chanting, and it really helped to pass the time as we stood in the cold, damp grass waiting for the ceremony.  Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a good photo of the dancers.  The master of ceremonies was a real class act, cutting off the performance by telling the dance troupe, "Okay, that's all we have time for."   

We then stood and listened to the US Marine Corps band play Christmas carols until the ceremony began about 20 minutes later.  The band is so good, and it's always a treat to hear them play. 

The porch of the Capitol, where President Obama was inaugurated earlier this year, was filled with wounded warriors from Walter Reed and Bethesda Military Hospitals.  That was a nice touch.  The governor of Arizona said the lights on the tree represented all the service men and women all over the world sacrificing for our freedom.

I couldn't resist taking a photo shot of the view from the west lawn of the Capitol where we were standing.  Winter evenings in DC can be quite beautiful, especially at the Mall where they be can even be magical.

This is what happens when you try to take a long distance photo in the dark without a tripod.  I think it's an accidental artistic shot.  Uh-huh, right.

After several minutes of speeches by prominent Arizona politicians all trying to work the comparison of a Christmas tree to America, the lights were switched on by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a seventh grader from Surprise, Arizona.  The state held a drawing for which child would travel to DC and help light the tree.  I seriously want that job someday!  Not the Speaker's job, the job of being a seventh grader selected to travel with your family and school teacher to DC and turn on the tree.

More lights!  Senator John McCain was among the Arizona politicians who spoke.  I saw the top of his white haired head, which really didn't make for any exciting photos. 

All the politicians and the Capitol Architect who spoke were very proud of the fact that LED lights were being used on the tree for the fifth year in a row.  Because of the LED lights, it was a green Christmas tree (pun intended). 

I'm not exactly an environmentalist of any sort (I do recycle), but somehow I think that the green-ness gets erased when a tree that's 125 years old gets cut down and trucked across the country along with 80 other freshly cut, perfectly healthy trees for the purpose of decorating the Capitol and select members' offices, but that's just me.  I'm now mildly curious about the cost of buying back that carbon footprint, but not enough to give up buying a fresh Christmas tree. 

Presenting the Capitol Christmas tree...or that totally random woman with pink gloves checking the photos on her camera.

AL and I with the tree and Capitol dome in the background.  All in all it was great evening, and even the loss of my license and debit card didn't dampen the Christmas spirit.

Merry Christmas from our nation's capitol!

photos by me, AL and other random people at the ceremony

a trip around the world on a christmas tree

kilt wearing santa from scotland with nativity from germany in the background.

henry viii from england

matador jacket from spain and in the background photo ornament made by my little brother's friend

murano glass ball from venice, italy

the finished product.

more ornaments to follow over the next few days.

HAPPY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(and no it's not touching the radiator.

it's several inches away from the radiator.)

photos by me

some snow, a tree & a latin carol

Today it snowed!  It was a lovely, sticky, wet, marshmallowy fluff snow with flakes that looked like clumps of goose down feathers falling from the sky.  It was so beautiful.  Snow just makes me happy, and it makes me want Christmas.

Christmas greenery at Eastern Market covered in snow.

I bought my Christmas tree from Eastern Market in the middle of the snow storm this morning.  It's standing in all its naked glory in my living room giving off a pine scented perfume that says, "Hey, Christmas is here!"  Decorating will occur either tomorrow or Monday evening.

My little tree waiting for its ride home.

A Christmas concert this evening in a lovely Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill was the perfect end to this day.  The Capitol Hill Chorale once again performed a beautiful concert and inspired me with works of beauty.  They performed one of my favorite carols In dulci jubilo, better known in English as Good Christian Men, Rejoice.  I love singing this carol in the original Latin and German text, but the English translation in the program tonight was particularly poignant.  It fully wrapped my heart in Christmas spirit today.

"In quiet joy now sing with hearts aglow!
Our delight and pleasure lies in a manger.
Like sunshine is our treasure in the mother's lap.
Thou art Alpha and Omega.

"O tiny Jesus for thee I long alway!
Comfort my heart's blindness, o best of boys.
With all Thy loving kindness,
O prince of glory, draw me after Thee.

"O love of the Father!  O gentleness of the Son!
Deeply were we stained by our sins.
But Thou for us hast gained the joy of heaven.
O that we were there!

"Where are joys in any place but there!
There are angels singing new songs,
and there the bells are ringing in the king's court.
O that we were there!"
(original Latin and German text by Heinrich Seuse, 1328)

Happy Christmas!
I definitely caught some Christmas spirit today.

photos by me

where I was & where I am

Last year I was here.

I can't believe it's been a year.  So much has happened.
I've been home from Afghanistan for a year as of today!

My heart is so full.  Thank you God for letting me come home.

Things I'm thank for this week - VII

We all know it's good to be thankful or in others words to cultivate an 'attitude of gratitude'.  I recently read an article on The Benefits of Being Thankful.  The author summarizes the benefits, which result from consciously spending a little time each day being thankful.  Participants in the study reported greater levels of optimism and more positive moods and a feeling of belonging, or in other words "experiencing gratitude promoted psychological well being."  Not only did they feel better, but they also spent more time helping someone else with their problems.  Participants in another study reported less physical illness symptoms and spent more time exersizing.  So, being thankful also promotes physical well being or good health. 


Another study, focused on participants with a neuromuscular disease, and they reported higher levels of positive sleep, as well as more and better quality sleep.  The study group participant's spouse or partner were also asked to track behaviors during the study and reported more positive outlooks and less negativity, meaning that the effects of gratitude were noticeable by others. 


I already knew all of this.  Okay, I hadn't consciously sat down and thought about how being grateful was making me happier or healthier, I just knew on some level that it was.  This article simply confirmed what I already knew and could feel within myself as I contemplated my blessings.


I love that God's commandments are for the benefit of his children.  And so it is with the commandment to "...live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which He doth bestow upon you" (Alma 34:38).  I hope that you often spend time contemplating and listing those things for which you are thankful.  As you do, you will reap the blessings of being thankful.

It's hard to narrow the list to just a few things each day for which I'm thankul.
So, here is a long list:


leaves changing colors
raking leaves
change
mail
cleanliness
sleep and rest
my savior and friend, jesus christ
hair cuts
travel
good food
my job
experience
you
good conversation
my grandma's orange chairs
my family
books on my shelves
art on my walls
holidays
time off
time alone
time with friends
time
hope, faith, love, service
testimony of christ, prayer, the restored gospel and god
being thankful

image from: lettersofyourlife.com

Things I'm thankful for this week - VI

my sense of self

weekends

especially saturday mornings when i don't set an alarm.

singing

light and truth

yellow

photo from: shutterthemes.com