Christmas Time is Here...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
There'll be much mistltoeing,
And hearts will be glowing,
When love ones are near!
It's the most wonderful time of the year!

~Andy Williams

Not only is it the most wonderful time like the songs says, it's also my favorite time of the WHOLE year! I love the sounds, the cold weather, the music, the lights, the trees, the business, the overall excitement! It's just a happy time. At least for me. I still get a little perturbed over the traffic and nastiness of people who don't enjoy the season, but I know that there is a good reason to celebrate!

I had a conversation with someone at my workplace last week. This person is not a Christian, dislikes anything to do with family, friendships, and holidays, especially Christmas. She was commenting on how when I "grow up"and "go through bad situations" I will understand why she hates Christmas and I won't love it as much as I do now. I said that I would never not love Christmas or this season. But I bit my tongue because I didn't want to "preach" at her. (She knows I am a Christian.) This little interlude made me realize even more how lost this world is. I love Christmas for the reasons I stated above, but I also love it because it tells us the beginning of the story of our Saviour. Jesus Christ came down from Heaven where He was sitting next to His Father to save us and this sinful world! What a pitiful sight we must have been! Yet, He came down here because He loved us!

I never want to lose the real reason behind Christmas. I never want to lose my joy and happiness throughout the craziness of this season. It's a time to be blessed and to bless other people!

Well, my Christmas Eve was quiet and rather uneventful. I am suffering with a slight cold, but it hasn't prevented me from the celebration! Last night we had our candlelight service at church. (Picture at left, sorry it's edited but it's the only one I have!) We had a video going on the screen of a yule log! The tree and Nativity scene on the piano was looking spectacular with all the other lights dimmed in the church! We had had dinner before service at Grandma's then returned there after the service for dessert and presents. But the biggest surprise was when my cousin and my aunt showed up at my grandparents' front door! They flew in all the way from Arizona to spend Christmas in Jersey! It was a great surprise and it was wonderful to spend some time with them!

Christmas Morning! Because of this cold, I was up at 4 am, but I didn't get anyone else up until 7:30am. We dressed and went downstairs, all sitting on the couches to listen as dad read the Christmas story from Matthew. Then, the presents. Books, calendars, slippers, sweatshirts, a wafflemaker, bobbleheads, giftcards and more were all in the mix! It was so fun to spend time with family! Then the extended family came at 10. (My dad's parents and sister.) We had brunch! So yummy!

 We had muffins, fancy coffee cake, a German breakfast dish (far right) that I can't pronounce, lol, and quiche: spinach & swiss, and three cheese!


We also had blueberry bread and a bowl of fruit! Delicious!

 



Here's Opa and Oma after eating talking to Mom (not pictured.)

                              Aunt Linda and Dad chatting in the kitchen.

Elizabeth working on her guitar. It's all tuned and ready for her to start teaching herself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to wish you all a Happy Christmas, as they say in Great Britain, and a Blessed New Year!

~Abby

 

Elizabeth (right) and I
 

Christmas Time is Here

Pure

      A dear friend had sent me this picture via social media and I asked if I could take the picture and write something up about it and post it on my blog. She graciously said yes so here it is!

     We live in a culture where purity is a thing almost unheard of! "You're waiting? Why?""Get it over with!" "You will most likely not be with this person when you're old enough to get married, so just do it." "It doesn't matter what other people say, it's okay." "Other people have done it. What's the harm?"

     Maybe you've heard some of these statements from coworkers, friends, or even family members. It's discouraging, right? You have made a decision and others don't understand it. You may feel like no one has the same conviction. You are at a lose. Should I just go ahead? Should I just do it? 

     Let me tell you a quick story: there was a girl, let's call her Brenda. She and her boyfriend had been careful, never allowing themselves to be a situation where they could make a bad choice. They were content where they were because they were waiting. But doubts began to form in Brenda's head because people at her job had made fun of her and her choice. "Why are you waiting? Just do it and get it over with." Some of them even said that if she didn't sleep with her boyfriend, he might leave her. She was terrified. I can't lose him! she thought. We are doing the right thing by waiting. Without realizing it, she had let Satan get into her head. No matter what she did, she had these nagging thoughts telling her to "do it." She finally had enough. Brenda called her boyfriend, let's call him Sam. She began to tell her what had been going on, everything that people had said, the thoughts that had been going through her head, etc. She was crying hysterically. "You and I both know that we can't. I have an idea," he said. They agreed to meet the next day and talk in person. Sam sat her down, grabbed her hands, looked into her eyes and said, "We are going to make a promise, first to God, to each other, then ourselves. We are not going to let other people get into our heads. We know it's wrong. With God's help, we are going to resist the temptations that our culture lays before us and be pure in the sight of God."

       Because of the promise and commitment that these two made to God, each other, and themselves, they resisted the temptations. And, they are married today!

      The point I was making by telling you that story was that you can resist. You can be pure. You can be faithful and true. Whether you are in a relationship or not, God will help you to control yourself and not cross that line. God is saving the perfect person for you. Our Father has something very special for you. He loves you so much and wants the bests for you! 

     Make the promise today. If you have fallen into that temptation, made that bad choice, ask for forgiveness. We are not perfect. God will forgive. He's awesome like that! Then determine in your heart to become who you are to be. If you have not crossed that line, make the choice now, today! Stay pure and true! In fact, if you make your decision today, if reading through this has helped you to make up your mind, then leave me a comment and tell me so! I would love to hear from you! And, if you are struggling with this, please let me know. I will be glad to pray for you!!!

     So, the "moral of the story" is to make the choice for yourself. Stand tall and proud because you are God's creation and you can be true and faithful! Resist it now, and God will reward you!

Blessings! ~Abby 

PS: Thank you Julie for the picture!

Time flies! It's the holidays!

Well, I have not posted anything for over a month! It is now the first of December! Christmas is around the corner. What are your upcoming plans for the holidays? How have you been, my readers?

Since I last posted, Hurricane Sandy came through and destroyed most of the East Coast. There has been much damage here in Jersey. We were safe, thank God, but I have a few friends who were affected. I would appreciate prayer for them. There are so many people who were affected and lost so much and many lost everything. It's a time for Christians to step up and help others. Don't just read about it or watch the news. Prayer is always good, but sometime, we need to get up and do something for others. God is faithful!


Thanksgiving arrived with full force. We had a full house: nine of us around the table! It was enough, believe me! But it was a great time! Two days before Thanksgiving however, my family and others from our church put together and delivered our Thanksgiving baskets. We filled up boxes with food for the holiday, including a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and pies, and delivered it to families in our church and in the area to people who were suffering financially. It was such a great blessing to us to be able to help them at this time.

Our Thanksgiving, as I said, was great! We had the works: turkey, rice dressing, stuffing, sweet potatoes, veggies, cranberries, pies, cake, cookies, ice cream, etc! After the majority of our company left, we had a number of teenagers and young adults at the house to have some desserts with us, play some games, and just be together at the holidays!

Two friends slept over from Thanksgiving and we went shopping on Black Friday! Unlike the people who were on line at 3am, we slept then went to the mall around 10. It was busy and crowded, but not too bad. We got a lot of Christmas shopping done! It's always more fun to do things around the holidays with other people than by yourself. At least that's my opinion.

The majority of my Christmas shopping is done!!! So happy! Aside from ordering a few things here and there, I have all my presents done! Now I just have to wrap them all... the joys of the season!

Well, I promise to post soon about Christmas!

Merry Christmas! ~Abby