X is for Xmas

How timely that for ABC Wednesday we are on the letter X. The history of the letter X as used in Xmas is fascinating and does not take away from Christ in Christmas.

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It was first used in the mid 1500s. X is the Greek letter “chi,” the initial letter in the word Χριστός. And here’s the kicker: Χριστός means “Christ.” X has been an acceptable representation of the word “Christ” for hundreds of years. This device is known as a Christogram. The mas in Xmas is the Old English word for “mass.”  (The thought-provoking etymology of “mass” can be found here.) In the same vein, the dignified terms Xpian and Xtian have been used in place of the word “Christian.” Source.

At this old house Christmas is all about Jesus Christ and his arrival on this earth with His mission to bring the Truth (He is the truth) and to ultimately die on the cross for our sins. I’m not getting my knickers in a knot over the use of X instead of Christ for Christmas. Some of these over 100 year old postcards from Dear’s Great Great Aunt have both Xmas and Merry Christmas on them.

More explanation from R.C. Sproul with Ligonier Ministries, “First of all, you have to understand that it is not the letter X that is put into Christmas. We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X. That X has come through church history to be a shorthand symbol for the name of Christ.”

These postcards were mailed in December of 1909!

A very Merry Christmas and A Merry Xmas to all my ABC Wednesday friends!

Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt for starting ABC Wednesday and for Roger and the team for administrating the weekly meme!

So are you prepared for Christmas? We are getting soaked here in the Pacific Northwest! Lots of snow in the mountains, too. How are things in your part of the world?

Raclette for Six…

 

We were inspired to buy our own Raclette grill after being introduced to this meal idea at Bev and Harv’s for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas party.

 

On Friday night we had some friends over who also happen to be our former worship leader and the real estate agent who we bought this old house from. Before we sat down to eat we gave them a tour of this old house to see all the improvements made since we bought the house with Stephanie’s help back in 1999.

 

A table of six is an easy table to set. I was able to use one of my random sets of silverware that I only have six place settings of.

 

Boiled potatoes, cheese, and bread are the main ingredients along with meat for a Raclette and then pickles and other pickled sides. The skies the limit or what you can fit on your table is the limit of other fun things to eat cold or to grill. We chose rib-eye steak, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, endive, beets, and baby corn. We also a made a nice garlic, chive and butter mix, a little goes a long way.

I had a major photo fail and didn’t take a photo of us cooking at the table or a photo of our special guests but here is one from last Christmas of Aaron, Stephanie, and two of their daughters and one of their nieces.

 

It was a very fun and relaxed time cooking our food at the table.

On this last Sunday before Christmas Dear and I were at church at 6:45 a.m.! We volunteered to help make donuts for the early service which starts at 8:00 a.m. Since Dear can’t sleep past 4:00 it wasn’t a struggle for us to get to church so early. The doughnut production line worked well with mixing, pouring, frying, and frosting and sprinkling and then out to the lobby to serve the people arriving. I manned a mixer and Dear was at the hot stove flipping doughnuts! There were many who thought they were the best doughnuts they’ve ever had. Fresh is good!

I’m all done wrapping the gifts for under the tree. We drew names this year for our immediate family so the wrapping was a lot easier. I even wrapped the birthday gifts for Katie since her birthday is December 27th. When you have December and January birthdays I’ve found that you need to get those gifts before Christmas or the selections are pretty dismal in January.

How are things going at your house?

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.

Joy Bells Are Ringing ~ Hymn

Joy Bells Are Ringing

Joy bells are ringing,
Christmas is bringing
Tidings of Jesus’ birth.
Candles are gleaming,
Gladness is streaming
Out over all the earth.

Light is ascending,
Nighttime is ending,
Sunshine from God appears.
Hope of the ages,
Foretold by sages,
Comes to dispel all fears.

O what a treasure
God in His pleasure
Lovingly gives today.
Grace to the lowly,
Peace, pure and holy,
Angels to men convey.

Come to the manger,
Kindred and stranger,
Hail now the newborn King!
In adoration
With jubilation
Peoples and nations sing!

Banish all sadness,
Fill me with gladness,
Jesus, whom I adore!
All else may perish,
Thee will I cherish
Now and forevermore!

Words: Nils Frykman, 1881. Translated from Swedish to English by E. Gustav Johnson, 1946.

InSPIREd Sunday

I’m re-posting these photos from my visit to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in December of 2008. I’m anticipating another visit to San Francisco at the end of January for a cancer symposium. Dear is the one who will be at the cancer symposium and I will be a tourist in San Francisco again.

 

Grace Cathedral is descended from the historic Grace Church, built in the Gold Rush year of 1849, and the imposing structure on the corner of California and Stockton streets that was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. San Francisco’s Crocker family gave their Nob Hill porperty, destroyed by the fire, for the building of a new cathedral.

 

Work began on this structure in 1928. Designed in the French Gothic style by Lewis Hobart, it was completed in 1964.

 

 

Famed for its Ghiberti doors, labyrinths, stained glass, the cathedral has become an internationally-known place of pilgrimage.

 

The Doors of Paradise are considered by many to be the first and greatest masterpiece of Italian Renaissance. The magnum opus of Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), the doors were made for the Baptistery of Florence Cathedral (the Duomo) and told the story of the Old and New Testaments. Grace Cathedral’s doors were made from the same molds – which were later destroyed – used for the originals.

 

 

 

I was also impressed with several of the other doors into the cathedral and wanted to show you them, too.

 

 

 

One of my special treats the day I visited the Cathedral was a small orchestra practicing for a Christmas concert. It was just so beautiful to walk around the inside of the cathedral being serenaded with beautiful music that inspired me to praise God for all the wonder available to us…

 

So much wonder this time of year. I’m taking time to adore my savior.

Friday night we are going to have a small Raclette party at our house. Maybe I’ll take photos to share later. A dear friend of ours was the Realtor we used to buy this old house. She has not been back since 1998 to see the improvements we’ve made. I don’t know how that happened but finally she and her hubby are coming for dinner and we’ll give her a tour of the improved version of this old house. Since we will be busy with preparations for our time together I’m posting this early because I won’t be on the computer until who knows when. Hope you all are enjoying the wonders of the Christmas season!

I’ll be linking up with Beth and Sally for InSPIREd Sunday! I’ll probably be missing in action next week.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.

Signs, signs…

 

Taking a little break from Christmas posts with these signs from the city of Duvall in Washington State. We were here back in October. The Sorry we’re Open sign was outside Armadillo Barbecue.

 

 

Across the street and down the block was this bakery with it’s clever sign.

 

Next store was the Duvall Coffeehouse “Rise and Shine”.

 

So you have bread, coffee, and then there’s the Tap room. See my reflection in the door?!

 

Across the street is the Valley Grange built in 1926.

 

I’ll leave Duvall with this cafe sign. The next town down the highway is Carnation and I’ll show the signs from their main street in January!

Hope all your Christmas preparations are going well. We are plugging away and getting excited for the time we’ll have together as a family.

Linking up with Lesley for signs, signs.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.

 

Charlie the Tree…

Here’s Charlie our Free Range Tree!

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It wasn’t intentional but the lights on our tree form a cross intersecting with the lights on our window frame. From the manger to the cross will be celebrated with gratitude to our Savior, Jesus Christ at this old house!

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.

I Wonder…

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus, the Savior, did come for to die.
For poor, ornery people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander
Out under the sky.

 

Christmas is a time of wonder and joy.

 

This old house has been decked for this most wonderful time of year.

 

 

 

Our Christmas goodies are a combination of old and new. These mugs are from the late 80’s.

 

The kissing Santa and Mrs. Santa are from my MIL’s stash and are probably from the 50’s, made in Japan.

 

The Christmas angels and little girl bell are more old Christmas treasures from Dear’s mother.

 

Our humble entry, inside and out.

 

 

The living room with our fireplace. We are still talking about adding a mantle in the future.

 

This wooden nativity was purchased at Disneyland and is a set that I bought that could be handled and enjoyed by our kids when they were toddlers.

 

This rocker rocked all three of our children when they were babes.

 

The nativity is a more recent acquisition but the angel trio are from my MIL’s Christmas collection.

 

 

 

We have a new daughter in law this year so I decided to buy new stockings for our family of eight.

 

Waiting for some wonderful times of sipping away with friends and family.

 

Hoping for a most wonderful Christmas for all my friends in bloggy world.

Next post will reveal our sparsely decorated Charlie Brown Free Range Christmas tree.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for W is for Wonder, Wonderful, Wooden, Waiting, and World.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.

 

Of the Father’s Love Begotten ~ Hymn

Of the Father’s Love Begotten

Of the Father’s love begotten, ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see, evermore and evermore!

At His Word the worlds were framèd; He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean in their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun, evermore and evermore!

He is found in human fashion, death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children doomed by law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below, evermore and evermore!

O that birth forever blessèd, when the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving, bare the Savior of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face, evermore and evermore!

This is He whom seers in old time chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the prophets promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long expected,
Let creation praise its Lord, evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven adore Him; angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him, and extol our God and King!
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert sing, evermore and evermore!

Righteous judge of souls departed, righteous King of them that live,
On the Father’s throne exalted none in might with Thee may strive;
Who at last in vengeance coming
Sinners from Thy face shalt drive, evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, thee let young men, thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens, with glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its music bring, evermore and evermore!

Christ, to Thee with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving, and unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory, evermore and evermore!

Words: Aurelius Prudentius Clemens, 348-410.

InSPIREd Sunday

 

Langley United Methodist Church on Whidbey Island. We were in Langley on Thanksgiving weekend and I took this shot.

Linking up with Beth and Sally at InSPIREd Sunday.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.

 

A Merry Hummus Appetizer

Do you need a fun idea for a Christmas Appetizer?

 

I posted the directions on how to make these hummus Christmas Trees on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog.

You can be more creative than me with some diced cucumber and diced red bell pepper to make more ornaments and garland. A yellow pepper star would be cute on top, too.

We’ve had lots of rain here in the Pacific Northwest with many rivers at flood levels. We are getting another round of rain today. It’s great decorating and baking weather if we keep our power! How are things in your neck of the woods?

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage on their site. All my photos that I stored and uploaded from that site are now big ugly black and grey boxes with a message to pay big bucks to get them restored to my blog. It will take me a long time to restore thousands of posts.