Happy Advent!!!!!

                                                                                                                                                      
Yesterday, November 28th, marked the beginning of Advent, the holy season in which we prepare for Christmas and the second coming of Jesus.

Speaking of Christmas, it feels like the holiday comes earlier and earlier each year. Just four days after Thanksgiving, it seems as if almost every house in town already has Christmas lights and wreaths hanging outside, and in some houses you can already see Christmas trees through the curtains. At the mall, Christmas sales, decorations, and presents abound, while carols stream out the speakers.

Please reread the date at the top of this post and take a deep breath. Its November 29th. Christmas is still 25 days away.Though its past October I still feel we're overdoing it.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE Christmas. It is the one holiday that outshines my love for Thanksgiving, mostly because it is the 2nd most important holiday we celebrate (Easter being the first). The reason why its so important is because it is the day God sent His only Son Jesus to save us. I also love Christmas for all the other obvious reasons, the songs, the decorations, the gifts, the cheer etc.

But, it is November and it is Advent, our time to prepare for the day. Maybe putting up all the Christmas stuff and singing carols already is some people's way of preparing, but for other people, I'm just worried that by the time Christmas does come, they'll already be taking them down (which usually does happen) and forget why they put them up in the first place. And the stores? The ones that started their sales on Thanksgiving Day? I know they aren't preparing for the Christmas season, they want it to start now, they don't care about what it truly means, they just want customers.

I admit, its hard for me not to join in, and we should start to get in the mood because the 25th is going to be here soon, so I think listening to a carol here and there and watching a Christmas special or two won't hurt, just as long as we don't overdo it. I think to truly enjoy Christmas, we should prepare, (our hearts then our house) and when we are prepared, let the joy begin!

So grab an Advent Calendar, prepare, be patient with those Christmas ads, light those purple and pink Advent candles, and have a happy four weeks of  Advent!

Don't forget to sing "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel"!

Special Thanksgiving Edition of The Missy Times Is Now Available!

Inside The Times
Hurrah For Thanksgiving Day!
Over The River And Through The Woods, a Thanksgiving Poem
Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
Thanksgiving Resources
From The Readers:  Their Thanksgiving Memories, Traditions, Favorite Parts of Thanksgiving, And Things They Are Thankful For
Thanksgiving Decorations
How To Fold A Napkin In A Pyramid Fold
Stores, Forget About Black Friday Ads!
Leave It To Beaver
Poll Results

Snow, Part 2

                           

This morning, just two days after Thanksgiving, I woke up and climbed down the ladder of my bunk bed. I walked over to the window in the dark room and peeked through the blinds and was very, very pleasantly astonished. Fluffy white clumps that looked like tiny little clouds were slowly drifting to the ground. I felt a wave of excitement rush over me, for, though I saw it on the ground in Cleveland at the beginning of the month,  I didn't actually see the snow fall then.
This time it was the real deal! The first Beaver snowfall of winter!
It was so beautiful. I've been noticing something for a while now, and when I went outside today I noticed it yet again. Some way, I don't know how, when you stand outside in the snow, the world seems so much quieter, even more peaceful, and the silence sounds louder as long as the flakes are falling. Maybe that's why a winter wonderland seems so magical and mysterious. What do you think?
The snow didn't stick, but it was really cool to see it. Winter is beginning!

Oh How I Love Thanksgiving!

                       

                 

Waking up on Thanksgiving is almost as good as Christmas, for you know what good things the day will hold.

Colorful floats sail across the TV screen far, far away in New York City at the Macy’s Day Parade.

The whole house is bustling with chaos, everyone rushing here and there, mashing, mixing, stirring, adding, rolling, baking, tasting! Delicious smells waft from the kitchen as mother checks on the

turkey in the oven.

Relatives pour in from near and far, hugging and laughing, as the mound of coats on the couch piles up.

Finally, everyone is seated at the dining room table in eager silence. Then, coming through the doorway, seated on a shining silver platter, is the star of the show, the turkey! The room breaks into conversation but is soon silenced again as everyone bows their heads to pray.

Mountains of fluffy mashed potatoes with avalanches of flowing gravy; cranberry sauce with steam curling up towards the ceiling; turkey, both dark and white meat; green bean casserole, crunchy with fried onions; sweet pies of all kinds. The table has so many colors, it looks like a Autumn mural.

In the evening, after the meal, everyone is tired and lounges around in the living room, watching football, talking or playing games. Soon its time to go to bed, oh what a great day it’s been! Oh, what many things there are to be thankful for! Oh, how I love Thanksgiving!

Puzzles and Paintings

"The General and Madame came home on Christmas Eve, and such a racket the servants made, for they were glad of their coming!" That lively account of George and Martha Washington's post-war return to Mount Vernon was one of many contemporary sources John drew upon to bring this stirring scene to life. "I went to Mount Vernon in winter," he says, "and shot many rolls of film at every hour of the afternoon, looking for the most dramatic light. The roof is white now, but back then the shingles were red, so for a visual counterpoint I took the liberty of giving Washington a bold red manteau. You'll notice there are no wreaths, candles or other festive display to greet the general this Christmas Eve. Decorating for the holidays did not become an established American tradition until the 19th century."    -ArtUsa.com

A while ago, my mom bought a 750 piece puzzle which is a smaller version of this painting by John Buxton. I just started working on it on Sunday, and it's coming along really well. Its such a cool picture with Washington looking so stately and regal and all the colors so warm and bright, though wintery too. I don't believe many people think very much about this event in his life, on Christmas Eve, just after the war had ended.

I had never seen this piece of art before but now I'm really enjoying it as I fit it together, piece by piece.

Above: "He Returns Victorious" by John Buxton

Veterans Day

                                                                                 
Hope you had a happy and remembrance filled Veterans Day, as we honored all those who have offered their service and fought bravely for our country's freedom.

Make sure you check out The Missy Times for a report on the annual all county parade, which was held by our own Beaver PA!

Thanksgiving is Sneaking Up On You!

                                              

The Holidays are slowly sneaking up on us and before we know it we'll wake up and it will be Thanksgiving Day!

Do You have:

1. A favorite Thanksgiving memory?

2. A favorite Thanksgiving Tradition you carry on every year or have just started ?

3. Something you are particularly thankful for?

4. A favorite part of Thanksgiving?

If you answered yes to any, or all of the above, write it down in a little paragraph. However long or short it is does not matter; it could be one word or five-hundred words! All the responses I get will be compiled in the next The Missy Times for a special Thanksgiving issue. We need your help!

Email your little piece to mom.and.rose@gmail.com or just comment on this post.

Here's an example:
My favorite part of Thanksgiving is gathering around the table with family, cooking up warm and yummy food, and that nice,cozy Fall feeling.

It's as easy as that!