Five Minute Friday: Tree

About 4 years ago I drove to the grocery store quick to pick up some food after Glenn got home from school and the kids were put to bed. On the way there I noticed a big Christmas tree box on the side of the road a few blocks away. When I got home I told Glenn about it and asked him if he wanted to go check it out with me. We went and grabbed it figuring we could put in on our curb if it didn't work. It was a 7.5 foot prelit tree that was in great condition except the prelit part didn't work. That was OK with us. We had lights. We had thought about buying a tree after Christmas that year when they went on clearance but God gave us one before Christmas for free (very helpful on a medical student outgo).

 The previous Christmas we had covered a pile of boxes we'd stacked in our living room to look like a tree with a green sheet and put lights on it. 

 It looked nice in the dark and it was fun to make. There wouldn't have been room in that little 600sq ft house for a 3D tree anyway.

The year before that we had to throw out our old hand me down fake tree from my aunt and uncle because it was all falling apart.

Every time I see advertisements for prelit trees I smile and thank God again for our tree. A friend wondered yesterday what to do with her tree that the prelits didn't work anymore. My suggestions: put your own lights on it or give it away and bless someone with it. I know our tree was a huge blessing to us through our med school years and it moved with us to TX so we'll get to use it again here.

Linking up with LisaJo for Five Minute Friday. 

Twelve Days of Christmas 2011 Lego Version

God has blessed us. We know that. We are reminded of it again and again.  He doesn't have to bless us but He does again and again. This year for the Twelve Days of Christmas we have been super-abundantly blessed in how we were able to bless our kids with a gift from God.

We usually celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas. I blogged about our normal Twelve Days/ Epiphany Traditions. This year was different. This was a special year. One reason it was extra special was because Glenn was around and we were home for all twelve days this year. I am very much appreciating that he had a two week Christmas break this year. I know that it, most likely, will never happen again. I know that and we have tried to make the most of it.

The second reason that these twelve days have been extra special is because of an amazing find that God allowed Glenn to find on Craigslist for our kids. Our kids love Legos. They got a bunch of Legos last year from their aunt and uncle and then they used their Christmas money to buy a bunch of them from Craigslist. One thing that they really wanted for Christmas was more Lego minifigures. There are a couple of Lego Education minifigure sets on Amazon that we've looked at and drooled over but the price sky rocketed on them. A few weeks before Christmas Glenn did his normal searches on craigslist and found someone selling their Legos up near Fort Drum. He and Caleb drove up and got them (though Caleb had no idea what they bought) and when we got home we dug through and found out that we could make this year's twelve days of Christmas one that they would never forget.

So, here is it, 2011 Twelve Days of Christmas - Lego Style (written by our kids):

On the first day of Christmas our parents gave to us a news reporter. 

On the second day of Christmas our parents gave to us two rascally bandits.

On the third day of Christmas our parents gave to us three car mechanics.

On the fourth day of Christmas our parents gave to us four movie crew men.

On the fifth day of Christmas our parents gave to us five cowboys

and their horses.

On the sixth day of Christmas our parents gave to us six knights with spears.

On the seventh day of Christmas our parents gave to us seven soldiers with rifles.

On the eighth day of Christmas our parents gave to us eight pirates fighting.

On the ninth day of Christmas our parents gave to us nine merry men.

On the tenth day of Christmas our parents gave to us ten spacemen

with jet packs.

On the eleventh day of Christmas our parents gave to us eleven knights with shields.

On the twelfth day of Christmas our parents gave to us twelve Star Wars characters.

Here's the whole crew.

It was fun to watch them react to the mini-figures as they were presented each day. We were wondering how long it would take them to figure out what we were doing. On the morning of the sixth day Caleb went up to Glenn and said, "I really don't think that you can keep this up." Glenn asked him what he was talking about and he said that the night before he had figured out that for the twelve days of Christmas we would have to give them 78 mini-figures if we kept on at the current rate. We didn't really respond.

After we gave them the bin of Legos that we had dug the minifigures out of yesterday we told them that, most likely they will never experience a twelve days of Christmas like this again. They said they may sneak out the mini-figures and re-create it every year.

I'm so thankful for our kids and how they love to play together. We really don't know how many sets came in that bin but last night we got online and started to make Fort Legoredo, which I'm sure we have. I'm thankful for this big bin of Legos that we got for (as best as we can figure) less than 10% of the price.

Thanks, God, for blessing us with a twelve days of Christmas we'll never forget.

It's Epiphany/ Twelve Days of Christmas Song

We enjoy celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas. We started celebrating Epiphany before we started celebrating the Twelve Days because we read somewhere about another family's Epiphany traditions that we wanted to add to our family's collection of traditions.

We started our celebrating Epiphany by moving our wise men slowly from Christmas to Epiphany towards the nativity set. We have quite an entourage of wise men. I think that we have about 8 of them along with a couple of camels and an alpaca. Sometimes the elephants join the entourage too ;)

On Epiphany we generally eat Chinese take out (because the wise men came from the East) and we usually give each of the kids 3 small gifts (because the wise men brought 3 gifts to the baby Jesus).

The last couple of years we have been in Wyoming for Christmas so on Epiphany is when we gave our kids the gifts that we had gotten for them.

A few years ago we picked up The 12 Days of Christmas the story behind the favorite christmas song at a book closeout store and we have enjoyed reading through it with the kids on the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany. The premise behind the book is that it is a song to teach children basic Christian beliefs. Here is the run down that I've posted on facebook based on these readings and my own thoughts about them:

On the first day of Christmas my True Love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree. Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for me!

On the second day of Christmas my True Love gave to me two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree. According to our book the turtledoves are to represent the two doves Mary and Joseph sacrificed when they presented Jesus at the temple. Jesus definitely wasn't born into a rich family. I'm thankful He was willing to give up the splendor of heaven to be born into a poor family so He could identify with all of us.

On the third day of Christmas my True Love gave to me three French hens... French hens used to cost much more than ordinary chickens and they remind us of the three costly gifts (fit for a King - the King of kings!) that were given to Jesus by the wise men.

On the fourth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me four calling birds... Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each wrote the story calling us to believe in Jesus. Each of the gospels tell the story of Jesus from a different perspective and were written "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name." Jn 20:31

On the fifth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me five golden rings.... The 5 rings represent the Torah, the Pentatauch, the Law, the first 5 books of the Bible which the Jewish people consider 5 treasures worth more than gold. I love the Law because it shows me that there is NO WAY that I can do anything to gain God's acceptance on my own. I desparately need a Savior to cover my sin. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

On the sixth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me six geese a-laying.... Eggs hold new life. The Bible tells us of 6 days of new life - creation! Creation is so amazing! "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." (Romans 1:20 NLT) Thanks God for creation!

On the seventh day of Christmas my True Love gave to me seven swans a-swimming.... The seven swans are to remind us of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that help us to grow and serve others - prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership and showing mercy. Thanks God for the spiritual gifts You've given me. Please help me to use them for Your glory.

On the eighth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me eight maids a-milking.... They are to remind us of the eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Looking at them again tonight they are so contrary to how we normally think. Who would ever think that the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for their faith should be considered blessed? In our culture we consider them cursed. In God's eyes they are blessed because this world is not the end and I'm so glad.

On the ninth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me nine ladies dancing.... The nine ladies dancing are to remind us of the nine qualities that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I used to work hard at trying to live out these characteristics. This fall I came to the realization that these are God's c...haracteristics. Just like my kids act like me (the good and the bad) because they spend so much time with me if I want to act like God I need to spend time with Him. The more time I spend with Him the more like Him I will become. It was freeing. It's not about me trying hard but the Holy Spirit working in and through me spending time time with my Best Friend.

On the tenth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me ten lords a-leaping.... Lords were important men whose commands had to be obeyed. The ten lords are to remind us of the ten commandments that show us how to love God and others.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my True Love gave to me eleven pipers piping.... Pipers were men who traveled around and played their pipes causing children all over town to follow them. Twelve disciples followed Jesus but only eleven faithfully stayed with Him. The eleven pipers remind us to faithfully follow Jesus and pipe the song of God's love everywhere we go.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me twelve drummers drumming. Drummers keep a steady beat so that everyone stays together. The twelve drummers remind us of the twelve beliefs that most Christians have in common known as the Apostles Creed. "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy ...Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. He shall return to judge both the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting." Rich Mullins' song Creed has been going through my head all day. I believe it!

A friend gave me a link to a play based on the book that I may have the kids do as we celebrate the Twelve Days next year :)

Christmas Caroling

Last night a lady from church posted on The City (kind of like facebook for church people at Missio Church) that she was going Christmas caroling at a hospice house in town at 2 today and inviting people to come with her.

The kids and I went over and met up with her and a couple of men from the church to sing at the hospice house (I guess when the Maas family shows up we often more than double the crowd.) I really wanted to go because of 2 things:

1. Christmas caroling is such a big part of my Christmas memories from my childhood. Every Christmas that I can remember (with the exception of one or two years when we had the throw up bug really bad) from my childhood Christmas morning went as follows: get up, read the Christmas story from the Bible, open stockings, eat pop-open cinnamon rolls and drink egg nog, open presents, visit with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson as they made their rounds to all their kids' homes, then get ready to go to the nursing home at noon. I loved going to the nursing home. I never had any personal friends or relatives there as patients (well, except Irene one year I think and that year when I was an adult and Mom was there) but as a kid I rarely knew any of the patients there. It was always such a joy to see friends (non-patients) and to sing along as Pastor Ray strummed on his guitar and see the smiles on the faces of those older people, too many of whom had been forgotten. There was always 20-30 or so people, mostly from what is now Calvary Chapel Seneca Falls, and going and singing with them is probably my favorite childhood Christmas memory. I loved singing carols, walking around and holding or patting peoples' hands as they sat in the dining rooms. I also loved jamming to praise songs in the stair wells as we moved between the floors. ("His Name is Yahweh, the Lord is One... He's the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, The Lord who reigns forever, Yahweh, Redeemer, Friend" comes to mind). Caleb is the only one who has ever gone caroling at noon at the nursing home (I think) and he was really little (though he says he has a memory of doing it) so I really wanted my kids to experience the joy of singing to people who can't leave where they are.

2. The girls have been singing almost non-stop from a Christmas carol book that we keep in our Christmas box and they have been talking about wanting to go Christmas caroling ever since we got the Christmas box out back at the end of November.

Here is what the kids had to say when we got home:
Lydia (7) said: I was scared at first because I didn't know the people but after I sang I liked them and thought they were nice. I was shy at first. Sister Collette was my favorite person there.

Hannah (9): I was a little afraid at first but tried to not show it. After we sang the first two songs I got used to it a little bit. I am glad I went.
Abigail (6): It was fun. At first I was a little scared but not too much.

Caleb (11): Before I went I thought it was going to be a really cool experience. I was shy but once I got to know the people I felt really sad for them. I'm glad I went.

It was neat to see the smiles and to be able to sing to the patients, pray with them and listen to them tell their stories. I had the chance to give one lady a back rub while we talked and I think that she really appreciated it. It doesn't take much. Just a little time and caring.


I'd like to encourage others to go out and share the love of Christ with others this Christmas season. If you want to go caroling I have a pdf of a little Christmas songbook that you could print out and take with you (I brought some of these with me. It was nice to have a cheat sheet!!) just email me or leave a comment with your email address.

Christmas in Louisiana

We're Home. After a visit to see Glenn's parents and siblings in Lake Charles, LA at Port Mercy, Friend Ships' headquarters where Steve & Debbie live and volunteer. We were able to be there for about 2 1/2 weeks and had a great time helping out, sight seeing, and just hanging out. Highlights of our time in the south include: meeting up with Christa Cooley and Carla, Kristen, & Aubrey Hazel in Houston, TX (Picture below) when we arrived, playing with Grandma & Grandpa Maas and cousin Brody, living on the 300 foot Spirit (pictured), making Christmas dinner for the crew, seeing how Tabasco sauce is made and bottled on Avery Island, checking out cool birds and an alligator on our scenic road trip, collecting specimen to look at under the microscope with Uncle Doug and Aunt Kendra, eating shish-ka-bobs at Mom and Dads new trailer with Doug and K, eating Louisiana food at Steam Boat Bills, touring the ship Grandpa and Grandma went to Haiti on, starting a ship engine with Grandpa, watching a 300 foot ship get turned around in a 320 foot wide river, and many other cool and exciting things. Some of the things specifically enjoyed by each of us were...

Hannah: see Grandma & Grandpa Maas, helping Theresa in the kitchen, sleep with Grandma & Grandpa Maas,

Caleb: I got to ride on the ship.

Lydia: To be announced...

Sonja: It was really nice not to have to cook and do dishes. I also got a lot of reading done which was so nice. It was fun to hang out with Glenn's family who we don't see very often.

Glenn: Seeing Mom and Dad, being all together and just getting to goof around. Working with Dad a little and getting to see the ships and what Mom and Dad do with
FriendShip.