Countdown to Christmas Tree

This began as a plain white structure, bought on a clearance table post holiday early this spring. The miracle isn't that I completed it, but that I didn't store it away so safely that I forgot about it or couldn't find it.

The faces of the drawers are 1.5 inch squares. Most of the blue background images came from a single sheet of scrapbook paper. The others are miscellaneous bits I had on hand. The back and sides of the tree were painted red. I used a silver pen on the open edges of the structure.

Numbers were done with the same pen on black circles punched from scraps.

12 Days of Christmas lament

Do you appreciate any and all gifts that you receive? It is the proper thing to do, right? Here is a mid-week gift from me to you. I hope you enjoy.

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

I thought this was thoroughly enjoyable. I understand that some people think anything but a traditional telling of Christian stories is disrespectful. If you are of that opinion, all I can say that is no offense is intended. To the best of my knowledge, these are the lyrics used. A few words were hard for me to understand and there isn't sanctioned post online that I could find to pair with this clip. Someone named Anna (no last name given) cited these words as the lyrics:

Is this the real birth? Is it Nativity?
Caught in a census, in the town of His ancestry.
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see…
He’s just a poor boy, foretold by prophecy.
Because the wise men come, wise men go,
Angels high, shepherds low.
This is how God’s love shows,
It’s a wondrous story to me, to me.

Mary just got the word,
The angel did appear, but he told her not to fear.
Mary, now it’s just begun.
Your Son is gonna wash our sins away.

Mary, ooooh…. this is how God’s love’s shown.
The God who reigns on high, has sent his Son through you to die for all.

I see a little silhouette of a sheep,
Shepherds watch, shepherds watch over their flocks at nighttime.
Angels shine like lightning,
Very, very frightening – me!

Glory to God! Peace on earth!
Glory to God! Peace on earth!
Unto you is born this day,
The only way!

I’m just a shepherd, nobody loves me.
He’s just a shepherd, from a poor family.
Angels said, go to the stable to see.
Wise men come, wise men go, will Herod let him live?

King Herod, no! He will not let him live – better go!
King Herod, he will not let him live – better go!
King Herod, he will not let him live!

Better go – will not let him live; better go – will not let him live
Better go, go, go, go!
Mary, Joseph, Mary, Joseph, Mary, Joseph better go!
To Egypt now, gotta save your Son who came for me, for me, for me!

So you think that it’s just a tale of days gone by?
But this Child who was born went to Calvary to die.
Oh, Jesus, it’s the story of Jesus-
Wash our sins out, wash our sins right out of here.
Jesus, Jesus.

It’s a wondrous story, anyone can see.
Let’s give God the glory, it’s a wondrous story, to me.

This is how God’s love shone.

And hopefully a non traditional nativity won't offend you. I do have a serious, traditional one, but this one comes out every year and makes me smile.

Digital Story of the Nativity

I enjoyed this clip, I hope you do too.

In case we all get to busy to write and blog the rest of this week, best wishes from my blog to yours!