Sunday Afternoon Tea - My gift to you

I am a Christmas person.  I tend to get over the moon excited about the Holiday which celebrates the birth of our Savior.  I believe God loves it when we take a day to Feast in His honor.  What a precious gift it is as we indulge in the fatted calf.  Or in our case the fatted and smoked pig.  Unless you are vegan, of course.  Then you can indulge in the fatted kale.

My goal, when my children were young, was to make the Season as magical as possible (Narnia magic, of course) while always remembering the Season can sparkle only because of the Hope of the Redeemer.

Christmas is here but Good Friday is just around the corner.  And Easter.  And the Resurrection.  How can we not celebrate?

However, there were some years when the Holiday was looked upon as something to just survive.  A blip on the radar screen of life.  One in which I would do the best I could to enjoy His birth but was so painful (for one reason or another) that I could only have joy by clinging to the Hope of that Day when He makes all things perfect.

This Christmas has been one full of joy.  As I have mentioned before, partly because I have settled in to the new normal, partly because I have chosen ways to bring joy into the home, and added to all of this were gifts from a couple of friends who made it possible for me to make it easier financially.

All gifts from God.

Oh, and I do have to make an aside here in this the waxing poetic about the Season to thank someone.  And then I'll give you my gift.  I must thank a very precious cow.  You heard it correctly.  I thank Saltina for her very welcome gift.  She is truly a generous bovine.  I send out a heartfelt... "Merry Moo".  ;)

Now my gift to you for this Season.  A gift to indulge in when you have a little extra time.  A much needed respite for those who find this particular Christmas hard to celebrate.  For a couple years ago it was such a depressing time for me, I had difficulty remembering when Christmas was its' usual joy to my soul.  So what did I do to cheer myself up?

I pulled on my literary boots, swung a fictional scarf around my neck, and ventured into the Christmas archives of one of my favorite writers.  I give you a Seasonal basket full of my very favorite Lanier Advent posts from Christmas Past.  (I don't think they are in chronological order.)

Keeping Christmas

Sweet Delights

The Holly Bears a Berry

Day of days

The Light Shineth in the Darkness

When They Ring the Golden Bells

All Anticipation

Lo, how a Rose*

Enjoy, my friends!

*Lo, how a Rose is just part of an article Lanier wrote about an extremely difficult year.  It can be read in its' entirety... here. 

Image:  Season of Peace