Christmas wishes....

Wishing all of my family, friends and blog followers and blog friends...... a very Happy Christmas..... and also saying from my heart... Happy Birthday Jesus......... that is the true meaning of Christmas to me..... the birth of baby Jesus.

This is my nativity scene that I started painting (ceramics) way back in 1980. I painted one a  year, or one every few  years. I dated the bottom of each one, and my  youngest son helped me with some of them. It is so precious to me.

It is my hope and prayer that 2017 will be a calm, bright and peaceful year for everyone in this world. There is so much tragedy and sadness and upheaval and power struggles, and hunger and devastation...... my wish is for world peace, and peace within my country, the United States.

And even though Christmas is really a spiritual and religious holiday, I must say that my Christmases, as a child and through the years, have been intermingled and intertwined with church, God, and Jesus, and with all the wonders of Santa and reindeer and elves and the evergreen tree, decorations, and presents, baking, cookies, and feasts with the family.  To me, it is all wrapped up into one beautiful, wonderful time of year!

That's me on the far right in the plaid dress. My oldest sister, Chris, on the left, and my younger sister, Linda, in the middle. 1952. (Sorry youngest sister, Barbara, you weren't yet a twinkle in my parents' eyes!)

This song (video below), by my new favorite and most awesome group, Pentatonix, pretty much says it all for me. Please listen and watch the video! They are just fantabulous. They are an A cappella group from Texas....... no instruments EVER in their songs! Their voices are their instruments... they are so sharp and precise and beautifully crystal clear. The two men with the low voices act as base instruments. It's truly amazing. If you haven't heard them, this is my Christmas treat to you! (And if you are viewing this email in your inbox, then you'll probably have to go to my blog HERE - click on this link to watch and listen to the video.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!  I cherish all of you.