Did all the Nephites die off? Or did some of the Nephites escape to Europe or elsewhere? Are the Goths named after Hagoth of the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Christ? Could Christopher Columbus be a descendant of the Nephites? This is all so interesting!!! How does Tolkien fit into this with his Elvin race?
Watch these videos to learn more.
The one above is new, just published today. The guys in the video talk about Hagoth, the Elbus River, Tolkien’s elves, the Magna Carta, and the Puritans. Could the Nephites be the ancestors of the Germanic people, which are ancestors of the English? Hmmm…
Then these are older videos, from Hannah Stoddard of The Joseph Smith Foundation. The first is a trailer of the documentary she did with her father. Then the videos below that show her explaining some of her ideas.
I always love to ponder on the real Christmas story for the days leading up to AND after Christmas. I hope you do too. How lovely that in the darkest time of year many people focus on the Christmas holiday and the Nativity story to brighten the dreary days. Here are some interesting things for you relating to that.
First, we have an interview with Jeffery Chadwick, author of the book shown below.
He points out some interesting ideas. I haven’t done enough research to 100% believe them, but they sound plausible. Here they are:
-Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem not because they were forced to, but because they wanted baby Jesus to be registered as a citizen of Bethlehem after being born there in order to fulfill prophecy
-Jesus was probably born in winter, not spring (April 6) like so many Latter-day Saint Christians have said/believed
-The manger was made out of stone, not wood
-Mary and Joseph did not find shelter in a stable. They had left Nazareth, shortly after getting married, and went to Bethlehem, in about the middle of Mary’s pregnancy. They probably lived in Bethlehem for a few months before Jesus was born. They were probably living in temporary shelter, a cave, while they were building a home that was completed after Jesus was born. Jesus was probably born in a cave, after they couldn’t find any room in a guest home in town.
Here are the videos, Part 1 and Part 2, with Jeff Chadwick, the author of the book shown above. If you want a related article about this, go here.
“If you love Christmas, you’re really going to enjoy reading Stone Manger – The Untold Story of the First Christmas. You’ll take a trip back in time, before the Christmas traditions we have today even existed – back in time to Nazareth and Jerusalem and Bethlehem at the time Joseph and Mary actually lived, to experience the story of the birth of Jesus. And you’ll learn the equally fascinating and broader story behind the birth of Jesus. You’ll get to know two of the most remarkable people in history, Joseph and Mary of Nazareth, a young couple whose determination and self reliance in the face of challenges was magnified by their faith and reliance upon God in bringing to pass the greatest miracle in our history. But this is no fictional treatment, its not a novel or a screenplay – it’s actually biographical. It’s the real story of Joseph, Mary, and the birth of Jesus, told by an archaeologist and historian who has researched, excavated, and taught in the Land of Israel for over three decades. Join author Jeffrey R. Chadwick, professor of archaeology and religious studies, as he introduces Joseph and Mary and their remarkable journey to Bethlehem in a way you’ve never experienced the story before. You’ll learn a hundred things about the first Christmas you never imagined. Did you know, for example, that the manger in which the baby Jesus was laid was actually made of stone? That archaeological artifact, the stone manger, will be the starting point for a reading adventure into the authentic story of Christmas that will surprise and delight at every turn. You’ll never feel the same about Christmas after reading Stone Manger!”
I just love all this! I love that at the end of the Part 1 video, they say that the Nativity story is the story of a young married couple doing whatever they could to follow God’s will, which is a model for all of us everywhere. I love that a married couple is at the center of this story about God’s love incarnate.
If you want more of all of this, get the book shown above, and read these articles, which I presume are excerpts from the book, here and here.
Then we have this interview with lots more about Mary, from Andrew Woodmansee, shown above. She is the woman I’ve blogged about before, with interesting insights into the symbolism of the plan of salvation in the ancient Hebrew wedding ceremony. That video is here. I also have a video with her showing insights about the temple and veils over here. I look forward to reading the book she has forthcoming!
Enjoy these 12 Days of Christmas we are in! Go here for ideas on how to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas as a family.
Happy Birthday to A Christmas Carol! Charles Dickens first published this book on December 19, 1843. Did you know he wrote it to encourage Londoners to donate money to the poor? He also wrote it to earn money to get out of debt. You can read the full story here.
It is a classic story, and for good reason! It perfectly shows the power of Christ’s Holy Spirit to transform one selfish, grumpy man’s hard heart so he becomes cheerful, generous, and happy.
To celebrate this Christmas classic, here are some links to versions of the classic and other fun resources related to Dickens and his most famous story:
-one of the best movie versions, with George C. Scott, as Scrooge, is here
-a brand NEW podcast/audio drama, based on the story, is here. It features an-star cast! Sean Astin plays Ebeneezer Scrooge, John Rhys-Davies narrates, and Juliet Mills (sister of Hayley Mills!) plays one of the ghosts. I love that it has female ghosts! See the trailer for it above.
-a family activity guide for the podcast linked above is here
-a 5-day family devotional from the same ministry, Hope Ministry, that produced the Scrooge podcast, is here
-play the parlor games from the story! Here are the directions! I’ve always wanted to do this!
-do the following activities for your homeschooling/Christmas family fun. So many sparkly ideas are here! It makes me wish I still had all my seven children at home to do this with, especially my older daughter. She would have loved delving into the Victorian ideas.
-Some fun printables are here, including a memory game, Go Fish, What is Your Dickensian Name? ice breaker game, and more.
-A list of many movie versions of A Christmas Carol, ranked from best to worst is here
-who played the best Scrooge below? Watch below to find out!
-the soundtrack to A Muppet Christmas Carol is here (that’s my favorite version, we watch it as a family almost every year at Christmastime. We have so many favorite quotes that we say all year-round, like “It smells so good Mother!” whenever something in the kitchen emanates a delicious smell. Then the reply is “It does, doesn’t it?”)
-below is a video about the making of the Muppet movie
-Brian Henson (son of Jim Henson), producer and director of AMCC, gives some interesting factoids about that version below. He did such a great job for his directorial debut!
-a condensed version of a Dickens Christmas Concert with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, featuring John Rhys-Davies is below (I got to see this in person. It was amazing to see Dickens and the ghosts flying!)
-get the picture book below and read it aloud. It is the storybook version of the Tabernacle Choir performance shown above. It shows how the story of Dickens affected the story of Scrooge.
-if you haven’t yet watched the excellent movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas, a movie which tells the back story of Dickens writing the story, you are missing out! Go watch it here or borrow a DVD of it from your local public library. It is absolutely delightful! Christopher Plummer plays such a haggard Scrooge. I love that it shows the dynamics of Dickens interacting with his wife, children, and parents.
-A Christmas Carol trivia quiz, and other ACC digital activities, are here
Merry Christmas! I pray you too with feel Christ’s Holy Spirit so you can say, as Scrooge does at the end of the story “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.” What better gift to give the Christ Child and others?
For other family Christmas tradition ideas and read alouds, go here.
Today I’m sharing both a picture book, that you can read alone or as part of a Christmas Picture Book Advent series, and a NEW-for-me set of family traditions I’m doing this year. Both are based on this book for adults, shown below.
I was so thrilled to find the picture book last year while thrifting! It is a beautiful picture book as well as an invitation to start a simple new, week-long Christ-centered family tradition. Why is it simple? Because it uses something you probably already have, a Nativity set. I love this! It connects to some Easter traditions I’ve already written about. One of the posts here on my blog that gets the most traffic is the one with the week-long Christ-centered Easter traditions from Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler. It’s over here. We’ve used it for at least five years now, and I love that each activity is so simple. Well, did you know that Sister Emily and Brother Dave also have a week-long countdown of activities to Christmas that is similar in its simplicity and meaningfulness?
Photo Credit: LDS Living YouTube Channel
I’ve got it all outlined below! It’s all based on the books shown above. I show the book being read aloud in the video below.
I love that these activities are so Christ-centered and so adaptable depending on your time, energy, and money. Each day has a story for a piece of the Nativity, a question for discussion, and then a simple activity. I just love that they are simple! Nothing you have to buy and no outings to make. If you can’t afford the book yet, you can watch the video above! Combine this with breakfast, dinner, or bedtime routine. I’m going to piggyback it onto our Immanuel Wreath ritual, which we do at dinnertime. If you miss a day, no big deal, just combine it with another activity the next day. If you don’t have a Nativity set, you can draw one or print one out, and tape the figures to the wall or fridge. You can use figures here or here.
Day 1: The Stable. “This is the stable, shelter so bare…” (words from “The Nativity Song” by Patricia Kelsey Graham, in Children’s Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over here. Other words in quotation marks below are also from that song.)
Invitation: Display an empty stable. Discuss this question: “How can you make room for the baby Jesus as part of your Christmas celebration this year?” Every time you walk by the stable, ponder that question.
Day 2: Joseph. “Joseph who guided the donkey with care…”
Invitation: Do a secret act of kindness. If you have time/money, and want a tangible reminder to help you remember to do it, put a jingle bell in your pocket or tie it on your wrist. The story that Sister Emily shares in the above video about her daughter saving up money to buy a pair of shoes for a friend brought tears to my eyes. So sweet! Discuss this question, “What secret act of kindness can you do for someone?” When you have performed the act, place Joseph in the Nativity scene.
Day 3: Mary. “See the sweet mother, Mary so fair…”
Invitation: Ponder the miracle of Mary’s participation as the mother of Jesus. It could involve something that represents her love, like making heart-shaped cookies, especially if you have young children. (Although making cookies with young children can be stressful, I get it. Maybe buy premade cookies and premade frosting and have the activity be frosting the cookies. Or just buy them already frosted and eat them. :-)) An alternative could involve looking at little artifacts that represent the baby’s birth: a piece of wool from the sheep, a piece of fabric to represent the swaddling clothes, a piece of straw from the manger, sample objects that represent gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Place Mary in your Nativity scene.
Day 4: The Angel. “This is the angel proclaiming the birth…”
Invitation: Fill your heart and home with carols. Go caroling, or if that’s too cold and awkward, play Christmas carols in your home while you drink hot cocoa. Place the Angel in your Nativity set.
Day 5: The Shepherds. “These are the shepherds, humble and mild..”
Invitation: Share your testimony of Jesus. Gather your family in a circle with a candle for each person. (Use battery-powered candles for small children.) One by one, share one feeling about Jesus/ how that person has seen Jesus recently, lighting each candle in turn. After you are done, add the shepherds to the Nativity.
Day 6: The Wisemen. “These are the wise men who followed the star…”
Invitation: Journey closer to Jesus Christ. Ask yourself, “What is one way you can seek Jesus?” Discuss an activity, tradition, or habit for the new year that you can do to bring you closer to Jesus Christ. After the discussion, add the wisemen to the Nativity scene.
Day 7: The Christ Child. “See the dear baby of Bethlehem, Little Lord Jesus, the Savior of men.”
Invitation: Give your heart to Jesus. Write down on paper what you will give to Jesus, put it in an envelope, and put it somewhere for safekeeping (like Mom’s Christmas stocking) or with the Nativity set. Then review how you did next year when do the same tradition. When you have written down your gift, put the baby Jesus in the manger.
That’s it! I just love all of this!!!! Can you see how society would be revolutionized if every Christian family took quiet moments to ponder these questions every year and acted on them? So amazing!
You can go to Sister Emily’s website here, to print out the matching ornaments to hang on your tree or make a garland for the wall or mantelpiece to remember each day’s lesson/tradition.
May we truly let Jesus into our hearts this Christmas, and all year round! “Come, Lord, Jesus, come!”
May we all know that even if we are unfaithful and broken, we can let Him in.
Today I’m sharing this beautiful Christmas picture book, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, by Gloria Houston, illustrated by Barbara Cooney. If you don’t know who Barbara Cooney, is, go here. She is a famous, amazing illustrator! I got to see her children’s wing of the public library named after her in Maine last August. Go here to read all about that.
This book is so wonderfully beautiful and sweet. It’s about parental love, tradition, sacrifice, honoring your word, community, and the Christmas spirit. It’s about a mom who is left to parent alone when her husband goes off to war. Will she be able to pull through with all the family’s Christmas traditions without the husband there to help? You will have to read it to find out. Get it from your public library, or buy it from amazon, or keep your eyes out for it while thrifting. I’ve found most of my Christmas picture book collection that way.
The Schole Sisters just had such a meaningful discussion of this book. You can listen to it here. These ladies brought up points of the book I had never thought about before. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it!
If you want more picture book ideas, go here or here. If you want an easy way to do a picture book advent, without wrapping the books, go here. Merry Christmas!
Oh, and if you want to engage in an audio Advent Calendar, go here. It’s lovely!
If walking through the aisles of Christmas stuff at Target or Hobby Lobby at Christmastime makes you feel overwhelmed, this is for you! At the risk of sounding like a Grinch with the middle name of Scrooge, I’m sharing this video below.
If you don’t feel any stress about prepping for Christmas, stop right here. Go read something else. But if you do feel stress about Christmas, keep reading and watch the video. It features the Minimal Mom of YouTube with Rachel Cruze, daughter of financial guru Dave Ramsey. It feels so freeing to embrace all of this!
Yeah, when I watched this video, I felt so affirmed. I haven’t done most of those things in the video for years! I feel so ahead of the “simplify Christmas” game! Below are the chief points from the video. Basically, I agree with the whole video except for not doing stockings. Here are the things in the video that I especially agree with, plus some of my own points:
No baking. OK I had that strict rule when I had a ton of little kids. It was just too stressful as a homeschooling mom of a lot of littles. Some moms can juggle baking with homeschooling, or have it be part of homeschooling, but it was just too hard for me when they were all little. As they got older, I did bake cookies and other treats to send to my missionary sons. Now that I’m keto, mostly carnivore, I encourage the teenage kiddos to do their own baking if they want treats. They are welcome to find any recipe they want (within reason) and show it to me, and I will buy the ingredients if they will bake it. If I’m baking, it’s because I’m making something sugar-free for my mom and me to eat, like a pumpkin cheesecake or pie. (She has always been naturally thin so doesn’t need to be keto or carnivore but has always been allergic to sugar. It makes her sick.)
No gingerbread house kits. I held to this at least when they were little. Once the younger half were older, like ages 8-14, I finally got one. Then Big Sister home from college for Christmas break helped with it which was a win/win. The purist in me has learned to be OK with the “cheating” method of just using graham crackers. Maybe I’ll do that with the grands sometime.
No matching pajamas. If I had had the money for this in previous years I would have done it as it is adorable. I actually have the money this year, but I’d rather spend it on more important items like beefing up my long-term food storage. If you have the money and time for this, go for it but it’s not worth stressing over it if you don’t. Your children won’t be harmed for never having received matching pajamas for Christmas.
No formal family photo. We sometimes get an informal one done with a family friend or relative as the photographer, and do it when we happen to be all together at Thanksgiving or Christmas, which becomes a major feat when they start going off to college. I don’t stress about it in the months before Christmas to get it done in time for a Christmas card. That leads me to the next point…
No Christmas cards. I do enjoy receiving them, keeping them, and displaying them. Someday I hope to carve out the time to send these. It seems like a lovely tradition. I used to do a family newsletter with cards, LOL, back in 1998! I love the idea of annually chronicling the whole year of my family with a newsletter, like Jennifer Flanders does over here. It’s just been hard for me to fit this into the pre-Christmas bustle AND the budget. I’ve compromised by doing an email newsletter to save on postage and cards, and sending it out for New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day or Easter, or just any day really, when I’m not nearly as stressed. It doesn’t have to be a holiday to send out a family newsletter.
Simple decorations (meaning no live tree), with kids putting out all the decorations as much as possible. For over 20 years, it’s been my kiddos who bring out our artificial tree and decorate it. When they aren’t looking, LOL, I hide the homemade ornaments that aren’t so pretty in the back. I know the crunchy mom thing is to get a live tree from the pristine woods as we breathe the fresh mountain air, but I don’t like going out in the cold, watering the tree, or cleaning up the needles. I know my artist sister is probably crying over this, as she loves the yearly family trek to get the live tree. To each her own!
No neighbor gifts. I’ve appreciated receiving these over the decades but never felt like I had the time or money to do this. I love seeing the fun little puns with the accompanying little gifts like “We whisk you a Merry Christmas” with a kitchen whisk. If you can afford this, go for it, but please don’t feel pressure to give them. Some neighborhoods have a thing going where everyone does this, like with one of my sisters, such that it almost seems like a competition to see who can come up with the most clever gift. I’m blessed that I’ve never had that pressure.
No special Christmas clothes. I’m blessed in that I haven’t had a ton of daughters who insist on a special Christmas dress or any daughters who did. (I have two. It would have been fun though, I admit, since I’m a girly girl.) I’ve received little outfits like the one my grandma sewed for my firstborn, but I haven’t had the time or money to keep up the tradition to sew or buy them after she passed away. I guess I could have had fun thrifting my way to collect outfits all year long, but I never got into it and now they are almost all grown. As my sister-in-law is wont to say, “They will never know what they missed.”
No teacher gifts. When you homeschool the pressure to do this goes down dramatically. I suggest giving the teacher a heartfelt note of gratitude. It’s free! I’ve loved it when the children at my homeschool co-op gave me a card or note signed by the child. If you really want to give a material thing and can afford it, a gift card is probably the best idea. One year some children in my co-op gave me and all the other teachers amazing traveler mugs with straws. I’m grateful for that gesture and the thought put forth by the mom but want no mom to feel pressure to give teachers material gifts.
Scented candles. I do have a few scented Christmas candles, but they have all been given to me. I haven’t bought a single one. We do use candles for my Immanuel Wreath, as shown above and below with the the names of Christ, but they are not scented. Since we use this wreath for every Easter and every Christmas, the candles do have to be replaced about every other year. (Read about the Immanuel Wreath advent tradition here.) I love that the Immanuel Wreath activity takes the place of the trinkets involved in a trinket-based Advent Calendar. We light the candle at dinner or at family prayer time before bed, if not everyone was home at dinner, look up the scriptures associated with the name of Christ, and discuss how Jesus shows up in our life with that name. That leads me to the next point.
No trinket-based Advent Calendars. The math involved with making the trinkets divided up fairly in a big family makes my head spin. I’m grateful I haven’t ever dealt with this. We’ve consistently used one Advent Calendar through the years that doesn’t involve candy or trinkets. It emphasizes the birth of Christ instead of Santa. See above. You can get it through Storytime Felts over here, although it is currently out of stock. Every day, you advance the cutout of the Mary/Donkey and Joseph figures one space, to get closer to the stable. Then on Christmas Day you swap those figures out for Nativity cutout with the Baby Jesus. I’ve had it since the oldest two children were one and three. It must have made a great impression because one of my married children was just asking recently where he could get it. We’ve often read a book to accompany the movement of Mary and Joseph on the calendar. We’ve also done the Picture Book Advent, which you can read about here. Now that my youngest is 15 we just read a book or two a day for Morning Basket without making a big deal about it like I did when they were younger.
I have a minor quibble about the mention in the video of not stuffing stockings. Both moms in the video say they don’t do stockings. I agree that filling stockings can be stressful if you use tons of candy and useless junk that just end up on the floor, creating a mess that someone, often you as mom, cleans up and tosses into the garbage. I love the tradition of stuffing them, though, with useful, joyful things. I’m not willing to let go of them. So, I do more whole foods-y candy, like the Wellness Mama talks about over here, and put it all in a Ziploc bag in the stocking, with the child’s name on it. I also add mixed nuts (also in a Ziploc bag) to add some salt and protein, along with oranges or clementines. Then I do small toys that are durable and fun, like Jacob’s Ladders, mini-puzzles, card games, quiz games or decks, and useful stuff like miniature tape measures or flashlights. You can get ideas for all that here, just scroll down to the bottom of the list under mention of the food. This mom of 8 also has two videos below full of practical, useful, non-junky items.
Here are other things I don’t do for Christmas:
Take the children to sit on Santa’s lap. When you think about it, it is creepy to take your children to sit on a stranger’s lap, and it encourages them to focus on receiving not giving.
Go to a ton of parties. We usually have the church Christmas party, our homeschool co-op party (but we aren’t part of a co-op this year so that’s out) and our extended family party on Christmas Day. I hosted a Jolabokkaflod (Christmas book flood) party last year for a small family group, and my Veggie Gals, and hope to host those this year. I’m in a different season of life though. When I was a young mom I wouldn’t have done those.
Buy a ton of presents. We do the Three Gifts Tradition/Rule for each child, which I explain over here. Now that three out of my seven children are married, I am just getting one present for each married child. Each grandchild, married child, and child-in-law will get one gift but the children not married will each still get three, according to the Three Gifts Tradition.
So…what happens when one simplifies Christmas by subtracting the stuff I talked about I above? I promise, like it says in the video, Christmas is still fun! I have felt more peace, more sleep, more joy, and had more time to read aloud to my children, which is my favorite Christmas tradition, apart from giving gifts.
For my read aloud suggestions of Christmas books, go here or here. We also have some of our favorite Christmas movies, which I list here. I have even more activities here, under the activities heading for December, but please, as they say in La Leche League, take what works for your family, and leave the rest. It’s impossible to do them all!
We’re over a week into December, so it’s high time I did this! Welcome to my monthly recap of the previous month of November 2024. This is where I share, inspired by this blog over here by Leila Lawler, the pretty, happy, funny, real, smart, and kind things of my November 2024. I’m a bit late this month, what with Thanksgiving being so late, out-of-town family visiting, and all the Christmas prep stuff going on.
My baby grandson got to meet my dad over Thanksgiving. Look at that grip! Poor Dad! I don’t think he knew that his skin is so elastic! More on our fun Thanksgiving at the bottom of this post.
I enjoyed immensely my autumn decorations. They make me so happy! I just love my garlands and banners. My front room is small, but I love being in it because of how cozy I’ve been able to make it. Here’s a view of my son listening to a book for our homeschooling while he takes notes. It just thrills me to my bones to see this sight!
On November 2, at the Highland Liberty Meeting, I enjoyed the presentation by Gabriella Puckett about her life growing up in Communist Cuba. She spoke about how some people attempt to glamorize life in Cuba to attract people to Communism. She said that life in Cuba was horrible. It was dirty and impoverished. She never ate a fruit besides an apple or banana until she came to America. She does not recommend life in Cuba to anyone. She is so glad she was blessed to leave at age 18 with her parents and siblings. You can watch it over here. Despite all the problems with America, I’m grateful I live here!
My son got inspired by hearing about a Sword of Freedom Civil War ball, to be held in December. He has been working to get all the requirements done so he can participate in the ceremony at the ball to be awarded his sword. He’s fully engaging in scholar phase so I’m taking over doing the daily dishes/kitchen cleanup these days. I’ve always had my children who are in the TJED “love of learning” and “scholar” phases do the dishes. (See the phases explained over here.) As he is my youngest child, I have no one left to do the dishes, so now it falls on me. This is preparing me for my empty nest in three years. I’m embracing listening to more podcasts/audiobooks as I do this new duty.
Election Day! I voted on that day and walked home from the polls. This was one of the views. below, that I enjoyed on that frosty walk home. It was a rare blustery day with snow falling on and off.
That night I went to a victory party for Dr. Mike Kennedy, who ran for the Utah 3rd Congressional District seat vacated by John Curtis, who ran for and won Mitt Romney’s seat. Dr. Kennedy won! I’m so excited for him! I actually met him 20 years ago last summer when my husband and I bought a used car from him and his wife. He is a conversative who I anticipate doing much good in Congress as he stands for liberty and limited government. This Election Night felt as exciting as Christmas Eve!
The party was at a bowling alley with blue light. It was slightly disorienting at first. The event involved lots of yummy free food, livestreams of the election coverage from different media outlets, and free bowling. It was exciting to see Trump win, even though I voted for Joel Skousen because 1. I wanted to be united with my husband, who didn’t vote for Trump because he doesn’t like Trump, and 2. Because Skousen is a much more principled man, and 3. I knew Trump would win Utah anyway. I’m still not sure about the Trump victory. Did it really happen? Did the powers-that-be engineer it? Is he really for cleaning up the swamp? Is he really not beholden to any other powers? Is he really for limited government? Has he become more principled than he was than in the past? Will he really carry out his promises? Time will tell.
Thrifting treasures! I found the following this month on my thrifting jaunts.
As a lover of trivia, I love finding and collecting the Uncle John Bathroom Readers. They’re just fun! I also collect Little Golden Books. I’ve already read the one below to my grandsons.
Somehow my Pioneer Woman Holiday Cookbook, the one I got for Christmas 9 years ago is missing! It’s as if someone waltzed into my home and stole it off my homemaking/feminine arts/cookbook bookshelf! I have quizzed all my children. No one knows where it went. So, I was happy to find a replacement, as shown above. I’ve been really wanting an oversized nubby white sweater and a beige one. I was thrilled to find both in one trip. I love old Usborne books so I was happy to find one, the Living Long Ago. Plus an America-themed board game, a book about the temple by Anthony Sweat, and a fun little whodunit puzzle book to keep in one of baskets on our bookshelves by our dinner table for conversations.
I also found a Ken Jennings Jr. Trivia book on geography, which I’ve been wanting, after never finishing the one from the public library, and a fuzzy, soft ivory coat. Totally not crunchy mom approved as it’s 100% polyester. As I’ve said many times, it’s impossible to be 100% crunchy all the time, unless you have unlimited money.
Here’s the fun polka dot dress paired with my new white sweater. I’m so thrilled about this sweater. It is so perfect for wrapping up in on chilly days. Like I said in my October 2024 recap, when I found a short nubby white sweater, I was still looking for a longer one to go past my waist. This one is perfect! We haven’t had a super chilly day yet but I anticipate them this winter. This sweater will go with so many tops. I just wish it had pockets.
My fourth son competed in a weightlifting competition in Idaho. I am so happy for him that for the second time in a row he lifted a combined total of over 1000 pounds in one morning. So twice now he has made the “1000 lbs. Club.” He sets such a great example to our whole family of being disciplined in pursuing physical fitness. He never misses a day of working out, except for the sacred Sabbath when he takes a break. I’m also thrilled that he has submitted his application to be called as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His competition was in Montpelier Idaho. It was wonderful to drive by the temple being constructed there. I am thrilled for the saints who live there that they will have a temple so close. I loved feeling the small-town vibe there.
I missed the Christmas cousins’ craft party my daughter organized, held at my mom’s home, to go to the weightlifting competition. It ended up being the same day. They made some snowflake window stickers, among other things, as shown below. I wish I could have been two places at once!
I celebrated a birthday and then my daughter’s birthday 4 days later. As a family we celebrated each birthday on the subsequent Sunday. For my birthday we sang songs gathered in my living room, while I accompanied everybody while playing the piano. Then we had a Zoom party with the out-of-town family members where we played a game that I designed. For my daughter’s birthday we played Quiplash with the out-of-town members using jackbox.tv. I was happy that the birthday girl won! She received the gifts below from some of us. I love her taste in clothing. Every year, when I look at her birthday/Christmas wishlist, I get inspired by her clothing items on the list. She said the cape in the photo below that we gave her reminds her of the book Holly Claus that I read aloud to her and one of her brothers years ago.
Look at this birthday cake my son-in-law made for her! I am so impressed by his skills! I have never heard of a guy making a birthday cake for his wife, and to top it off, it was a Barbie cake! Amazing! He made it piling up cupcakes and frosting them. She said she always wanted one of these cakes when she was a little girl. I had no idea as she never told me. (I actually always wanted one too.) Isn’t it fun to see our secret childish longings fulfilled as adults?
I also got to watch the same daughter perform in a Christmas dance recital. She participates in a community-sponsored adult ballet class. It was so fun to see her dance plus all the other numbers with all ages. The music, the costumes, the background scenery, the dancing! It was all so adorable, especially the parent and tot class, the gingerbread men dance, and the candy cane lane dance. It just delighted my heart. See the photos from that below.
Pam and Laura of Team Green of Season 14 on Relative Race won the competition in the Season Finale of Episode 10! Hooray for middle-aged women! As one of that demographic group, I love cheering my fellow middle-aged peers on to victory in any competition. It was so cool to watch them burst forth out out of the room where they completed the winning move to see cannons burst forth with green confetti! We watched the episodes every Sunday night this fall. We’re sad that the season is over again. Now to watch reruns and also catch up on The Chosen on Sunday nights until the new season next year.
Image Credit: byutuv.org
During one of my many luscious hot water bath/soaks this month, as I was washing, then combing my hair, I was delighted by this totally spontaneous, random, image created by the hair that fell out of my head and landed on the edge of the bathtub, in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head, complete with ears. It just made me smile! How cool is that?
It made me think of one of my daughters-in-law who loves all things Disney. During Thanksgiving break, when she was here with my son from Texas, we played the Disney board game below that I found last month while thrifting. It was a hit! I was worried that it wouldn’t be fun for my family, but it was. Lots of discussion and laughter ensued. I was thrilled and not surprised that my daughter-in-law won! It totally brought out her enthusiasm.
One of the lovely post-Thanksgiving views from my walk with some of the family on Black Friday.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful time of it with my parents, one brother and his wife, one sister and her husband, all of my children, 2/3 of my children-in-law, all three of grandchildren, and a nephew and his family. A lovely time! I got to cuddle with my grandbaby who lives in TX so I hardly ever see him. I was there shortly after his birth for two weeks. I finally got to hold him again. He is so chubby and cute! I was thrilled to finally share my collection of board books that I have been keeping out for him after finding the perfect basket for it while thrifting a few months ago. I got to read to him while his parents did baking on Thanksgiving Eve.
As usual, Thanksgiving Dinner was over all too soon. I’m glad that the next day, Black Friday, I got to spend more time with my out-of-town family that I usually don’t see every day. We went on a walk together and played lots of games.
I got to play the board game Therapy with my son, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, then Bananagrams, and Lord of the Rings Seven Wonders Duel. We also played Betrayal House on the Hill which is not my favorite, but I played it to spend time with all the others who really wanted to play it. One of my friends describes it as Clue on Steroids.
Bananagrams is always a crowd pleaser. Most everyone will play. We combined two sets to have more tiles.
Then another day I played Settlers of Catan Cities and Knights with my oldest son, the one who absolutely loves Catan games. I also played Three Sisters with my youngest son for gameschooling earlier in the month. Three Sisters is my new favorite. I love it because it is all about the farming life, harvest season, and has so many choices. Plus everyone plays pretty much every round. I highly recommend it!
The above was for the Civil War class I am mentoring for my scholar phase son, for his LEMI Sword of Freedom Class. It’s so good! A true classic! I just love this story. It was at least my third time reading it. It has so many talking points! I listened to a good chunk of it on the drive home from Idaho (mentioned above) while the other family members slept. I love that it is based on the author’s family history. 5 out of 5 stars.
I read The Secret Book of Flora Lea for my sisters’ book club. Definitely a page-turner! I felt blessed that I could find it in my Everand subscription so I could listen to it. Having a book in audiobook format always increases the chance that I will finish the book as I can multitask. This book made me feel like I had entered a world of fairy tales, outdoor play, nubby sweaters, wavy hair, tea and cookies, a warm fireplace, a crush on a boy, mother love, sister love, mystery, and the effects of WW2. I just wish it didn’t have the premarital relations. 3 out of 5 stars.
My sister gave me these books for my birthday:
I’ve read Under the Egg aloud to my children, years ago, when we lived in AZ, because of her raving about. I’m happy to have my own hard copy of the book. It’s a great story of historical fiction and intrigue. I’ve heard so much about Calpurnia Tate that I’m excited to read my own copy.
Movies I watched this month:
Again, this was for Sword of Freedom. I used my old-fashioned way of censoring since it’s PG-13. An amazing story! I so admire Harriet Tubman. 5 out of 5 stars.
I review A Christmas Presenthere. It was entertaining and wholesome, and refreshingly, about marriage and mostly real life. Most of us can’t just leave for a 10 day Christmas vacation with less than a day’s notice. Though implausible, it was, however, fun and delightful. Definitely eye candy and some light food for thought, including random Bible verses quoted.
Then we saw The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the new one that is currently playing in the theater on Thanksgiving Saturday. Such a treat! What made it extra special was seeing it in the theater with the luxury loungers, as a big family outing. My parents, 4 out of my 7 children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and grandchildren were all there. Read my review here. It’s the Best Christmas Family Movie Ever! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful month!
If you’ve read my blog for a long time, you probably know that I have lamented that our world lacks a lot of good married romance movies, both comedy and drama. That includes Hallmark-type movies. The default weekly date for my husband and me is to watch a rom com, but after a while I wished there were more that focus on marriage. I’ve found a handful of gems that I list over here. Only one is Christmas themed.
I’m happy to report that I recently found a Christmas-themed, Hallmark-type romance movie that involves marriage! It’s not Hallmark, but from Candace Cameron Bure’s new brand, The Great American Family. It’s called A Christmas Present. You can watch it free here in YouTube.
I love this movie because it involves marriage, showing the all-too familiar struggle of finding time for each other and learning how to be in the present without micromanaging, especially during the holidays. I love that it is Christmas-themed, and I love that it shows family time and traditions, like playing games such as Christmas trivia and sharing memories around a firepit with s’mores. It realistically shows a mother’s role of being chief merrymaker, with the tendency to overschedule. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. The acting from some of the actors could have been better, and some of it was a bit implausible, what with the whole family of 4 being able to just up and leave all of a sudden for ten days to take a Christmas vacation, some gaping plot holes, and the overdosing of Christmas decorations. I mean, what real families can afford to have this many Christmas decorations, inside and outside the home? Every single inch was plastered with holiday finery. It was fun though to watch. Despite these drawbacks, I still recommend it and encourage you all to go watch it tonight, either as a family movie or for date night!
I just discovered this Christmas picture book! I’m definitely adding it to my list over here soon. This is a wonderfully cute story, written by Alane Adams, illustrated by Lauren Gallegos. Watch/listen to the author read the story in the video below. I love that it shows a child letting go of the worry about what he will get for Christmas, as he decides to focus on giving. I’m going to read it to my grandsons this year. I hope you can find it at your public library and read it to someone you love this year too! Merry Christmas!
Go here and here if you want suggestions of other Christmas picture books.
Then over here I have a page of YouTube videos with moms suggesting Christmas picture books.
If you want to create a simple picture book advent, go here.
Last Saturday we went as a three-generation family to see the above movie. Grandpa, Grandma, my husband, three of my children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. Everyone loved it! It was the perfect way to spend the Saturday afternoon of Thanksgiving weekend. I left feeling soo cozy, uplifted, and full of gratitude for my family and especially for Jesus Christ. Just full of the true Christmas spirit! I just wish the rest of my family could have been there.
Here’s why I love it:
-it is based on a wonderful book, by the same name, by Barbara Robinson. I remember reading this when I was in junior high. This book is famous among homeschoolers, especially Christian homeschoolers. I remember Andrew Pudewa of IEW talking about it in a webinar. I’ve read it aloud to my children at least twice, to the “Olders” and the “Youngers.” (Not sure about the “Middle One.” Sadly, he sometimes got lost in the shuffle, but it all evened out I hope!) Then the youngest and I listened to the audiobook last year, around Christmas time. It took us about a month to get through it by listening to it every time I chauffeured him for his three times weekly commitments, back and forth. It made us laugh together. I have fond memories of those drives.
-it is about family, neighbors, and everyday life, which I tend to gravitate towards. (I have a hard time getting into fantasy.)
-it has beautiful “period” costumes. I absolutely loved the late 70ish, early 80s vibe of the green, orange, brown and blue sweaters and plaid pants, robe, and skirts. And the harvest gold sweater and living room curtains. The lead girl, Beth, wears barrettes (remember the Goody brand butterflies and ribbon shapes? I sure do) and those ponytail holders (what Gen Y and Gen Z call “hair ties”) with beads that I remember using when I was a child. (Fellow GenXer Pioneer Woman agrees with me that they are not to be called hair ties here.) I have heard the producer, Dallas Jenkins, say that they don’t want the movie to be tied to any decade, but I totally felt it was late 70s, early 80s. I guess Dallas is too young to have observed the fashion of the 70s and 80s.
-Judy Greer who plays the narrator’s mom is perfect as Grace, the mom who volunteers as the substitute director of the local church’s nativity pageant when the regular director breaks both her legs. She has this balance of fragility (maybe because of her shaky voice?), everyday beauty, and pluckiness that I enjoyed.
-the rest of the casting is perfect as well: Beth and her brother Charlie, Grace’s children; Grace’s husband, played by Pete Holmes; the snooty church ladies, the prissy and glossy Alice Wendelken who is usually the Perfect Mary, and her mom, Mrs. Wendelken. I always pictured Gladys as being red haired, and she is in this movie!
-it shows a depth of emotion and motivation in the lead characters that aren’t seen in the book
-it focuses on Christ as the center of Christmas instead of Santa. With that theme, it shows the power of Christ’s love on everybody who chooses to let Christ change them, including all the Herdmans
-it shows a girl feeling empowered by her own confidence to change her story and help her mom. In the process it shows her standing up for mom and herself to one of the town bullies, Imogene Herdman
-it shows the power of one woman choosing to be Christlike to some feral, rambunctious, naughty children, despite the pressure of the catty neighbor/church ladies
-it shows the power of community and kindness
-the snow is real! The producers filmed it in Canada so they could have real snow!
-it promotes belief in and reading of the Bible, and asking questions about the Bible stories
-it is wholesome, fit for the whole family, and anyone, to watch
-you don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy it
-it entertains, as it strikes the right balance between funny and sweet, with no cheesy-ness whatsoever
-it shows the power of letting go and not micromanaging when things aren’t going as expected
-it shows that people can change
-it gives us all a new, fresh wonder for the Nativity Story
Book Cover Image Credit: amazon.com
I also love that it is even better than the book. This is one rare exception where the movie is better. It’s also so much better than the made-for-TV special that came out in the early 80s with Loretta Swit, aka Hot Lips Houlihan from the MASH TV show. That version is OK and cute (see it down below), but it just doesn’t have the layers that this movie has, which I already mentioned. This movie also shows more of the dad’s role in the story. It answers questions that one might be left with after reading the book.
-“Why does Imogene keep staring at the painting of Mary and Jesus?”
-“How does Imogene keep her siblings coming back to the church after they all find out that they don’t get dessert every time they go to church?”
-“Why does Grace want to keep the Herdman kids in the play?”
-“How does Grace intervene to make the pageant the best one ever?” (It’s no accident that her name is Grace.)
I give it 4.75 out of 5 stars. I took off .25 star just because of the “half frame” story. From the beginning of the movie, you hear a female narrator’s voice telling the story, but at the beginning you don’t see the narrator’s face. You finally see her face at the end, as the grown-up Grace (Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls), sitting in front of a group of children. That’s when you realize she’s been telling the history of the church’s Nativity pageant to these children for the whole movie. It’s just an abrupt change that is slightly disorienting. I wish the producers had started the movie showing Beth as an adult, telling the story to make it be a full frame story. It’s such a minor thing though. In spite of that, everything I wrote above means that this movie is the Best Family Christmas Movie ever! It is an instant classic, one that I will be sure to watch every year with my children and grandchildren. It even held the attention of the almost four-year-old (although I think the popcorn helped too!)
BONUS Materials:
Here’s a wonderful article about the author of the book, Barbara Robinson. She’s pictured below. Doesn’t she just look like such a fun grandma full of the best stories ever? Sadly, she passed away in 2013.
Photo Credit: goodreads.com
Watch the fun video showing some of the cast and crew.
Here are some delightful videos showing behind-the-scenes footage.
Below, we have opening night of the movie with some of the cast. Who would have thought that “Imogene” and “Gladys” could clean up so nicely?
An interesting article is here on the mom and daughter in real life who play one of the mom and daughter pairs in the movie: Mrs. Wendelken and Alice Wendelken.
Here is the obituary of the author, Barbara Robinson, with a bit of a backstory of the book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I hope her two daughters and grandchildren are thrilled with the movie’s depiction of their mother and grandmother’s story. I’d love to be able to ask them questions about her. I didn’t know that the book has two sequels! I look forward to reading those.
Here’s a short interview with Judy Greer and Pete Holmes talking briefly about the show:
Dallas Jenkins, the producer (who does The Chosen too), speaks about the movie in the video below. Dallas recently spoke at BYU, you can watch that here.
Glenn Beck interviews Dallas Jenkins below about the movie.
Finally, here’s the 1983 version with Hot Lips. Like I said, it’s cute, just not as good.
Want more Christmas books and/or movies?
Go here for some Christmas movies and videos. Some picture books are here. You can get a free PDF of books here, and a huge list of both books and movies over here, under “December.” The movies are listed under the “family activities” section. Merry Christmas!
Tree of Life Mothering 