And with it, all of the rest of the magic of the season flows forth:
The timeless classics.
Candles burning brightly.
Warm cocoa and cider.
Christmas trees all lit.
Stockings hung.
One too many gingerbread cookies.
Morning and evening devotions.
And the Christmas carols. You know the ones.
O come O come Emmanuel. And ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here. Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel. Shall come to thee, O Israel... O come, thou day-spring, come and cheer. Our spirits thine advent here. Disperse the gloomy clouds of night. And death's dark shadows put to fight.
Silent night, holy night. Son of God. Love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face. With the dawn of redeeming grace.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain. Gold I bring to crown Him again. King forever, ceasing never, over us all to reign... O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding. Guide us to Thy perfect light.
Then let us all with one accord, sing praises to our heavenly Lord. That hath made Heaven and earth of nought. And with His blood mankind has bought. Noel. Noel. Noel. Noel. Born is the King of Israel.
Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise... Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate deity... Light and life to all He brings. Ris'n with healing in his wings. Mild he lays His glory by. Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth.
A thrill of hope. The weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks a new glorious morn... Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother. And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we. With all our hearts, we praise His holy name.
Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her king... No more let sins and sorrows grow... He rules the world with truth and grace. And makes the nations prove. The glories of His righteousness. And wonders of His love. And wonders of His love. And wonders, wonders, of His love.
All hail! Lord we greet thee. Born this happy morning. Oh Jesus! For evermore be Thy name adored. Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. O come let us adore Him.
As is our yearly tradition, we drove north again for cut your own Christmas trees at the Wolcyn Tree Farm.
This year, Tex joined us for the outing.
502 Christmas turned Griswold Christmas.
It was the quickest year yet in selecting the Christmas tree(s).
The Christmas performances at work came and went this past weekend. I could not be more thankful for these lovely ladies. They make my job so much fun.
A new addition this winter: a backyard ice skating rink! M refuses to help with the maintenance, so this is my project alone. I had wanted to do this for years after seeing our neighbors' hockey and ice rinks, but hadn't taken the time to do it. I guess you could say we are now officially Minnesotans, the kind who LOVE winter, cold, and ice.
The latest add-on (and surprise for my husband) is an 11 foot Christmas tree. It's not Rockefeller, but I think it adds a nice festive touch. ;)
Surprise! Husband is still not sure what to think. Just that his wife may in fact be crazy. Let's just go with spirited, shall we?
I'm absolutely loving it.
And although he tries to hide it, he is too.
Midnight ice skating dates <3
Grateful to do life with this man, living sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
Your grace will never be forgot
Your mercy all my life
Will be my source forever song
My story and my light.
From mountain top to valley low
through laughter and through tears
Surely the goodness of my God
Will follow all the years.
You know our failures and regrets
You always lead us home
Redemption's arm has raised us up
Our triumph in the storm.
In unity we'll stand as one
As family we'll go
Shoulder to shoulder
Hand in hand
Into the great unknown.
For all that You have done for us
for every battle won
We'll raise a song to bless Your heart
For all that you have done.
For All that You Have Done, Rend Collective Experiment ---> Campfire Christmas Volume 1
Merry Christmas!!
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