A few Christmas extras from the Hope Chest
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
Dear Hope Chest friends,
Here are just a couple little extra Christmas goodies for you. Please continue to pray for my mother-in-law, who is very ill with lung cancer. She is going for a consultation this afternoon (Monday) and will be making a decision soon as to whether to pursue any further treatment. My husband Thad and his sister Beth will be with her.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html
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SNOWMAN SOUP
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I got this off the Internet a few years ago, but I don't remember where! My children love this, not only as a treat for themselves, but also as an inexpensive yet delightful gift for friends.
Fill sandwich-size zipper baggies with:
- one packet hot cocoa mix
- some chocolate chips
- some mini-marshmallows
- a candy cane
The label, which you can paste into your word processor and print out, can read:
Snowman Soup
I was told you've been real good this year.
I'm always glad to hear it!
With freezing weather drawing near,
you'll need to warm the spirit.
So here's a little Snowman Soup
complete with stirring stick.
Add hot water, sip it slow.
It's sure to do the trick!
(My daughter Mary draws a unique snowman on each her labels, to fit the personality of the recipient.)
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Harvest of Hope Gift Catalog
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Partners International, a Christian ministry to the poor in other countries, has a really neat catalog! You can provide such gifts as a hygiene kit for a rural child in Africa ($7) or a soccer or vollegyball set for a church in Laos ($25) or a Bible story book for a Turkish child ($5) or a piglet for a poor family in Cambodia ($25) or.... There are so many options for different areas of the world at different prices. Can't find a gift for a hard to please loved one? Give one of these in their name!
Here's the contact information:
United States
(888)887-2786
Canada
(800)883-7697
http://www.partnersinternational.ca
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First Corinthians 13, Christmas Version
Author Unknown, sent by Tonya Travelstead
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If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling
lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just
another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at
mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all
that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits
me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata
but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china
and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful
they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but
rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will
rust.
But giving the gift of love will endure.
Merry Christmas
Author Unknown
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THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
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There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. Have you ever wondered about THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS? What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
Today, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.
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The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
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Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.
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Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
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The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
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The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
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The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
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Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
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The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
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Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
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The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
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The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
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The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed.